par Sizaire, Laure
Référence European Sociological Association (27-30 August 2024: Porto-Portugal)
Publication Non publié, 2024-08-29
Communication à un colloque
Résumé : Drawing on a study conducted among French-post-Soviet couples residing in France, this paper delves into the intricate implications of migratory experiences and transnational conjugality on gender dynamics. When post-Soviet women migrate and establish intimate relationships with partners in the destination country, they experience a shift of gender regime (Connell 1987). For some of them, this shift is intentional, forming part of a deliberate gender project: they use international matchmaking precisely to avoid the gender regime they encountered in post-Soviet countries (unequal relationships, unreliable partners, marginalization on matrimonial market, etc.). For others, shifting gender regime may occur without deliberate intention. In these cases, women share accounts of intimate interactions where, at times, conventional gender expectations are momentarily suspended. When “doing gender” (West & Zimmerman 1987) is impossible, the gender regime’s norms and rules are revealed and denaturalized. Beyond these temporary disruptions in interactions (Goffman 1974), the women’s comparative assessments witness a relaxation of gender norms, challenging traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity from the women’s perspectives. This demonstrates the transformative power of migration on gender relations and sheds light on the opportunities for increased agency and freedom that transnational conjugality and migratory experiences can offer. Consequently, this paper advocates for a different perspective on the understanding of gender dynamics within the context of migration and conjugality, by taking into serious account the women’s comparative assessments, and considering their analyses and reflexivities on gender, which are shaped at the crossroads of their home and destination countries.

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