607.4
Children and Families of Transnational Migrants
Ethel Kosminsky
The use of concept of transnational migration, as a framework for researching family and children, requires Historical Sociology due to different kinds of transnational migration, such ethnic migration (Japanese-Brazilian) and migration across boundary (Mexican-American). The notion of socioeconomic formation, its social production process and relationship, and social conditions of people’s lives can accomplish this historical approach (Marx 1976:38). Based on Marx, Lefebvre shows that socioeconomic formation combines capitalist social relationships with social relationships and institutions that belong to another era. Thus, the notion of socioeconomic formation implies an unequal development of any society. It means that productive forces, social relationships, politics, familial organization and socialization of children do not change at the same historical rhythm. According to Lefebvre, his method comprehends description of social life, coexistence of social relationships that belong to different periods of time, and phenomenon’s history and genesis. As Lefebvre says, there is no reproduction of social relations without production of relations and there is no repetition without creation of new social relations (Martins 1996: 13-23).
Different kinds of transnational migration have to be related to different countries’ social formations. Although the social capitalist relationships are dominant in all countries currently involved, one can find social relationships from another period of time such as tribal social relationships coexisting with capitalist social ones. As family organization and socialization of children requires more time to change, one needs to describe types of family organization and socialization of children in sending and receiving society. How does countries’ social formation require transnational migration? How does transnational migration affect the organization of family and the socialization of children?