Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book investigates how family practices such as marriage, divorce and parenting become part and parcel of pursuits of individual and family wellbeing in diverse national and political contexts in Europe and North America. It focuses on research conducted in the Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden, and Denmark that share a Nordic welfare model, but also differ as regards their history of migration. The book presents research on countries that have a long history of immigration such as the Netherlands, the UK, and Canada. The book examines Somali parents’ perspectives on the multidimensional good life that they aspire to for their children. It shows how the transnationally shaped circumstances and needs of Turkish and Pakistani families in Denmark and the UK and their relatives in the countries of origin lead to the practice of polygamy for diverse purposes.