ABSTRACT
Family reunification is a complex legal and social topic and, as such, it requires to be addressed from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Building on insights mainly from migration law, private international law and social sciences, this book advances the debate on how current family migration regimes in Europe shape and reinforce inequalities within and across families based on their residence status, nationality, location, socio-economic resources, age, gender and type of family relationship. This introduction argues for the significance of systematically studying how the interaction of different sets of legal rules, social practices and norms produces, reproduces or alleviates inequalities. In particular, three sources of inequalities among and within families are identified: those concerning access to family reunification rights; those related to proving one’s personal status and family ties; and those emerging from the implementation of laws and policies on the ground. After a reflection on the meaning and the matrix of inequalities for legal and social studies, the introduction presents the cross-cutting themes (i.e. the role of documents in family reunification, the specific difficulties faced by refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, and the impact of family reunification procedures on children), structure and content of the book. Finally, this chapter argues for a combination of doctrinal and empirical approaches, as well as for a more sustained dialogue between disciplines to study family reunification and its many aspects. A threefold strategy for future research is suggested: following the laws, following the documents, and following the people.
