Aging Within Transnational Families ― The Case of Older Peruvians

Transnational families have become a hot topic in migration studies, family sociology and transnational family research. The focus of this literature tend to be working-age migrants and their children in the country of origin. In contrast, older members of transnational families have only sporadically received academic attention. Consequently, rather little is known about the experiences of older people within transnational family contexts as well as about the scope and determinants of their cross-border family ties and practices. Exploring the case of older Peruvians, ‘Aging within Transnational Families’ is one of the first books to provide a multi-method approach to studying aging across borders. It analyzes the complex dynamics of transnational intergenerational solidarity by scrutinizing the willingness and creativity of older Peruvians to support their children and grandchildren across large geographic distances and national boundaries. The book explores the prevalence and structuring features of family-related transnational practices against the backdrop of different migration regimes and shows how policies affect transnational family configurations and the role of older people within them.

Vincent Horn is a postdoctoral researcher in the Institute of Education at the Johannes-Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Germany.