Navigating Competing Discourses in Mixed-Citizenship Romantic Relationships

The United States has an increasing number of people from around the world, which has led to a rise in mixed-citizenship romantic relationships. Yet, these relationships and family structures remain significantly understudied. Mixed-citizenship romantic relationships, referring to individuals in a romantic relationship who hold or previously held different citizenships, are faced with various unique experiences in comparison to same-citizenship romantic relationships (e.g. immigration rhetoric, filing of paperwork, and financial obligations). Grounded in relational dialectics theory, this study examined how discourses operate and inform the meaning of mixed-citizenship romantic relationships, as well as the ways discourses compete. Through 15 semi-structured interviews, results reveal two discourses: A Discourse of Love is the Driving Force and A Discourse of Material Uncertainty. Moreover, discourses competed for dominance and, at times, intersected to create new meanings. Findings illuminate implications of talk for members of mixed-citizenship relationships, and offer suggestions for practitioners in communicating about these consequences.