Transnational Marriages–Empirical Complexities and Theoretical Challenges. An Exploration of Intersectionality

In this article, the author shows how Russian‐Norwegian marriages in Norway are viewed as suspect by Norwegian society, which sees them as running counter to the values that Norwegian marriages are expected to hold. It analyzes the ways in which Russian‐Norwegian couples respond to explicit and implicit criticisms. The article argues that the only way to give meaning to the Norwegian majority's suspicions is to look at how particular differences intersect in Russian‐Norwegian couples. Production of difference is seen as intersectional and it is, therefore, unhelpful to take one‐dimensional models that either prioritize gender, class, race/ethnicity, nationality, sexuality or any other aspect over other power structures, as a point of departure. The suggested approach is sensitive to the complexities within the transnational marriages as well as to their position as a contested field in the broader society.