Debordering family reproduction: Care circulation and transnational marriages between Morocco and Italy

Objective: The purpose of this article is to rethink the concept of care circulation by linking it to the notion of social reproduction, with a focus on transnational marriages between Morocco and Italy. Background: Moroccan settlement in Italy is shaped by transnational, gender, and intergenerational relationships through which mobility and family projects have become increasingly intertwined. Marriage plays a pivotal role in this process, as the evolution of life courses, mobility trajectories, and kinship networks hinges on it. Method: The analysis draws on 50 unstructured, in-depth interviews conducted primarily with women, although men were also involved. Most interviews took place in participants’ homes and were embedded within broader social encounters lasting two hours or more. The fieldwork therefore also incorporated periods of observation and systematic ethnographic note-taking. Results: The article traces how care circulates across the Mediterranean to facilitate transnational matchmaking. It highlights how families and relatives in countries of origin support migrants’ family needs in countries of destination, rather than care flowing solely in the opposite direction. Furthermore, it shows that family transnationalism encompasses not only relationships maintained across distance but also the formation of proximity relationships and processes of emplacement. Conclusion: Approaching transnational marriages through the lens of care circulation opens up new avenues for examining family reproduction and the horizons through which it is imagined and sustained.