The migratory and societal dynamics: LATT (Living apart together transnationally) Couples in Denmark and globally

In line with the panel 13 theme, including migrants’ lived experiences, this paper explores both migratory and broader societal dynamics of LATT (living apart together transnationally) couples. The axiom of geographical proximity being crucial for intimacy is challenged through the experiences of intimate couples living across international borders. The increasing migratory restrictions for the reunification of intimate partners, especially from the ‘Global South’ and the couples’ strategies to deal with these restrictions, are pivotal issues covered in this paper. We examine the couples’ experiences within the social-cultural psychological perspectives and emotional attachment processes, especially ‘digital emotions’ conceptualisation. The inclusionary ‘third space’ (Bhabha, 1996) at the societal level and the intersubjective co-creation concept with mutual recognition of the ‘shared third’ (Benjamin, 2004) are invoked in the theoretical framework. Two cases from an empirical research project about 20 LATT couples in Danish and global contexts (Singla, under review) are selected as illustrations.

The study results mentioned above show that the cycles of departure, separation, and return for LATT couples are significant. In addition, the welfare policies and migration regimes affect couples temporally and emotionally. Besides the labor market conditions such as job opportunities and aspirations, the restrictions, and the social exclusions processes, the ‘suspicion’ also affect the couples’ intimate relationship. For some, the privilege of digital emotion does not satisfy in the same way as offline emotions. However, a ‘third space’ of hope (Dandekar, 2022) engendering new possibilities ameliorates exclusion, thus enabling LATT couples to deal constructively with the problematic issues.