Exploring the Horizontal Acquisition of Transnational Identity in Intercultural Relationships in Toronto

Abstract

While identity shift in the context of migration has been studied in depth, questions of identity in those who have close, love-based relationships with international migrants or descendants of migrants remain underrepresented in the literature. Theoretically framing the research in a cultural studies and constructivist perspective, this study explores the extent to which individuals in intercultural relationships take on components of their partners’ transnational identities and how this process occurs. Interviews were conducted with seven individuals in intercultural relationships with first or second-generation immigrant partners. They explored how an individual’s identity shifts in the context of their relationship to reflect their partner’s transnational identity. The findings demonstrate that individuals embrace components of their partner’s transnational identity through discussion and interaction with both their partner and their partner’s family, suggesting that non-migrant individuals with no familial ties to another region in the world can also engage in transnationalism.