RLEC 13 (1) Call for Works: Transnational Lives and Cultural Contexts

The Lusophone Journal of Cultural Studies) has opened a call for papers for Vol. 13, No. 1, with the theme ‘Transnational Lives and Cultural Contexts’ until 3 January ( extended deadline).

The editors for this issue are Emília Araújo (CECS, University of Minho, Portugal), Carlos Barros (Portuguese Catholic University, Portugal) and Mieke Schrooten (Odisee University of Applied Sciences/University of Antwerp, Belgium).

As transnational families gain visibility in academic debates and public policy, recent research highlights the need to deepen our understanding of what it means to be transnational and the long-term implications of these experiences (Budginaitė-Mačkinė et al., 2025). Researchers examine not only the institutional weaknesses of support systems, but also the cultural contexts that shape these experiences (Barros & Hanenberg, 2024).

In a context of growing public and political uncertainty surrounding migration and mobility, it is crucial to make visible the realities experienced by transnational families—whose experiences of belonging, displacement, and care extend across geographically distinct locations (Bryceson, 2019; Doetsch et al., 2017; Guerra & Barros, 2025; Schrooten, 2021).

Objective of the Thematic Issue

This thematic issue invites submissions that explore how culture shapes experiences of displacement and mobility, and how transnationality and vulnerability are experienced, narrated, negotiated, and resisted in transnational family networks. We seek analyses that consider how variables such as gender, race, class, and citizenship intersect to produce complex forms of individual and family precariousness, as well as how institutions, media, and technologies mediate these experiences across borders, thus constructing “cultures of vulnerability” with which families may or may not identify.

We also aim to promote critical reflections on the theoretical, methodological and ethical challenges of researching transnational lives.

Suggested Topics

We are looking for interdisciplinary articles, grounded empirically and theoretically, particularly those drawing on Sociology, Communication, Psychology, Social Work, Anthropology and Migration Studies.

Suggested topics include:

1.Conceptual and Methodological Approaches

Theorising transnationality and vulnerability in cultural contexts
Methodological innovations in researching transnational family life
Ethical dilemmas in studying displacement and precariousness across borders

2.Cultural Representations and Narratives

Cultural imaginaries of uncertainty, loss and displacement
Diasporic memory, cultural citizenship and practices of belonging
Family archives and visual narratives of transnational vulnerability

3.Temporalities and Emotional Geographies

Waiting, resistance and intergenerational care in transnational families
Temporal dimensions of trauma, healing and resilience in migration“Lived time”: activism, resistance, and cultural expressions of resilience

4.Institutional and Structural Challenges

Professional mismatch, job insecurity, and identity negotiation
Transnational family life in times of crisis, disaster, or systemic collapse
Navigating institutional fragilities: care, support, and legal frameworks

5. Media, Technology and Future Imaginaries

Cross-border digital cultures and mediated family connections
Care and surveillance technologies in transnational contexts
Imagining futures: aspirations, mobility and cultural resistance
Theories and methods on transnationality and vulnerability

References

Barros, C., & Hanenberg, P. (2024). An integral approach to well-being in transnational families: A brief proposal for best practices. Social Sciences, 13(3), 131. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030131.

Bryceson, D. F. (2019). Transnational families negotiating migration and care life cycles across nation-state borders. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45(16), 3042–3064. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2018.1547017Budginaitė-Mačkinė, I., Albert, I.

Schrooten, M., Stanojević, D., & Wojtyńska, A. (2025). Defining transnational families across countries and time: An analysis of academic discourse on the phenomenon between 2003 and 2023. Journal of Family Studies, 1–20.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2024.2449103Doetsch, J., Pilot, E., Santana, P., & Krafft, T. (2017). Potential barriers in healthcare access of the elderly population influenced by the economic crisis and the troika agreement: A qualitative case study in Lisbon, Portugal.

International Journal for Equity in Health, 16, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-017-0679-7

Guerra, I. & Barros, C. (2025). Care: New challenges arising from transnational dynamics. Social Work Education.

https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2025.2525992Schrooten, M. (2021). Transnational social work: Challenging and crossing borders and boundaries. Journal of Social Work, 21(5), 1163–1181. https://doi.org/10.1177/146801732094938

Submission period (full manuscript): 26 September to 30 November 2025

LANGUAGE

Articles may be submitted in English or Portuguese.

Articles selected for publication will be translated into Portuguese or English, respectively, and must be published in full in both languages.

PUBLICATION AND SUBMISSION

The Lusophone Journal of Cultural Studies is an open-access academic journal that operates in accordance with the demanding standards of the peer review system and uses a double-blind review process. Each submitted work will be distributed to two reviewers previously invited to evaluate it, according to its academic quality, originality, and relevance to the objectives and scope of this edition of the journal.

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal’s website (https://www.rlec.pt/). If you are accessing the Lusophone Journal of Cultural Studies for the first time, you must register in order to submit your article (register here).

The guide for authors can be found here.

For further information, please contact: rlec@ics.uminho.pt

[Posted:26-09-2025/ updated: 02-12-2025]