The coordinator prepared draft questionnaires for the field research on the mixed and transnational families. The drafts were discussed by the participants on the meeting and later revised. The partners discussed the fieldwork and agreed to conduct at least 10 interviews for each group of families (mixed and transnational). In mixed families both spouses are to be interviewed. In the case of transnational families, interviews will be done with the spouse (woman or man) residing in the country where the research is taking place.
The participating teams also discussed the specific features of their cases. The Turkish team will focus on the mixed families consisting of a Turkish male partner and a female partner from one of the Soviet Union successor states (most likely Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan). As for transnational families, they will concentrate on cases of families, where the male partner departed to work in Germany or France, and cases of women from the former Soviet Union, who came to Turkey leaving their families behind in their home countries.
The Greek team will focus on mixed marriages in which a Greek citizen is married or lives in cohabitation with immigrant from Albania or Bulgaria. Most typical case study for transnational family will involve a female immigrant – a live-in domestic worker.
The Bulgarian team will focus on mixed families consisting of a Bulgarian woman and a man from Middle Eastern Muslim country (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Iran). A few interviews with families where male partner is from a Western European country will be added to provide a different perspective. As for transnational families, the Bulgarian team will study the family members who have stayed behind in Bulgaria and are relying on remittances sent by the partner who has emigrated.
The partners agreed that separate interviews with both partners should be made, and if possible, male researchers should talk with the male respondents, and female researchers with the female respondents. Respondents should be from the lower middle class (economically and socially).
The fieldwork should start in March and conclude by July 2009. The period between July and September 2009 will be devoted to transcription of the interviews, organization of focus groups and analysis of focus group discussions. All field research work should conclude by mid-October.
The workshop report is available in PDF or XML format
