Towards a definition of European intra-marriage as a new social phenomenon

Abstract

The following pages are a preliminary reflection on European intra-marriage as an emerging social phenomenon, and its potential cultural and institutional consequences on the EU consolidation and integration process. I will start by proposing a new expression – European intra-marriage – in order to better differentiate this “new” type of European family culture. I will then reflect on some of the features that better characterize the singularities that marriages between Europeans entail, so that, further on, we may distinguish an emerging “marriageable group” which has been on the rise among European citizens. Afterwards, I will analyse the possible consequences of European intra-marriage on the construction and establishment of a European identity; I will sustain that Europe, in this case, is probably being more influenced by the family than one might think. As a result, the Europeanization of cultural identities through multicultural families may play a supporting role in the creation of the EU alongside the institutional instruments of control wielded by political elites. If this is the case, we should pay close attention to a phenomenon that is simultaneously private and public and that may be consolidating a new form of European identity. In the final pages, I will summarise the main ideas developed here, as a way of clarifying the future research directions that may be fruitful for an understanding of European intra-marriage as an expanding trend.