Gendering in Research Network: Talk by Sofie Jeholm, University of Copenhagen
Abstract
The Function of Attachment in Cases of Family Reunification 
With this talk, I shed light on the legal ‘attachment requirement’ as a bio-political governmentality mechanism with affective dimensions. In everyday use, the developmental psychological concept of ‘attachment’ denotes a person’s capacity to form social or loving bonds to other people, e.g. the family. From the turn of the century, the concept of ‘attachment’ was operationalized in the Danish immigration law as it was implemented as a legal condition for family reunification to Denmark. Furthermore, from 2002-2018, the application process entailed an assessment of transnational couples’ combined attachment to the Danish nation vis-à-vis any other country. Thus, the Danish Aliens Act stated that transnational couples seeking family reunification had to prove that their “combined attachment to Denmark” was “greater than to any other country” (The Alien Act §9, 2002). Building on feminist theoretical contributions and approaches to the study of affect within the fields of gender, sexuality and critical race studies, I seek to unpack the affective implications and logics that underpin the administrative conceptualization and evaluation of the ‘attachment requirement’.Research project “Loving Attachment: Regulating Danish Love Migration (LOVA)
”https://koensforskning.ku.dk/forskning/lova/projektdeltagere/?fbclid=IwAR0J1hpD8qOWAvInxPnc29XMSn0Y0MyUk_TyQBARZh7359bTLf6UJCsbCpU About the spekaerSofie Jeholm, PhD fellow, University of Copenhagen, Centre for Gender, Sexuality & Difference********
The Gendering in Research Network provides a platform for gender researchers and students at Aarhus University to discuss, collaborate, and exchange ideas. For further information about the Gendering in Research Network, please contact: Lea Skewes, IMC Theresa Ammann, IMCT