Narratives of negotiation: Transnational marriage migration in northern British Columbia.

In this thesis, I examine the everyday and particular experiences of seven foreign brides residing in three resource-based communities in northern British Columbia (Prince George, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek), during 2009 and 2010. The intent of my research is to understand how foreign brides' experiences of marriage, migration, settlement and integration influence their reestablishment of sense of self, belonging, place and identity in new and complex environments. Globalization and advancements in communication technologies have shifted the scope and scale of marriage migration to include new players and encompass new landscapes however, the frequency of this practice and the experiences of foreign bridges are often unknown or misunderstood given that no formal monitoring system exists. As such, it is necessary to examine the hidden avenue' (Nolin 2011) of migration to rural and remote communities within northern British Columbia (BC), as this setting poses limited access to services and cultural networks which can exacerbate foreign bride's already vulnerable sponsorship status and expose increased opportunities for mistreatment and abuse. Thus, to explore foreign brides' experiences in this landscape, I utilize Abu-Lughod's ethnographies of the particular' (1991) and Nolin's transnational ethnographies' (2006) as methodological approaches to inform the use of in-depth interviews, Photovoice, and photo elicitation techniques. Findings presented include the identification of four central points of negotiation: i) Marital Relationships ii) Family Dynamics iii) Reestablishment of Independence and Agency and iv) Cultural Refueling Opportunities and Transnational Connections. By identifying how public and private negotiations shape individual motivations, agency, self-determination, and reinvention, I illustrate how multi-sited and multi-scaled power dynamics influence the reestablishment of foreign brides' sense of place and identi