Solidarity Marriage or Sham Marriage? Marriage as Radical Political Solidarity among and with Migrants in Europe

Western societies hold dearly to the romantic heterosexual model of marriage. This model, which is seemingly based upon 'love' also relies on perceptions of racialized, economic, and identitarian similarity of the people in the relationship. This article discusses a non-mainstream form of marriage as implicit political solidarity with or among migrants. It critically analyses a form of marriage that is often categorized under the general notion of 'sham marriage' by adopting a life story narrative approach. Instead of the legal and normative terminologies, I use 'solidarity (inter-)marriage' to refer to the specific form of marriages based upon social inequality between the spouses and a sense of altruistic support with migrants. Solidarity marriage can deconstruct the existing discourses of marriage and family that cling to an individualistic notion of love-or interest-driven partnership. The article concludes with an argument in favor of the de-racialization of bi-national (inter-)marriages and the problematization of currently implemented legal and social discourses in identifying 'authentic' marriages and family units.