Understanding Migrant Familyhood through a Relational Spatio-Temporal Framework : Cross-Border Families Navigating Im/Mobilities before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite growing attention to relationality in sociological research, few studies have explored its application in the cross-border migration context, particularly the interplay between relationality and spatio-temporal dimensions in conditioning migrant im/mobilities and familyhood. This article proposes a relational spatio-temporal framework to uncover how relationality shapes the ways cross-border families navigate spatial and temporal im/mobilities within the limits and opportunities at the macro-, meso- and micro-levels. The advantages of the framework are illustrated using the case of cross-border families between Mainland China and Hong Kong. Based on interviews and ethnographic data from 146 parents and 22 children, four scenarios are presented to illuminate how cross-border families strategically relativise spatio-temporal im/mobilities of each member to offset, compensate, substitute and overcome impacts brought about by the constraints at multiple levels before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal the prominent role of relationality in shaping mobility patterns, migration decisions and personal biographies.