Hybridisation of Social Care for the Elderly Left Behind in Bulgaria
Hybridisation of Social Care for the Elderly Left Behind in Bulgaria
Author(s): Mila MaevaSubject(s): Anthropology, Social Sciences, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Culture and social structure , Migration Studies
Published by: Институт за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН
Keywords: migration; left behind; parent-child relations; hybridisation of transnational care
Summary/Abstract: The study focuses on the impact of globalisation and the movement of people on families and caregiving. It examines how families in Bulgaria are affected when their relatives move abroad and how they provide support and care across borders. The study explores the changing dynamics of social care between parents and children and between family members who stay in Bulgaria and those who emigrate. It also looks at how elderly parents in Bulgaria cope when their children move away. Due to migration, the physical separation of families leads to changes in family dynamics and caregiving patterns. Besides close relatives, distant family members, friends, non-governmental organisations, and social institutions all play active roles in caring for ageing parents. The study uses qualitative ethnographic methods, drawing on field materials collected from Sofia, Varna, and Bansko between 2020 and 2023. It is part of the research project ‘Still in Bulgaria. Cultural and Social Effects of Labour Mobility and Migration on Bulgarian Society (1990-2019)’, funded by the Bulgarian National Scientific Fund – 10.12.2019.
Journal: Between the Worlds
- Issue Year: 5/2023
- Issue No: 5
- Page Range: 260-280
- Page Count: 21
- Language: English
