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‘Why can't I get married?’—Denmark and the ‘Twenty-four year law’

2010; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 11; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14649360903514392

1470-1197

Linda S. Fair,

Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Abstract Recent geographical work in Whiteness studies has been primarily Anglophone and centered on the USA, Britain and Australia. This paper expands those studies to consider the case of Denmark. Using three themes of Whiteness, the paper analyzes the 2002 'Twenty-four year marriage law,' which regulates marriage by Danish citizens and legal Danish residents to individuals from outside Denmark, the Nordic countries and the European Union. This law stipulates that for spouses or cohabitants from outside these three regions to be granted residence permits in Denmark, certain conditions must be met including the requirement that both partners must be over the age of 24. The paper argues that the implementation of the twenty-four year law is overt evidence that Whiteness is well-entrenched in Denmark, contradicts the very values Danish society states it wishes to uphold and is negatively impacting a portion of the very population that Whiteness is trying to protect. Le travail géographique récent sur les études de la blanchitude a été essentiellement anglophone et centré sur les Etats-Unis, la Grande Bretagne, et l'Australie. Cet article élargit ces études à considérer au cas de Danemark. En utilisant trois thèmes de la blanchitude, cet article analyse la 'Loi du mariage à vingt-quatre ans' en 2002, qui règlemente le mariage de citoyens danois et de résidents légaux danois aux individus qui viennent de l'extérieur du Danemark, des pays nordiques et de l'Union Européenne. Cette loi prescrit que pour accorder des permis de séjour au Danemark aux époux ou aux conjoints de l'extérieur de ces trois régions, quelques conditions doivent être remplies incluant l'obligation que les deux partenaires doivent être au moins âgées de vingt-quatre ans. Cet article soutient que l'implémentation de la loi de vingt-quatre ans est une évidence manifeste que la blanchitude est bien établie au Danemark, la loi contredit les mêmes valeurs que la société danoise déclare qu'elle souhaite maintenir et la loi affecte négativement une portion de la même population que la blanchitude essaie de protéger. Ante todo, el trabajo geográfica de los estudios de blancura ha sido anglofónico y centrado en el EEUU, Gran Bretaña y Australia. Este papel se extiende estos estudios a considerar el caso de Dinamarca. Utilizando tres temas de la Blancura, el papel se analiza 'la ley de matrimonio de veinticuatro años,' del cual se regula el matrimonio de ciudadanos Danés y residentes legales Danés a individuos que no son de Dinamarca, ni los países Nórdicos, ni la Unión Europea. Esta ley se estipula que para los maridos que no son de estos tres regiones, es necesario que los dos individuos sean de más que veinticuatro años para concederlos un permiso de residencia. Este papel se discute que la implementación de la ley de veinticuatro años es evidencia abierto de la afianzamiento de la Blancura en Dinamarca, que la ley se contradice los valores que la sociedad Danesa se mantiene y tiene un impacto negativo en la misma población que la Blancura se intenta proteger. Keywords: Whitenessarranged marriagehuman rightsimmigration legislationmigrationKeywords: blanchitudemariage arrangédroits de l'hommeimmigrationlégislationmigrationKeywords: Blancuramatrimonio arregladoderechos humanoslegislación de inmigraciónmigración Acknowledgements The doctoral research for this paper was funded by the American-Scandinavian Foundation and supported by the Danish National Centre for Social Research and the Academy for Migration Studies in Denmark. I thank Micheline van Riemsdijk and David Jansson for their support during the publication process. I would also like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and the editor, Phil Hubbard, for their constructive and insightful comments on this manuscript. Notes 1. A person is considered a Dane if at least one of his or her parents is a Danish national and was born in Denmark. It is irrelevant whether the person is a Danish national himself/herself or was born in Denmark. A person who is not a Dane is considered to be an immigrant if born abroad and a descendant if born in Denmark (Danish Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs 2007 Danish Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs (2007) Statistical Overview—Population Statistics on Foreigners, < http://www.nyidanmark.dk/NR/rdonlyres/86C56774-CAC9-42A5-BBC4-F28B3629078B/0/statistical_overview_2007.pdf> (accessed 4 January 2008) [Google Scholar]). 2. After the election, the Act on the Prohibition against Hate Speech (1939, 1971), was used as the basis for charging, convicting and sentencing five members of the Danish People's Party in connection with the campaign. 3. Of course, this is not to say that arranged and forced marriages were not occurring. Evidence that they were, though in relatively small numbers, was published prior to enactment of the twenty-four year law (Grodin 2001 Grodin, C. (2001) Evaluering af det etniske konsulentteam, < http://menneskeret.palermo.magenta-aps.dk/tema/gift/faktakonsulentteam/> (accessed 3 January 2008) [Google Scholar], 2000 Grodin, C. (2000) Årsberetning for foreningen Broen, < http://menneskeret.palermo.magenta-aps.dk/tema/gift/faktabroen/> (accessed 3 January 2008) [Google Scholar]; Rytkønen 2002 Rytkønen, H. (2002) Europe and its 'almost-European' other: a textual analysis of legal and cultural practices of othering in contemporary Europe, PhD dissertation, Stanford University, CA [Google Scholar]). 4. In 1992 the Danish voters turned down the Maastricht Treaty. As the Treaty had to be ratified by all Member States before it could go into effect, a compromise was reached. The Edinburgh Agreement gives Denmark certain exemptions including the stipulation that, except for visa regulations for nationals from non-Member States, Denmark is not obligated to participate in Title IV which regulates asylum and immigration. Denmark is free to formulate its own national immigration policy, including marriage rules, without any oversight from the EU.