In the context of contemporary studies of families and transnational lives, this
paper sets out the emergence of new forms of conjugality among heterosexual couples living
apart (one in Portugal, the other in Angola). Considering the importance of gender
stratification we seek to understand how the construction of masculinity is reformulated in the
couple when the man migrates to the other country to find work. When a conjugal pair
separates as a result of the migration of one person, fluid forms of conjugality arise,
demanding realignment of gender roles. The forms of conjugality that are emerging today can
also be studied from the point of view of Post-colonialism Theory – seen in the continuities
and ruptures in Portugal’s colonial imagination, the gender-role building, and the migrations
between the two countries. The paper contains a lecture and analysis of the data already
collected in the research project "Places and Belonging: conjugality between Angola and
Portugal" (PTDC/AFR/119149/2010).