The Weight of Social Assets: Argentinean Migrants in Spain.
Publication Name:
European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Volume, number, page:
92, pp.23-38.
Year of Publication:
2011
Editor(s):
CEDLA
Organization Name:
Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation.
Acronym:
CEDLA
Publisher:
CEDLA.
City:
Amsterdam
Web Page:
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
ISBN or ISSN:
0924-0608
Considered Countries:
Argentina
España
Category:
Academic articles
Theme:
Country - Country
Civil Society
Keyword(s):
Migration
social assets
social capital
Emigration
Immigration
Abstract:
Using diverse conceptualizations of social capital, this paper will analyse qualitative data obtained from interviews with 49 Ar-gentine migrants to Spain and returnees. Unlike other Latin American migrants to Spain, this group of Argentines approached the migratory experience as a 'nuclear fami-ly'. In general, respondents tended to devel-op diversified networks, avoiding the con-straints experienced by other migrants. I argue that a number of factors including migratory status, certain 'feelings of enti-tlement', cultural affinity and physical fea-tures are all important as far as the inter-viewees' positioning within the 'field' of migrants is concerned. In general, most in-terviewees also pointed out that individuals tend to trust more in institutions and the community as a whole in Spain than in Ar-gentina. Even so, data also suggested that solidarity and friendship ties were stronger in Argentina than in Spain.
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