The Weight of Social Assets: Argentinean Migrants in Spain.

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.