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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
Author(s): 
GINIENIEWICZ Jorge
Editor(s): 
CEDLA
Organization Name: 
Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation.
Acronym: 
CEDLA
Publisher: 
CEDLA.
City: 
Amsterdam
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.