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.