Transnational social fields and transnational social spaces are concepts used interchangeably in transnational literature. Both terms refer to the complex of connections and practices across borders. In this paper, it will be argued that though social network approaches are introduced by transnational studies, they inherit often a metaphorical understanding of social networks. As a result, the potential insights that the social network analysis might bring to transnational studies are hardly exploited.Therefore, the first part of the paper shows which relational or social network perspectives underlie the concepts of transnational social fields and transnational social spaces. The second part of the paper elaborates the potential benefit of social network analysis in researching cross-border social fields and spaces in reviewing case studies and offering different conceptualizations and measures (clustered graphs, diversity indices) to delineate transnational social formations. While clustered graphs allow assessing transnational embeddedness, the index of qualitative variation (IQV) can be used to show variation in transnationality in personal networks. The measures will be exemplified with the data collected in Barcelona from three groups (Chinese, Sikh and Filipino, N=25 in each group, 30 alters by ego). Finally, the pros and contras of the proposal will be discussed.
Acknowledgements
Young people are mobile across Europe and transnational mobility is seen as a differentiating factor enabling them to gain personal and professional experience. While relationships are seen as important for mobility, the relevance of personal networks to young people´s thoughts of moving abroad has not received adequate attention. Specifically, different types of relationships with (non-)mobile others to whom young people are connected have not yet been studied as one origin of their thoughts of moving abroad. Grounded in quantitative data from the European H2020 project MOVE (n=5,499) we show that in addition to different aspects of unequal mobility opportunities (young people’s and parents’ socio-demographic status, prior mobility experience, country of residence, occupation) the constitution of young people’s network has a bearing on their mobility prospects. Our results show that young people´s thoughts of moving abroad differ between European countries, decrease with age, increase among students, and increase when respondents and significant others in their networks (parents, partners, friends, other relatives) have prior experience of mobility.
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