Research on how the poor “make ends meet” typically shows that they are able to do so by relying on dense support networks of family and close friends. Recent research suggests, however, that these networks play a limited role. This article examines the role of informal networks in how sixty-one households in Barcelona, Spain, cope with poverty. We use a mixed-methods design that combines structured network delineation with semistructured interviews about the processes of support mobilization. Findings show a great variation in network size and resource capacity among households and in the kinds of ties that offer support. Social support was regarded as essential among members of poor households, but mobilized networks were often insufficient for covering even the most basic needs, and prolonged network mobilization could cause strain and long-term conflict. This analysis suggests that support networks may help people to cope with income volatility while simultaneously increasing the potential for social exclusion and isolation.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the care provision of charity organizations that assist people in situations of economic vulnerability. After analyzing central theoretical elements of kinning, the authors contend that charity organizations function as symbolic families for people in need. Design/methodology/approach Ethnographic fieldwork was performed in two sites of a large catholic charity organization in the outskirts of Barcelona. Ethnographic fieldwork included participant observations and informal interviews with individuals located under the official poverty threshold. Findings Symbolic family bonds among different individuals are created through the entwining of interconnectedness, obligation and commitment, sense of belonging, interdependence and the projection of symbolic spaces of hearth. The authors propose the term of “disposable families” (akin to that of Desmond’s, 2013 for dyadic relationships) because a remarkable feature of these bonds is its short-term nature. Social implications The consideration of charities as symbolic families offers new insights into their social role and may contribute to reshaping the social function within emergency situations. Originality/value This research opens new ground for the understanding of charities as something else than care providers, as the relational dimension with clients extends beyond the conventional patron/client relationship. This fact has particular relevance in an economic context of post-crisis, with the Welfare State withdrawal and a deterioration of the traditional sources of informal support.
ResumenLa centralidad de los procesos de adscripción de niños y niñas ha ido dibujando cada vez con mayor nitidez la conveniencia de tomar en cuenta las formas diversas de circulación de niños como un fenómeno global de singular importancia en las estrategias de reposición del grupo y de cohesión social. Confinadas durante mucho tiempo a la etiqueta de "parentesco ficticio", algunas de las formas específicas de esta circulación, como la adopción internacional, fueron abriéndose paso en el panorama teórico a medida que los movimientos de menores bajo la legislación internacional se generalizaban y los debates sobre los corolarios económicos, éticos y políticos de los mismos ganaban terreno tanto en los foros académicos y profesionales como en los medios de comunicación. En este artículo reviso algunas de las líneas más relevantes en el panorama reciente del estudio de la circulación de menores en general y de las prácticas de adopción internacional como fenómenos de dimensiones globales, enfatizando la necesidad de prestar atención especial a las elaboraciones culturales de los procesos de adscripción y crianza en este ámbito.Palabras clave: Adopción internacional, circulación de niños y niñas, antropología del parentesco, crianza, conceptos folk, etnografía, comparación transcultural.1 Este artículo recoge en parte los resultados de mi participación como investigador en el proyecto Teoría transcultural de la reproducción de los grupos humanos. La antropología del parentesco como estudio de los modelos socioculturales de procreación y crianza de los niños (SEJ2006-10864).
Introduction: Our objective is to analyze the treatment that audiovisual advertising makes of sociocultural diversity, focusing particularly on phenotypic traits. We also propose some lines of action oriented towards good dynamizing practices in inclusive intercultural milieus, avoiding the reproduction of racist or xenophobic assumptions. Methodology: we have based our analysis on: (a) a general sample of 834 advertisements broadcasted in prime time on various Spanish television channels, (b) in-depth interviews with 38 advertising experts, (c) collaborative work with various professional associations and institutional organizations, and (d) a reception study with 249 college students. Results: we conclude that phenotypic diversity in advertising is underrepresented with respect to the social reality of reference and that inclusive good practices must go through the incorporation of multicultural diversity in television advertising. We emphasize the importance of doing it from intercultural dynamizing perspectives that show discourses with interpersonal and intergroup interconnections in different contexts and situations.
Las adopciones internacionales constituyen una de las formas de adscripción de niños y éstas forman parte, junto con las ideas, normas y usos relativos al proceso procreativo, el cuidado de los niños hasta que alcanzan la madurez social, las representaciones que vertebran estos procesos y las relaciones que generan, de cada uno de los modelos etnográficos de parentesco. Pero al mismo tiempo en cada caso constituyen un proceso que, analizado en sí mismo, debe partir de las características socio-demográficas del país de origen que afectan a los niños, de los procesos que llevan a una declaración de adoptabilidad y de las representaciones de la adopción internacional en el país emisor, que se vinculan a las formas tradicionales de circulación. Lo que presentaremos en este texto es una propuesta sobre los elementos que debería de tener en cuenta cada estudio etnográfico de caso que trate de dar cuenta de la totalidad del proceso.
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