This article is concerned with use of the notion of social capital in research into the position and experience of migrants, in particular with regard to the question of inequalities. I start by outlining some key perspectives and debates in the literature on social capital, and argue in favour of Bourdieu's conceptualization. Here, what defines economic, social, cultural and symbolic resources as 'capital', in particular, essentially lies in their convertibility into other resources with the effect of securing advantage or overcoming disadvantage. I then go on to illustrate the argument by drawing on a number of biographical interviews with refugees in Sweden -looking first at the functions played by co-ethnic networks in their accounts, and supporting the argument that many of those functions are not usefully conceptualized in terms of social capital. Second, I suggest that if we are concerned to apply Bourdieu's conceptualization of social capital to make sense of the position and experience of migrants generally and with regard to inequalities particularly, we need to look beyond intra-ethnic/migrant networks and consider how these are situated in a wider social context and in relation to other social networks. Here, I look at the extent to which my interviewees have emphasized the importance of links to the majority population, and consider the obstacles they have encountered in creating such links. Finally, I highlight that the emphasis Bourdieu puts on power and resource differentials in defining social networks and resources in terms of 'capital' also remains important when considering minoritymajority relations.
This article considers the role of public discourses in biographical narratives by focusing on discourses of integration and migrant narratives in a contemporary Swedish context. In particular, it explores how public discourses that emphasise migrants' agency and responsibility to 'integrate' help frame the ways in which migrants present themselves. While recognising the importance of biographical research for exploring migrants' experiences and bringing their voices to the fore, the article argues that we need to pay more attention to how public discourses constrain narratives. It proposes that migrant narratives studied in their social and political context can be used to understand inequalities not only by gaining knowledge of lived experiences of inequalities, but also by considering how dominant discourses help to normalise some of those experiences, and as such may contribute to the reproduction of inequalities.
It is well established that international migration involves not only geographical but also social mobility, as migrants achieve an improved socioeconomic position through increased economic opportunities, or experience downwards mobility as a result of not being able to transfer their economic, social or educational resources to the receiving country context. While the social mobility that accompanies migration is often considered in the migration literature, the implications for migrants' social class positioning has been less of a focus. This paper addresses this gap by looking at how female migrants in the UK evaluate social class trajectories as part of their biographical narratives. The paper brings wider sociological debates about class into a discussion about female migrants' socioeconomic trajectories and social status. By considering material as well as symbolic aspects of class divisions along with the transnational context in which migrants are embedded, the paper highlights the complexity of how migrants are positioned in class terms. It also looks at how class is subjectively interpreted, and outlines different ways in which migrants evaluate their class trajectories, for instance by conceiving of migration from a long-term perspective and in the context of the family unit, by emphasising different quality-oflife aspects, and by challenging dominant meanings associated with class hierarchies. The paper emphasises the intersection of class and gender in female migrants' experiences, and argues that subjective accounts of class provide an excellent opportunity to explore the complexity of how class is experienced in the context of international migration.
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