A review of social networks and social capital for volunteering for refugees

Ahmed, Taban Khalid; Chan, Kim Ling Geraldine; Mutalib, Mimi Hanida Abdul

doi:10.17576/geo-2022-1804-06

Cited by 1 publication

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“…A recent review of social network studies with refugees described the need for greater exploration of the conceptualization of social networks as they relate to refugees (Ahmed, Geraldine Chan, and Mutalib 2022). Indeed, social network research with refugees has tended to be either quantitative using name generators (Löbel 2020; Njeru et al 2020) or qualitative through in-depth interviews (de Anstiss, Savelsberg, and Ziaian 2019; Sundvall et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expanding Social Network Conceptualization, Measurement, and Theory: Lessons from Transnational Refugee Populations

Greene

Hess

Soller

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Social Science

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With forcible displacement at unprecedented levels and only expected to increase as conflict, economic inequities, and climate change escalate, it is critical to understand the ways in which social networks of migrants are disrupted and reconstituted in new contexts. This requires critical examination and expansion of existing social network conceptualization, measurement, and theory that considers transnational movement and experiences to ensure cultural and contextual validity. As part of a community-engaged intervention study designed to promote the well-being of recently resettled refugees by addressing social determinants of mental health, the social networks of refugees were measured over time. This paper describes the conceptualization, operationalization, data collection, and data analysis of refugees’ social networks; challenges and lessons learned; and implications for transdisciplinary social network theory and methodologies. Tracing the development of quantitative and qualitative instruments and participatory processes of iteratively refining them throughout implementation with four cohorts of refugees (2013–2017; N = 290) resettling in a medium-sized city in the Southwestern United States, we offer innovative ways of viewing social networks that expand conceptualization, improve measurement, and extend theory. Our findings address known challenges to social network data collection (e.g., instrument bias, participant recall bias, and interviewer capacity) and suggest how social networks data collection can be strengthened through approaches that include (1) community members as collaborative researchers, (2) transdisciplinary theoretical and methodological perspectives, and (3) team-based practices that share leadership, learning experiences, and responsibility for data analysis, interpretation, and dissemination.

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