Fictive Kin as Social Capital in New Immigrant Communities

Abstract

Fictive kin, defined as family-type relationships, based not on blood or marriage but rather on religious rituals or close friendship ties, constitutes a type of social capital that many immigrant groups bring with them and that facilitates their incorporation into the host society. We describe three types of fictive kin systems in different immigrant populations and argue that their functions are similar across various ethnic groups and types of fictive kin relationships. Fictive kin systems expand the network of individuals who provide social and economic capital for one another and thereby constitute a resource to immigrants as they confront problems of settlement and incorporation. While anthropologists have long noted systems of fictive kin in premodern and modernizing societies, sociologists have paid little attention to fictive kin networks. We argue, however, that systems of fictive kin constitute an important part of the social networks that draw immigrants to a particular locale and provide them with the material and social support that enables them to become incorporated into a new and often hostile society. Data are derived from interviews with informants from various immigrant groups in Houston, Texas, and from a Yoruba community in Brooklyn, New York.

Constructing family: A typology of voluntary kin

“…Researchers have also emphasized the importance of voluntary kin among working class families (e.g., Coontz, 1999), new immigrants (e.g., Ebaugh & Curry, 2000), gay and lesbian families (e.g., Muraco, 2006;Weston, 1991), and street families (e.g., McCarthy, Hagan, & Martin, 2002). Taken collectively, this research points to a variety of possible functions performed by voluntary kin, including a sense of belonging, emotional closeness, protection and security, and social support.…”

Corporate Governance and the African Business Context: the Case of Nigeria

“…Apart from Chinese society (where it is called Hui) and Japanese society (where it is called Tanomoshi) where you fi nd a variation of this concept which depends on homogeneity and little or no turnover within its membership (Ouchi, 1979), a more robust version tolerant of heterogeneity and high turnover of its membership is found in Nigeria (Bascom, 1952), throughout West Africa (Little, 1962), other parts of Africa (Ebaugh & Curry, 2000) and even the Caribbean (Maynard, 2004) and many parts of Asia too. Th ese schemes typically pool resources with each member making a contribution and then the entire pot goes to one member as a loan which then revolves to other members in turn.…”

Who Cares for the Kids? Caregiving and Parenting in Disney Films

“…Relatedly, fictive kin refers to family-like relationships and has been studied especially in immigrant groups, African American families, and gay and lesbian families (Ebaugh & Curry, 2000). Othermothers are women who are not the biological mother of a child but yet have a significant role in that child's upbringing (Collins, 1994).…”