Migrants and Their Social Networks: A Study of Kuki Migrants in Delhi

Abstract

This paper discusses the role and importance of social networks in the migration process. It explores the formation of social networks among the Kuki migrants in Delhi. Drawing insights from the theoretical and conceptual literature on social networks and based on field observations and personal narratives of migrants, the study analyses the importance of social networks for migrants and explains how social networks help the migrants cope with a new social environment. The Kuki migrants have been classified into two categories, namely ‘pioneer’ and ‘follower’ migrants. While pioneer Kuki migrants hardly had any ties and merely depended on ‘weak ties’, it was follower migrants who took the benefits of ethnic and kinship networks. The study conclusively found that social networks have been instrumental though various pull factors at the place of destination and push factors at the place of origin have contributed for Kuki migration to Delhi. The migrants have formed ethnic clusters, which have turned out to be a survival strategy in a new social milieu. The social networks not only have helped migrants to deal with challenges and constraints in an alien environment but also instilled a sense of confidence in them to overcome psychological stress and isolation.

The impact of labor mobility with fellow townsmen on the wages of rural migrants: evidence from China

“…Segmented assimilation theory provides a theoretical basis for studying Chinese rural migrants' homogeneous mobility. The theory states that while migrants try to adapt to the society of the country they migrate to, their adaptation and assimilation are constrained by specific social conditions and contexts that are related to migrants' ethnic group attributes and ethnic characteristics (Rumbaut, 1997;Kim, 2017;Zhang and Xie, 2013b;Mai and Wang, 2022;Lin et al, 2022). The assimilation process of migrants is selective, and they may have the possibility of being assimilated by the middle and upper classes as well as by the lower social classes, i.e., migrants economically converge to the natives but retain the ethnic and cultural characteristics of the place of emigration (Portes and Zhou, 1993).…”

Singapore as a Destination Among Trans-Border People: Migration from the Indo-Myanmar Borderland

“…According to Kikon and Karlsson (2019), the youths of Northeast India are desirable to employers in the hospitality industry because of their fair complexions and typical Asian features, as well as their proficiency in English and their general cosmopolitan mindset. Kipgen and Panda’s (2019, 2020) research on Kuki migrants in Delhi demonstrated that social networks not only originate, promote, and raise the chance of Kukis out-migration but also minimise costs and hazards associated with the migration process. Despite increasing research on Northeast migration to Indian cities in recent decades, studies on migration within and outside Myanmar are scarce for many reasons.…”