Migration, embedded networks and social capital: towards theorising North American ethnic geography

Abstract

This paper critically evaluates the impacts of networks of ethnicity and social capital on the migration paths and settlement decisionmaking of refugees now living on the Paci®c Coast of the US. Of particular signi®cance are the social networks of two complex groups who relocated in large numbers to communities in central California and the Paci®c Northwest over the past decade. Postmodern sensitivities to race, space and place in recent years have revalidated humanistic approaches suggested by human geographers more than two decades ago. Today, however, this earlier humanistic approach is being reshaped to centre on unravelling and analysing social and placebased relationships. Rather than viewing migration in a narrow perspective (as a process happening in a particular place at a particular ®xed moment in time), human geographers have begun to use ethnographic methods to record migration processes. I build on the ideas and approaches of both thè old' and the`new' in this article, paying particular attention to the social relationships and networks that emerge at intersections of uidity, fusion, motion and negotiation, to appraise their role in constantly shaping and reshaping migration processes.

Promoting Social Inclusion through Sport for Refugee-Background Youth in Australia: Analysing Different Participation Models

“…Others note the limitations and potential negative effects of exclusive reliance on bonding ties for migrants, arguing that strong ties within disadvantaged communities can contibute to exclusion (Eriksson, 2011;Wakefield & Poland, 2005). Many scholars correspondingly stress the value of bridging capital for providing additional resources to such communities (Ager & Strang, 2008;Beirens, Hughes, Hek, & Spicer, 2007;Field, 2003;Hardwick, 2003;Korac, 2003).…”

Social Engagement among Migrant Youth: Attitudes and Meanings

“…As Harris (2013, p. 3) points out: "Youth-driven civil unrest, terrorist attacks and the visibility of large and youthful immigrant population in global cities have become constructed as interrelated problems that call into question the sustainability of diversity and the future of the nation as we know it". This paper is interested in exploring culture-specific networks that provide an important and positive resource in negotiating adjustment to a new country, particularly in the settlement stage (Hagan, 1998;ColicPeisker, 2005), while acknowledging that their effect may also be negative if networks become too restrictive and lead to ghettoization (Hardwick, 2003) or the promotion of radical agendas (Tilly, 2007). The current generation of multicultural youth have been particularly subjected to problematizing and marginalizing discourses by the majority culture (Triandafyllidou, 2006).…”

Heterogeneous Effect of Ethnic Networks on International Trade of Thailand: The Role of Family Ties and Ethnic Diversity

“…The absence of endogeneity between ethnic diversity and family ties can be seen in many countries where both are low, such as Sweden, or both are high, such as Thailand and India, meaning the endogeneity between the two is significantly alleviated by a host of social, historical and geographic factors. However, in the view that there is a dearth of theoretical work in explaining ethnic diversity (Hardwick, 2003), a systematic examination of the relationship between ethnic diversity and family ties certainly is merited in future studies.…”