Abstract
Survey data from a large sample of recent refugees (N=525) living in Canada are used to profile the size and structure of refugees' social networks and to highlight the value (or function) of such social capital in the resettlement process. Despite the traumas associated with becoming a refugee, most adult refugees remain part of at least some familial networks. A large minority are connected with more extented family networks, and almost half plant to build these networks by sponsoring other family members. As resettlement continues, more extensive extra-familial networks involving neighbours, co-workers and employers, other community members, and a wide range of service providers are constructed. These many formal and informal social networks are extremely valuable, providing much-needed support and assistance when refugees are faced with financial, employment, personal, or health problems. Policy challenges arising from these findings are discussed.
Résumé
Les données d'un sondage auprès d'un grand échantillon (N=525) de réfugiés fraîchement ètablis au Canada servent à établir un profil de la taille et de la structure des réseaux sociaux des réfugiés et à souligner la valeur (ou la fonction) de ce capital social dans le processus de réinstallation. Malgré les traumatismes allant de pair avec le passage à l'état de réfugié, la plupart des réfugiés adultes continuent à faire partie d'un réseau familial au moins partiel. Parmi eux, une minorité importante est reliée à des réseaux de famille étendue et près de la moitié compte étoffer ces réseaux en parrainant d'autres membres de la famille. Au fil de la réinstallation, il se constitue des réseaux plus étendus qui vont au-delà de la famille pour inclure les voisins, les collègues et les employeurs, d'autres membres de la communauté et toute une gamme de prestataires de services. Ces nombreux réseaux sociaux officiels et officieux sont vitaux, car ils fournissent un soutient et une aide précieux quand les réfugiés doivent faire face à des problèmes de finances, d'emploi, de santé ou de caractère personnel. Suit une discussion des implications de ces constatations en matière de choix de politiques.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abu-Laban, B., Derwing, T., Krahn, H., Mulder, M., & Wilkinson, L. (1999). The settlement experiences of refugees in Alberta: A study prepared for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Edmonton, AB: Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration and Population Research Laboratory.
Abu-Laban, B., Derwing T., Mulder, M., & Northcott, H. (2001). Lessous learned: An evaluation of Northern Alberta's experience with Kosovar refugees: A study prepared for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Edmonton, AB: Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration and Population Research Laboratory.
Antonucci, T.C., & Akiyama, H. (1987). An examination of sex differences in social support among older men and women. Sex Roles, 17, 737–749.
Bernier, D. (1992). Indochinese refugees: A perspective from various stress theories. In A.S. Ryan (Ed.), Social work with immigrants and refugees. New York: Haworth.
Bourdieu, P. (1985). The forms of capital. In J.C. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258. New York: Greenwood.
Boyd, M. (1989). Family and personal networks in international migration: Recent developments and new agendas. International Migration Review, 23(3), 638–670.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. (2000). Facts and figures: Immigration overview. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Chimbos, P., & Agocs, C. (1983). Kin and hometown networks as support systems for the immigration and settlement of Greek Canadians. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 15(2), 42–56.
Daniel, V.E., & Knudson, J.C. (1995). Mistrusting refugees. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Dorais, L.-J., Pilon-Le, L., & Nguyen, H. (1987). Exile in a cold land: A Victnamese community in Canada. New York, CT: Yale Center for International and Area Studies.
Giddens, A. (1990). The consequences of modernity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Gold, S.J. (1993). Refugee communities: A comparative field study. Newbury Park, CA. Sage.
Gold, S.J. (1996). Soviet Jews. In D.W. Haines (Ed.), Refugees in America in the 1990s (pp. 279–304). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Gold, S.J., & Kibria, N. (1993). Vietnamese refugees and blocked mobility. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 2(1), 27–55.
Granovetter, M. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360–1380.
Grieco, E.M. (1998). The effects of migration on the establishment of networks: Caste disintegration and reformation among the Indians of Fiji. International Migration Review, 32, 704–735.
Hung, M.N., & Haines, D.W. (1996). Vietnamese. In D.W. Haines (Ed.), Refugees in America in the 1990s (pp. 305–327). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press
Indra, D.M. (1993). The spirit of the gift and the politics of resettlement: The Canadian private sponsorship of South East Asians. In V. Robinson (Ed.). The international refugee crisis: British and Canadian responses (pp. 229–254). London: Macmillan.
Ivry, J. (1992). Paraprotessionals in refugee resettlement. In A.S. Ryan (Ed.), Social work with immigrants and refugees (pp. 99–117). New York: Haworth.
Krahn, H., Derwing, T., Mulder, M., & Wilkinson, L. (2000). Educated and underemployed: Refugee integration into the Canadian labour market. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 1(1), 59–84.
Kuo, W.H., & Tsai, Y. (1986). Social networking, hardiness and immigrants' mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 27, 133–149.
Lamba, N.K. (2002). The impact of capital on resettlement outcomes among adult refugees in Canada Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Alberta. Edmonton, Canada.
Lamba, N.K. (2003). The employment experiences of Canadian refugees: Measuring the impact of human and social capital on employment ontcomes. Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 40(1), 45–64.
Light, I., & Bonacich, E. (1988). Immigrant entrepreneurs. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Mazur, R.E. (1988). Refugees in Africa: The role of sociological analysis and praxis. Current Sociology. 36(2), 43–60.
Marsden, P.V. (1990). Network data and measurement. Annual Review of Sociology, 16, 435–463.
Menjivar, C. (1995). Kinship networks among immigrants: Lessons from a qualitative comparative approach. International Journal of Comparative, Sociology, 26(3–4), 219–233.
Paxton, P. (1999). Is social capital declining in the United States? A multiple indicator assessment. American Journal of Sociology, 105(1), 88–127.
Portes, A. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 1–24.
Portes, A., & Bach, R.J. (1985). Latin journey: Cuban and Mexican immigrants in the United States. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Pugliesi, K. (1998). Gender, ethnicity, and network characteristics: Variation in social support resources. Sex Roles, 38(3), 215–238.
Sanders, J.M., & Nee, V. (1996). Immigrant self-employment: The family as social capital and the value of human capital. American Sociological Review, 61, 231–249.
Satzewich, V. (1993). Migrant and immigrant families in Canada: State coercion and legal control in the formation of the ethnic families. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 24(3), 315–338.
Smith, D.E. (1993). The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code. Journal of Family Issues, 14(1), 50–65.
Whitmore, J.K. (1996). Chinese from Southeast Asia In D.W. Haines (Ed.), Refugees in America in the 1990s (pp. 81–101). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Zetter, R. (1999). International perspectives on refugee assistance. In A. Ager (Ed.), Refugees: Perspectives on the experiences of forced migration (pp. 46–82). New York: Pinter.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lamba, N.K., Krahn, H. Social capital and refugee resettlement: The social networks of refugees in Canada. Int. Migration & Integration 4, 335–360 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-003-1025-z
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-003-1025-z