Kinship Networks among Immigrants: Lessons from a Qualitative Comparative Approach
Author(s)
Menjivar, Cecilia
Abstract
In this study I will examine the dynamics of kinship-based social networks during resettlement of recent Salvadoran migrants to San Francisco. These immigrants invariably obtained substantial assistance from their relatives in the U.S. in order to make the journey north. But whereas in many instances these social relations continued to provide support for these newcomers upon arrival, in as many cases these social relations became conflictive and even broke down. Therefore, instead of lending support to the assumption that kinship-based networks are invariably sources of assistance to the newcomers, I analyze a more complex situation which contains instances of kinship support, but concomitantly illustrates cases where networks fail to provide the expected assistance to the newcomers.
