Capitalizing social networks: Sri Lankan migration to Italy

Abstract

Social capital is usually seen as a fixed asset, a property which individuals or in some cases communities possess or do not possess. Theoretical attention has therefore been devoted to the initial acquisition of this precious asset, focusing on the question of how to ‘build’ social capital, which partly explains the sustained policy interest, particularly in fields such as development. This particular focus is a result of a confusion between what social capital is and what it does, identified by Portes, and results in a static picture of social capital. Separating the essence of social capital from its function allows us to follow Bourdieu’s interest in the active maintenance of social capital, after it has been created. The conscious efforts that actors make to foster social relations for their own future benefit highlight the fragile nature of the benefits associated with social capital. We refer to these activities as social network work, a practice that is particularly clear among active and aspiring undocumented migrants. We apply this to fieldwork in the Catholic fishing village of Wennapuwa on the west coast of Sri Lanka where migration to Italy is a well developed strategy for many households. We identify significant moments of change or articulation in migrants’ use of social capital as a contribution towards a more dynamic understanding of this key social phenomenon.