Social capital and plural identities in migrants and refugees: between diasporas and entrepreneurship

Researches in the field of migration have highlighted the different roles played by the communities of origin and the ones of resettlement in the purpose of promoting newcomers’ social integration (Erikkson et al. 2018; Bereins et al. 2007; Calhoun 2010). In particular identity - defined as “the product of the relationship among different actors (people, organizations, artefacts, speeches) along axes of self and hetero-recognition and through various ontological dimensions (individual, professional, national and organizational ethnic” (Talamo, Roma, 2007 pp. 14) - is pivotal in the attempt of understanding how social capital is exploited in the integration process. Social relationships, distinguished on the basis of the social identity category, produce three types of social capital: the bonding, bridging and linking social capital (Putnam, 1999; Sretzer, Woolcock, 2004). The present study has involved migrant and refugee business people that, beside being part of national diasporas, have started enterprises aimed at fostering newcomers’ social capital. In order to explore participants’ plural identities, narrative interviews have been carried out together with a questionnaire aimed at analysing their (social) ego network. Preliminary results have shown that the experiences participants have made in the field of diasporas and entrepreneurship modulates the creation and exploitation of bonding, bridging and linking social capital. Results will be discussed according to the current theories on social capital and plural identities.