The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki
This article explains from a Bourdieusian perspective how migrants gain access to fields in which their resources are valued and their cultural and social capital can be mobilised. Interviews conducted among Swedish migrants in Helsinki (Helsingfors) illustrate how the migrants have been able to uti...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cogitatio
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Social Inclusion |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2325 |
| _version_ | 1818491545774456832 |
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| author | Östen Wahlbeck Sabina Fortelius |
| author_facet | Östen Wahlbeck Sabina Fortelius |
| author_sort | Östen Wahlbeck |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explains from a Bourdieusian perspective how migrants gain access to fields in which their resources are valued and their cultural and social capital can be mobilised. Interviews conducted among Swedish migrants in Helsinki (Helsingfors) illustrate how the migrants have been able to utilise various forms of capital to gain access to the local labour market. Knowledge of the Swedish language and society may constitute cultural capital, but only in specific occupations and social contexts. The article highlights the importance of access to social networks among Finnish spouses and friends in finding information about the jobs in which knowledge of the Swedish language and society is valued. The results indicate that the resources of migrants do not always constitute a valuable social capital, migrants also need to be able to mobilise their resources in a given social context. It is also argued that there may be specific forms of cultural and social capital that are only available to migrants as a consequence of their being migrants. This migrant capital consists of the various forms of capital that are connected to the migration process and are mobilisable by the migrants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:32:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e092f90a5014af2b374236edf8f4ab1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2803 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:32:27Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Inclusion |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e092f90a5014af2b374236edf8f4ab12022-12-22T01:39:38ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032019-12-017418118910.17645/si.v7i4.23251269The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in HelsinkiÖsten Wahlbeck0Sabina Fortelius1Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki, FinlandSwedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki, FinlandThis article explains from a Bourdieusian perspective how migrants gain access to fields in which their resources are valued and their cultural and social capital can be mobilised. Interviews conducted among Swedish migrants in Helsinki (Helsingfors) illustrate how the migrants have been able to utilise various forms of capital to gain access to the local labour market. Knowledge of the Swedish language and society may constitute cultural capital, but only in specific occupations and social contexts. The article highlights the importance of access to social networks among Finnish spouses and friends in finding information about the jobs in which knowledge of the Swedish language and society is valued. The results indicate that the resources of migrants do not always constitute a valuable social capital, migrants also need to be able to mobilise their resources in a given social context. It is also argued that there may be specific forms of cultural and social capital that are only available to migrants as a consequence of their being migrants. This migrant capital consists of the various forms of capital that are connected to the migration process and are mobilisable by the migrants.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2325bourdieuemploymentfinlandlabour marketmigrant capitalsocial networksswedish language |
| spellingShingle | Östen Wahlbeck Sabina Fortelius The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki Social Inclusion bourdieu employment finland labour market migrant capital social networks swedish language |
| title | The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki |
| title_full | The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki |
| title_fullStr | The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki |
| title_short | The Utilisation of Migrant Capital to Access the Labour Market: The Case of Swedish Migrants in Helsinki |
| title_sort | utilisation of migrant capital to access the labour market the case of swedish migrants in helsinki |
| topic | bourdieu employment finland labour market migrant capital social networks swedish language |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2325 |
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