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“Soft” Urban Arrival Infrastructures in the Periphery of Metropolitan Areas: The Role of Social Networks for Sub-Saharan Newcomers in Aalst, Belgium

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Abstract

In migration studies, social networks are predominantly used to understand patterns of transnational chain migration, but are often overlooked in the analysis of the localized incorporation processes of newcomers. Drawing on social support theory, this chapter analyzes how newcomers derive emotional, informational, and instrumental support from different types of social networks, paying specific attention to the geography of these ties and the forms of social capital they nurture. On the basis of data gathered through interviews and observations, the soft urban arrival infrastructure for sub-Saharan migrants in Aalst (Belgium) is analyzed. It is found that the availability, size, and composition of a local supportive network is to a great extent dependent on whether the pre-existing network of newcomers facilitates relocation to a new city.

The original version of this chapter was revised: Chapter author affiliation has been updated. The erratum to this chapter is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91167-0_12

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Notes

  1. 1.

    To maintain our respondents’ privacy, we use fictional names.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Centre on Inequalities, Poverty, Social Exclusion and the City (OASeS), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Didier Boost

  2. Department of Sociology, Centre on Inequalities, Poverty, Social Exclusion and the City (OASeS), Urban Studies Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Stijn Oosterlynck

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  1. Didier Boost
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  2. Stijn Oosterlynck
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Bruno Meeus

  2. University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Karel Arnaut

  3. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Bas van Heur

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Boost, D., Oosterlynck, S. (2019). “Soft” Urban Arrival Infrastructures in the Periphery of Metropolitan Areas: The Role of Social Networks for Sub-Saharan Newcomers in Aalst, Belgium. In: Meeus, B., Arnaut, K., van Heur, B. (eds) Arrival Infrastructures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91167-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91167-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-91166-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-91167-0

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