Social networks and social capital among individuals in situations of social vulnerability: theoretical-analytical reflections

Abstract

Social vulnerability and segregation situations nowadays require a look concerning relationship networks between individuals and the social capital that should transcend economistic or public policy approaches for the analysis of the reduction of inequalities in the access to material and symbolic goods. In this sense, the proposal here is to contribute to a theoretical discussion about social networks and social capital, and then consider to what extent these discussions are important for the analysis of individuals who establish particular social relations in the urban environment. It is understood that the analysis of sociability networks and the concomitant social capital developed allow to understand characteristics related to the ways individuals act in order to inhibit or disconnect from adverse daily situations, from an economic, as well as a sociocultural point of view. The importance of immediate sociability groups, whether formal, informal or secondary groups, should be re-evaluated in the light of these theoretical perspectives by introducing specific methodologies on social networks and by reconsidering the meaning that the social capital can acquire among individuals in situation of social vulnerability.