Susan Olzak Marion Coddou Stanford University
This study investigates how community-based organizations shape migrant social and civic engagement in their settlement societies. Research on civic engagement argues that community organizations boost the participation of socially marginal groups through the development of social networks and civic skills. However, this research posits that organizational social networks are domain specific. This means they are directed toward the organization's goals, which may not be civic oriented. The research asks how organizational roles or "domains" are defined by staff, members, and broader institutional arrangements, and how these definitions impact migrant community engagement and social support. The research advances theory by contributing to a better understanding of how social networks are marked by the organizations that form and sustain them and, as a result, are constrained in the projects under which they can be mobilized. The co-PI examines these processes among civic organizations serving Latino immigrants in an immigrant gateway city and its suburbs. Rich insights gained from over a year of ethnographic fieldwork are triangulated with national surveys of organizations and members to provide evidence of differential political mobilization by organizational networks and practices.
Broader Impact
Due to their limited access to resources through the state, many migrants must rely on informal social ties and local organizations to establish themselves and gain a voice in their new communities. However, membership carries distinct social consequences across organizations. There is a need to study and thus increase our understanding of how resources differentially diffuse through community organizations, providing variable opportunities for member engagement. This research contributes to this body of knowledge by showing how social definitions of organizational roles shape the opportunities available through them. The findings of this research will be shared directly with the organizations participating in the study and will be available to scholars, policy makers and nonprofit leaders through scholarly papers, conference presentations, and published reports.
