The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

“Not helping out”: classed strategies of the (non) contribution of children in immigrant family businesses

“Not helping out”: classed strategies of the (non) contribution of children in immigrant family businesses
“Not helping out”: classed strategies of the (non) contribution of children in immigrant family businesses
This article analyses the role of immigrant entrepreneurs’ class positions in understanding the participation of children in business activities. Immigrant entrepreneurship scholarship has highlighted how the participation of children depends on relations of reciprocity as well as on the lack of opportunities in paid employment. I argue that the (non) contribution of children has to do with the social mobility strategies that migrant families put in place. Drawing on the narratives of fifty-five Latin American entrepreneurs and family members in Spain, I explain (i) the role of the small firm in trajectories of social mobility, (ii) how class positions explain the (non) participation of children, and (iii) the mechanisms by which downward mobility is cushioned through practices of distinction for middle-class entrepreneurs. The article contributes to nuance our understanding of the role of family ties in migrant firms by integrating the impact of class on the lives of migrants’ children.
0141-9870
1758-1775
Villares-Varela, Maria
5e63e77d-525f-4196-8be8-e8c7db56eae1
Villares-Varela, Maria
5e63e77d-525f-4196-8be8-e8c7db56eae1

Villares-Varela, Maria (2017) “Not helping out”: classed strategies of the (non) contribution of children in immigrant family businesses. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40 (10), 1758-1775. (doi:10.1080/01419870.2016.1206591).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This article analyses the role of immigrant entrepreneurs’ class positions in understanding the participation of children in business activities. Immigrant entrepreneurship scholarship has highlighted how the participation of children depends on relations of reciprocity as well as on the lack of opportunities in paid employment. I argue that the (non) contribution of children has to do with the social mobility strategies that migrant families put in place. Drawing on the narratives of fifty-five Latin American entrepreneurs and family members in Spain, I explain (i) the role of the small firm in trajectories of social mobility, (ii) how class positions explain the (non) participation of children, and (iii) the mechanisms by which downward mobility is cushioned through practices of distinction for middle-class entrepreneurs. The article contributes to nuance our understanding of the role of family ties in migrant firms by integrating the impact of class on the lives of migrants’ children.

Text
03_10_2016_“Not helpi.pdf - Version of Record
Download (1MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 7 June 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 14 July 2016
Published date: September 2017
Organisations: Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 401074
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/401074
ISSN: 0141-9870
PURE UUID: 4ac6dea9-b715-49aa-84c6-fc08055f13f4
ORCID for Maria Villares-Varela: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0137-7104

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 03 Oct 2016 15:11
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:57

Export record

Altmetrics

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×