Migration-Trust Networks: Social Cohesion in Mexican US-Bound Emigration

Chapter Five: Migration-Trust Networks at the Macro Level

l 109 Macro social forces contribute to the creation, maintenance , and perpetuation of Migration-Trust Networks (MTNs). In most cases, such forces take place in a transnational context; that is, the connection between the social relations at the place of origin and those at the place of destination. The MTNs perform at multiple levels. First, there is the person-to-person interaction at the micro level. Once the network develops , the MTN becomes its own social entity in which all the members of the network act in the form of collective action, which is referred to as collective efficacy. Additional macro mechanisms take place that allow the process of cumulative causation to expand from only one community to other sending communities, and from one place of destination to many. Such macro processes help networks to be transplanted into other networks, or MTNs. One community may also send migrants to different destinations, so transnational relations become more complex as the networks diversify. Therefore, I claim that the cumulative causation process is influenced by a series of multilevel social and contextual factors out of which MTNs can multiply, expand, and move from one location to another in the destination country, in this case, the United States. In this chapter, I introduce and provide examples of some of these processes. At the place of destination, it is important to consider the circumstances and resources available to the immigrants by looking closely at the context in which they arrive. In addition , collective remittances and exogenous marriages with people outside the community of origin also affect the social structure, composition, and geographical expansion of the MTNs. Cumulative Causation Sending communities are transformed once international migration begins. The theory of cumulative causation refers to the tendency of migration to self-perpetuate, regardless of what causes the original migration in the first Migration-Trust Networks at the Macro Level chapter five 110 m Chapter Five place (Myrdal 1957; Massey 1990). According to the social network theory of international migration, migration becomes easier and less risky over time as a result of a growing network of social contacts in the receiving community . These contacts share information and resources with future migrants, whether family, friends, or paisanos, that aid in the process of migration and the acquisition of employment in the host country. These resources and connections are forms of social capital that dramatically increase the likelihood of additional migration among persons who have family or friends already living in the United States (Massey et al. 1987). Once migration begins in a community, not only are there contextual transformations that promote further migration, but also the availability of a well-functioning MTN provides the right conditions for further out-migration. During the cumulative causation process, one of the factors influencing future international migration movement is the relative deprivation experienced by some of the people who stay behind in the community of origin. This is less important in urban environments than in rural areas. I address these differences in the following section. Relative Deprivation In the context of cumulative causation, the sending community undergoes cultural, social, and economic transformations that change the conditions in which migration decisions are made. These new economic circumstances tend to propel further migration. For example, the infusion of remittances into the local economy accentuates income inequality between households with migrant family members and those without. This causes a sense of relative deprivation among those who do not receive remittances, which is only exacerbated by the conspicuous spending of those who do. Migration then becomes more attractive for households to improve their standing both absolutely as well as relative to others in the reference community (Taylor 1986; Massey 1990). I found plenty of evidence regarding the presence of relative deprivation in every community I visited, including those in El Salvador. As I argue in chapter 3, sending households that receive remittances experience a higher social status in the community. Upon returning, communities also bestow greater respect on its international migrants than they did before migrating. Cecilia, from one of the rural villages, migrated fifteen years before we implemented the survey. She stated the follow- Migration-Trust Networks at the Macro Level l 111 ing when I asked her about how people treated her when she returned to Mexico. Oh, no . . . everyone expects that you would have money when you return. They all expect that you will wear the best clothes and...