Review: Louise Ryan (2023). Social Networks and Migration—Relocations, Relationships and Resources

Abstract

In "Social Networks and Migration," Louise RYAN reexamines data obtained over 15 years of research to explore how migrants of different ages and backgrounds construct their social networks and how these networks evolve with time as migrants go through different stages in life. RYAN explores the aspirations and needs which migrants aim to address by nurturing existing connections or by creating new ones. With RYAN's approach to qualitative social network analysis (SNA) she emphasizes the specificities—i.e., the content and meaning—of each social connection. RYAN focuses on the individuality of each experience, and intentionally eschews the temptation to generalize to groups or identities of any kind. Her data are based on narratives ("telling network stories"), which yield information on relationships, on their meaning to interviewees, and on their nature and content. The book is particularly insightful in describing the content of relationships as well as their evolution over time. It also inevitably leaves out of its field of investigation more than it covers. It is therefore an invitation to further research into the way migrants shape their networks, how social networks shape their lives, and how they distil this experience in the form of narratives.