Language, Migration and Social Mobility in Catalonia

Alarcón, Amado; Garzón, Luis

Abstract:

This book presents the results of a research on the integration of second generation migrants in Catalonia. Drawing on in-depth biographical interviews, we demonstrate the link between language and social mobility. Language is a particularly important social issue in Catalonia. A bilingual region in northeast Spain, Catalonia has been receiving foreign migration for several decades. Nowadays, some of the children of those migrants are entering the labor market. For many migrant families, providing social mobility for their children was one of their main goals. What effects does bilingualism have on the social trajectories of migrant children? Is Catalan important for social mobility? The book answers these questions focusing on the fate of three migrant communities: Argentineans, Colombians and Moroccans.

Year:

2011

Type of Publication:

Book

Publisher:

Brill

Number:

121

Series:

International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology