Spatial reach of migrants networks

Abstract

Migration scholars have highlighted the crucial role that social networks play in migration flows. The fact that individuals live in specific locations, both before and after the migration, makes their movements set up a network of places, called migration spaces. The objective of this paper is to discuss the spatialization process of migration networks. By relying on personal contacts, networks are configured for a kind of proximity. The flow of information and the recruitment of individuals belonging to the migratory network shape the borders of these networks, due to the internal nature of the diffusion processes. Thus, the multidimensional nature of migration networks includes socio-cultural and spatial processes. All these aspects are articulated in different levels, acting as agents of a continuous spatial creation.