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Attention has been turned recently to the role that social capital may play in the promotion of immigration integration and social cohesion. The paper addresses an aspect of social capital that has been neglected: the application of social capital and its related concepts to minority ethnic families in impoverished neighbourhoods. This paper discusses the ways in which contextual elements in a neighbourhood may facilitate or impair the building of social capital for minority ethnic immigrant families. Research from focus group interviews conducted among Hispanic families in predominantly Hispanic neighbourhoods in Los Angeles show how residents face multiple challenges in social capital building due to physical, psychological, socio-cultural and economic constraints on their everyday family and community life. Contrary to popular conceptions that promote social capital building as the solution to social fractures caused by immigration and ethnic diversity, findings illustrate how communicative conditions experienced by minority Hispanic ethnic families may affect the constitution of their bonding, bridging and linking social capital processes. The potential impact of social capital on social cohesion will vary depending on the ways in which its effects are enhanced or diminished by the context of local neighbourhoods and the communication environ in which families are embedded. Cet article étudie la manière dont les éléments contextuels dans un quartier peuvent faciliter ou empêcher la construction du capital social pour les familles immigrées des minorités ethniques. La recherche sur la base d'entretiens avec des groupes ciblés (focus groups) menés auprès de familles hispaniques dans des quartiers à prédominance hispanique à Los Angeles montre comment les résidents doivent faire face à de multiples défis dans la construction du capital social en raison de contraintes physiques, psychologiques, socio-culturelles et économiques sur leur vie quotidienne familiale et communautaire. Contrairement à l'idée courante qui veut promouvoir la construction du capital social comme solution aux fractures sociales dues à l'immigration et la diversité ethnique, les résultats montrent que les conditions de communication vécues par les familles minoritaires hispaniques peuvent influer sur la constitution de leur capital social (création de liens affectifs, de passerelles et d'alliances). L'impact potentiel du capital social sur la cohésion sociale varie selon la manière dont ses effets sont augmentés ou diminués par le contexte local des quartiers et l'environnement de communication auquel les familles sont intégrées. contexte de communication, immigration, integration, minorités, communautés, capital social, familles hispaniques, cohésion sociale [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract : Social capital has been defined by Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community as "features of social organizations, such as networks, norms and trust, that facilitate action and co-operation for mutual benefit." Cultural capital, as defined by Pierre Bourdieu, has most often been associated with personal interest in and experience with prestigious cultural resources. According to this definition of cultural capital, familiarity with traditional high-culture forms is a defining characteristic of individuals occupying high status positions within a society. In recent years, cultural policy makers have begun to express a stronger interest in the linkages between these forms of capital. This paper focuses on linkages between personal investments in culture and the propensity to volunteer, using data from the Canadian General Social Survey. It concludes that there are collective benefits from investments in cultural capital and that these benefits make a significant contribution to social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]