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Macro, meso, micro: broadening the ‘social’ of social network analysis with a mixed methods approach

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Abstract

The objective of the paper is to show the benefits of the use of mixed methods methodology in order to account for the complex and multidimensional nature of social networks. Through an empirical research on the gendered evolution of migrants’ personal networks over their settlement process, the article illustrates the depth and explanatory strength of a methodology that combines the algebraic and formalised reasoning of the analysis of networks’ matrixes with a comprehensive approach of the actors’ narratives. The paper identifies theoretical foundations and methodological approaches that enable to analyse social networks with deep sociological lens. It advocates for a “strong” integration in combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies that helps to abandon the realist premises of the classical tradition of SNA in order to integrate the interpretative tradition of social sciences. This approach enables taking into account the content of relationships and the situated interactions that create and maintain the networks; and to comprise the social and institutional context where they are produced in order to overcome implicit rational thinking about the behaviour of the individuals embedded in relational structures.

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Notes

  1. The labelling of this idea under the name of ‘structural interactionism’ comes from the French tradition of social network studies, but there are other authors who, although might not recognize themselves within this category, also outline an integrated view of social networks that takes into account both the structure and the agency in human relationships, which is ultimately what is presented in this section (see, for example, Bottero and Crossley 2011; or Small 2009; among others).

  2. This assumption, for example, is what made Wasserman and Galaskiewicz say that the alternative to considering actors as ‘victims’ of network structures is to look at them as ‘network entrepreneurs’ that exploit their network position to further their own interests (Wasserman and Galaskiewicz 1994, xiii).

  3. It has given rise to what Knox et al. (2006) call the ‘cultural turn’ in the relational perspective.

  4. The concept of ‘sociability spheres’ refers to Simmel’s notion of circles of sociability, i.e., groups of varying degrees of organization (from informal groups to civic organizations) where individuals meet around a common interest (Degenne and Forsé 1999, p. 55). It also resembles to Feld’s notion of ‘foci’, defined as “any social, psychological, or physical entity around which joint activities of individuals are organized” (Feld 1982, p. 1025).

  5. In addition to all the scientific production within the qualitative tradition of studying social relationships that is not identified as part of the SNA field.

  6. The quotes have been translated from Spanish by the author. The translation attempted to avoid potential heuristic losses by reproducing the meanings of the original wording, keeping the emphasis, hesitations and even mistakes in the order of sentences; in spite of its consequent loss of grammatical and linguistic correctness. See the original transcript data in the appendix.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the research Grant ‘Estudio comparado de casos sobre la influencia mutua entre el capital e integración sociales’ (CSO2008-01470). The author is grateful for the comments by the participants of the workshop ‘Qualitative method[ologie]s in social network research’ organised by Andreas Herz and Inga Truschkat; for the guidance of Joel Martí and Carlos Lozares; for the discussion with Joan Miquel Verd and Nick Crossley on this topic, and for the insightful comments of Tom Töpfer and the journal’s review.

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  1. Institute for Sociology, University of Bremen (Germany), Mary-Somerville-Str. 3 (Haus Turin), Room 2040, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Mireia Bolíbar

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Appendix: Original transcript data of the quotes displayed

Appendix: Original transcript data of the quotes displayed

Quotes from the case of Sofía:

[Comentando la visualización de su red] Esta red está colocada en Ecuador (…).Si más que todo los principales; Paulina en España, Francisco en España, Cristian en Ecuador, [señalando diferentes nodos de la red] en Ecuador (silencio) en Ecuador (silencio) en Ecuador (silencio) casi la mayoría…en Ecuador mi hermana, mi cuñado y así, bueno.

Por el Facebook es que yo me contacto con mis amigos de allí, por ejemplo les mando fotos, ellos también a mí. E ¿Y con la familia? ¿Tus hermanos…? 1: Con mis hermanos eh, primordialmente claro, (silencio) con ellos más porque claro al ser así yo les envío fotos, ellos también a mí. Eeeh, en el correo también, es un medio bastante importante el Facebook, es una red social bastante importante. E: Ajá. Y así sabes que es lo qué están haciendo… 1 Que es lo que están haciendo, que, o sea como están actualmente porque las fotografías es lo que tú le ves le dices “mira como está ahora, con el pelo así”, que…con bueno, es que se sabe de todo porque las fotos es el fiel reflejo de las personas. E Sí. 1 Te ves a ver si ha adelgazado, cómo está, (risas) eso es lo fundamental.

Bueno yo me iba donde la Gent Gran a hacer acompañamientos, me iba yo me conocí con las amistades de la Gent Grant, de los abuelitos y pues una vez me, en un cursillo que hubo para la memoria en el taller de la memoria para personas de gente gran… E Sí. 1 Gente gran que están, fui y yo me hice amigos ahí. (…) Y ahí hice un círculo de amistades con las señoras. Yo le ayudaba por ejemplo a pasarles las hojas para que ellas hagan esos ejercicios.

Quotes from the case of Eduardo:

Aquí vine a trabajar en una empresa de construcción

Cuando vine aquí, verás. Cuando vine aquí con mi hija, no salía. Llegaba a la casa. Cuando fui a [trabajar a] las máquinas, a esa empresa, me tocó con una española, que era encargada de las máquinas. Nos hicimos bien amigos, ella pásame, tío, me decía, te voy a ver el viernes. Me venía a ver aquí a Balaguer, y me empezó a llevar a los pubs. Y de ahí nos hicimos amigos de uno, amigos de otro y así, y en la empresa que un chofer, que el maquinista, que… que el maquinista de Alcarràs, maquinistas de todos lados, eh? Entonces he llegado a la ciudad me metí en bastante. El mundo de las máquinas.

Entrevistadora: y los otros ecuatorianos que usted conoce, también tienen conocidos catalanes o la mayoría conocen sólo ecuatorianos? Eduardo: no, si… aquí te relacionas con todo. No puedes estar aquí… por ejemplo en Ecuador es distinto, porqué al final tu tienes… allá son solo Ecuatorianos. Aquí como estás tu, encuentras a gente de todo el mundo. Gente catalana, gente moro, gente rumano… de todo… y te tienes que relacionar con todos. Y saber llevar a la gente nomás. Entonces, si te aíslas, es feo. En el trabajo, tienes que hablar con uno, con otro… aquí es otro, otra cosa.

Ellos se conocen todos porqué todos trabajan en la misma empresa, entonces… hay veces, se invitan… como nosotros, se invitan a un lado, que te invitan a cenar… E ¿os veis fuera del trabajo también? 1 si, también, si. E Tu, ahora que ya no trabajas ahí, todavía les ves? 1 si, claro. Siempre los apoyo. (…) nos hablamos siempre. Siempre nos llamamos…

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Bolíbar, M. Macro, meso, micro: broadening the ‘social’ of social network analysis with a mixed methods approach. Qual Quant 50, 2217–2236 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-015-0259-0

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