‘Finding My Own Way’: Mobilization of Cultural Capital through Migrant Organizations in Germany

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article explores a very interesting and innovative theoretical perspective based on the application of the concepts of cultural and social capital to the context of activities carried out by immigrant organizations as facilitators of social protection in the context of the learning and use of cultural capital, and also as mediators for the promotion of the acquisition of competences or reactivation of competences to enhance the paths of integration in the host country, in this case in Germany.

In order to contribute to some clarifications or deepening, I leave some observations:

In the abstract suggests the inclusion of a justification for the concept of “cultural capital” and its potential for understanding the process of integration of migrants in Germany and a brief approach to the methodology used and about participants in the study will also be indicated.

Sometimes, the context of the investigation and which migrant population is being referred to are not well understood. It is suggested that the research be framed in the context of German migration policies, as well as that of the European Union. It should be noted that public measures to support immigrants are financially supported by these bodies, with directives for member countries, one of which is applied in conjunction with civil society institutions and non-governmental associations. This framework will be useful to understand the context of action of migrant organizations. Please consult the European migrant reception plans and other public financial and social instruments.

Another aspect to be noted is that there is a tendency to present in the text the “category” of migrants as a homogeneous mass, without taking into account the different origins and cultures of origin, being important to indicate the legal status of the migrant, since they are different and, from the outset, depending on the type of statute, the reception may be different and the legal provisions available as well. What nationalities? Please, differentiate between migrants from European Union countries and migrants from countries outside the European Union. What kind of migrants are you referring to? The European Union had several waves of migrants, namely Germany. There are certainly differences according to country of origin, length of stay, religion, etc.

In the theoretical approach, especially in the use of the concept of “cultural capital”, sometimes there seems to be confusion with the concept of “school capital”. Although they are interconnected, they do not cancel each other out. It is essential to consult the basic reference in this regard by Pierre Bourdieu, precursor of the aforementioned concept, namely it is essential to consider family origin and the appropriation of “legitimate culture”, which goes far beyond academic titles.

Bourdieu, Pierre. (1979). La Distinction: Critique Sociale du Jugement Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit

In terms of methodology, some clarifications are also required. Since the investigation took place exclusively during the pandemic period due to Covid-19, with successive total confinements, how was the investigation carried out, in person or digitally? It would be necessary to justify this operationalization and the challenges faced for this purpose. There is also little mention of the participant selection criteria: what were they? The gender? The geographic origin? The schooling? What are the criteria for sample size? In terms of sociodemographic characterization, it would be necessary to complete with geographic origin, professions and education. There is also a need to present the interview guide and the guide used to carry out the focus groups, instruments without which we do not have a guiding compass of the dimensions or topics covered.

Also in relation to data analysis, we understand that the process of encoding, processing and analysis needs to be further developed. It is not clear whether the author(s) used qualitative data analysis software. It will be necessary to clarify this aspect as well as the dimensions of analysis used (we do not know because we do not know the scripts used…), the categories and subcategories.

The presentation of results, due to the lack of clarification of the aforementioned aspects, is a little “amalgamated”, generic and abstract. In addition, completely different situations of migrants are discussed at the same level, for example, migrants from the European Union and migrants from outside Europe (which I believe the formal status will be refugee or asylum seekers). It would be appropriate to try to systematize the results in terms of possible profiles of the participants in the study: are there differences in results according to gender, age, origin, parents' education, own education, professions? What types of formal state support do migrant organizations receive? They are inserted in which national or European programs?

On page 3, clarification of this sentence is requested.

“In migration studies, Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital has repeatedly served as a basis for studying the ways people organize and implement migration projects and how they experience the consequences”. What studies? Which authors are you referring to? It is important to specify the sentence!

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank you very much for your time and your helpful suggestions. Please note that we have integrated your comments as follows:

1. Sometimes, the context of the investigation and which migrant population is being referred to are not well understood. It is suggested that the research be framed in the context of German migration policies, as well as that of the European Union. It should be noted that public measures to support immigrants are financially supported by these bodies, with directives for member countries, one of which is applied in conjunction with civil society institutions and non-governmental associations. This framework will be useful to understand the context of action of migrant organizations. Please consult the European migrant reception plans and other public financial and social instruments.

In general, the European policy framework and corresponding directives regarding civil society organizations are of great importance for MOs. In our paper, however, the focus is on the German context. That is why we chose to not refer to European migrant reception plans.

2. Another aspect to be noted is that there is a tendency to present in the text the “category” of migrants as a homogeneous mass, without taking into account the different origins and cultures of origin, being important to indicate the legal status of the migrant, since they are different and, from the outset, depending on the type of statute, the reception may be different and the legal provisions available as well. What nationalities? Please, differentiate between migrants from European Union countries and migrants from countries outside the European Union. What kind of migrants are you referring to? The European Union had several waves of migrants, namely Germany. There are certainly differences according to country of origin, length of stay, religion, etc.

Thank you very much for your ideas on this complex issue. We, too, consider the objection regarding the category "migrant" raised to be absolutely necessary to reflect upon in migration research. In the context of our paper, we have also critically examined the category "migrant" and the accompanying implications of homogeneity and processes of objectification. Considering this, we have chosen to italicize the term "migrant" and provide our reservations and a categorization in this regard in a footnote (p.11). As already mentioned, a comprehensive sampling list with a listing of all countries of origin can be requested from us.

3. In the theoretical approach, especially in the use of the concept of “cultural capital”, sometimes there seems to be confusion with the concept of “school capital”. Although they are interconnected, they do not cancel each other out. It is essential to consult the basic reference in this regard by Pierre Bourdieu, precursor of the aforementioned concept, namely it is essential to consider family origin and the appropriation of “legitimate culture”, which goes far beyond academic titles.

Thank you very much for this important remark. Yes, indeed, school capital and cultural capital are related to each other, and both are formed within families and their value is not objective but depends on their assignation of worth within given social relations. In this article, we do not use school capital as a term, because we are mostly interested in questions of social mobility, esp. labour markets and social protection and belonging, where we deem cultural capital as a term more appropriate.

4. In terms of methodology, some clarifications are also required. Since the investigation took place exclusively during the pandemic period due to Covid-19, with successive total confinements, how was the investigation carried out, in person or digitally? It would be necessary to justify this operationalization and the challenges faced for this purpose. There is also little mention of the participant selection criteria: what were they? The gender? The geographic origin? The schooling? What are the criteria for sample size? In terms of sociodemographic characterization, it would be necessary to complete with geographic origin, professions, and education. There is also a need to present the interview guide and the guide used to carry out the focus groups, instruments without which we do not have a guiding compass of the dimensions or topics covered.

The clarifications regarding the methodology are very good points, based on which we have added the missing information in the research design. Furthermore, we have also attached a note that authors can be contacted for further information on the interview guide and details on participants sociodemographic variables (p.11).

5. Also in relation to data analysis, we understand that the process of encoding, processing and analysis needs to be further developed. It is not clear whether the author(s) used qualitative data analysis software. It will be necessary to clarify this aspect as well as the dimensions of analysis used (we do not know because we do not know the scripts used…), the categories and subcategories.

Information on the software used for qualitative data analysis MAXQDA will be added in the corresponding part (p. 6). We refrain from listing all categories and subcategories, since they are dealt with in the analytical discussion of the interview material without being specifically mentioned as such.

6. The presentation of results, due to the lack of clarification of the aforementioned aspects, is a little “amalgamated”, generic and abstract. In addition, completely different situations of migrants are discussed at the same level, for example, migrants from the European Union and migrants from outside Europe (which I believe the formal status will be refugee or asylum seekers). It would be appropriate to try to systematize the results in terms of possible profiles of the participants in the study: are there differences in results according to gender, age, origin, parents' education, own education, professions? What types of formal state support do migrant organizations receive? They are inserted in which national or European programs?

Thank you for the thought-provoking impulse! An intersectional analysis of the results presented would certainly be extremely fruitful but would go beyond the directive of the present paper. Building on the paper at hand, a corresponding analysis would be very conceivable.
The important reference to the question of entitlement to benefits in the German social system is followed up. Thus, it is added in the text that all interview partners are documented asylum seekers entitled to social benefits under the German Asylum Act or European citizens (p.6). However, the focus will not be on the legal framework of receiving benefits, but on the interviewees' individual perceptions and experiences with social security authorities as opposed to MOs.

7. “In migration studies, Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital has repeatedly served as a basis for studying the ways people organize and implement migration projects and how they experience the consequences”. What studies? Which authors are you referring to? It is important to specify the sentence!

Corresponding studies have been added at the indicated location.

Thank you again for your useful input.

Reviewer 2 Report

1. there is no statement as to whether interviewees were mixed gender, male only or female only. This wlll have an impact on findings.

2. similarly, although Greece and Afghanistan are specifically mentioned, the range of ethnicities of interviewees is not clarified. Different countries of origin and familiarity (or not) with German culture are important variables, especially since there has been a long history of migration from Greece, for example.

3. The author (s) state that there is little written about migrant organisations. This is not true: see for example, the range of articles in the Journal of Refugee Studies from Oxford which has included articles over the past years. A reference to the findings of one or two of these articles would be sensible to introduce the subject.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

thank you very much for your time and your helpful suggestions. Please note that we have integrated your comments as follows:

1. there is no statement as to whether interviewees were mixed gender, male only or female only. This wlll have an impact on findings.
2. similarly, although Greece and Afghanistan are specifically mentioned, the range of ethnicities of interviewees is not clarified. Different countries of origin and familiarity (or not) with German culture are important variables, especially since there has been a long history of migration from Greece, for example.

These are very good points, based on which we added the missing information in the research design. To keep the overall scope of the methods section assessable, we included a footnote that authors can be contacted for further information on participants sociodemographic variables (p.11).

3. The author (s) state that there is little written about migrant organisations. This is not true: see for example, the range of articles in the Journal of Refugee Studies from Oxford which has included articles over the past years. A reference to the findings of one or two of these articles would be sensible to introduce the subject.

Thank you for pointing out that there are relevant articles in the Journal of Refugee Studies that might be helpful for our research. We meant to say that Migrant organizations are an under-researched field in the German context specifically. This is especially true for questions of cultural capital in MOs. We clarified the reference to Germany as well as the one to Bourdieu's theory of capital accordingly.

Thank you again for your useful input.