Referential and Vehicular Languages in the Process of Migrant Integration

In this paper I will address the strategies developed by immigrants living in Spain in order to promote the learning of their referential language and culture among their children. Starting from the incorporated cultural capital brought by immigrants in the form of habitus, I will analyze how this devaluated cultural capital in the migratory context (e.g. Bulgarian language in the Spanish context) is effectively reconverted in other forms of cultural capital (objectified and institutionalized) through the development of non‐formal and formal courses on Bulgarian language and culture. In this analysis I will show the articulation between, on the one hand, the learning contexts of the courses (informal, non-formal, formal) and, on the other hand, the reconversion strategies of different forms of social and cultural capital that have been developed in order to reconvert and diversify an initial bonding social capital between family members and close group of compatriots into heterogeneous networks, broadening the sources of bridging and linking social capital.

The main aim of the paper is to contribute to academic literature on migration by showing the relevance of social interaction and social networks in the development of reconversion strategies of different forms of social and cultural capital. In addition, the paper also expects to raise more awareness towards the relevance of learning migrants’ referential languages in the migratory context.