Migrant organisations, belonging and social protection. The role of migrant organisations in migrants' social risk‐averting strategies

Abstract

AbstractThis article contributes to the debates on migrant social protection assemblages by assessing enabling factors that provide migrants with opportunities to organise their social protection in changing environments. In‐depth interviews with migrants who use services from several migrant organisations (MOs) were conducted to study their largely neglected roles in social protection practices. Our findings indicate that MOs are important actors in the field of social protection, as they offer a variety of social services specifically tailored to migrants' needs, while concomitantly supporting them in developing a sense of belonging. Specifically, we identify three functions with which they enable their members to access and accumulate a range of resources relevant to protecting themselves against basic social risks: their networking, consulting, and familiarising functions. In doing so, we also draw attention to the connections between social protection strategies and evolving belongingness. Our findings confirm that MOs are multifunctional and highly responsive to individual needs and are therefore important actors in the field of social protection.