The Development of Social and Cultural Capitals for Immigrant Hosts of VFR Travellers

Abstract

The hosting of friends and relatives is an important and common experience. Hosting gives reason and opportunity for residents to explore their community while spending time with guests. For newcomers, hosting brings additional significance due to their relative isolation from traditional social networks and comparative unfamiliarity with the community. This narrative inquiry examines immigrants’ experiences of hosting friends and relatives using Bourdieu’s theories of social and cultural capital. Findings suggest that hosting creates a context where relationships are refreshed, resources exchanged, and capitals that enhance hosts’ habitus in the new social field are developed. This impacts personal identity, sense of accomplishments, and increases familiarity with the new culture that may further integration. Application of both social and cultural capital demonstrates the opportunities and dilemmas for immigrant hosts interacting in dual social fields. A theoretical model delineates processes and implications for capital development laying foundations for future research and practitioner guidance.