SOCIALCAPITALAND MIGRANTS’POLITICAL INTEGRATION: THE CASE STUDY OF CAPEVERDEAN ASSOCIATIONS IN THE GREATER LISBON AREA1

Abstract – This paper analyses the types of social capital present in the Capeverdean associational movement of the Greater Lisbon Area (GLA) and its rela-tion to political involvement and mobilization. The notion of social capital («fea-tures of social organization such as networks, norms and social trust that facilitate coordination and co-operation for mutual benefit » – Putnam, 1993: 26) is explored in its two basic components – bonding (internal links of individuals and institutions) and bridging social capital (external connections, that also entail the long distance relations with the other diaspora nuclei) –, following the research principles expressed in the work of Fennema and Tillie (2000, 2001). The research goals are achieved through interviews and questionnaires to the major Capeverdean associations of Lisbon, Amadora and Oeiras, focusing on its orga-nizational structure and on the density of their organizational network, that is the web of inter and intra-organizational relations and transnational links that might be read as forms of bridging and bonding social capital. We also focussed on the politi-cal activities of organisations, looking at ethnic civic engagement and exploring th