Social Capital as a source of Majority Sentiment

Abstract

Sociology textbooks present majorities as the counterparts of minorities. This reflects the influence of US sociology, fashioned in a country of immigration that lacks any Staatsvolk. Majority sentiment in situations of immigrant settlement elsewhere draws from many sources, including mass media reporting, the policies of central and local governments and personal experience of a decline in the sense of community with co-ethnics. The reported sense of loss can be explained as a decline in bonding capital. If majority members share goals with minority members, this can build bridging capital. Research into the preferences for association with co-ethnics could investigate the circumstances in which civic norms are given priority over ethnic norms.