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I.ContemporaryAmericanSocietyandPolitics
Tesupportoferedintheworkplacerangesfromjustafriendlyconversationto
action.“Ihelpedmyfriend[fromwork],heisdoingwellinhislifenow,hehadalways
wantedtobeapolicemansoImadehimnishcollege;hisdreamcametrue,nowheis
astatecop”(T).Severalenjoytimespenttogether,especiallyoutsidetheworkplace.
Whethertherelationshipsarestrongorstandachanceoflastinglongispartly
predictedbythefrequencyofcontactwithpeoplemetinpreviousjobs:14people
maintainthesecontactstodate.Teyadmititisrarebecausetheydonothavetimeto
preservetheseties;iftheyareincontactitisusuallyoverthephone(8)orviae-mail
(3);occasionallyface-to-face:goingoutfordinner(3),tothecinema,meetingatparties;
onepersonsendspostcards.Toserespondentswhodonothavesuchcontactexplain
theydidnothaveanyopportunitytogettoknowotherworkers,ortheyworkedinthe
placefortooshortatimetodevelopacloserelationship.
Anotherdeterminantofthenatureofsocialcapitalistheextentofthecontactor,
inotherwords,whetheritisbondingorbridgingexclusiveorinclusive,strongor
weak.Respondentswereaskedwhethertheyprefertosocializewithaparticularethnic
groupatworkandiftheybelongtoorganizations.Membershipinorganizationscreates
conduciveconditionsforbondingandisprobablyoneoffewchancesforbridging,as
inboththesesituationspeopleofthesameinterestsand/orethnicbackground,but
ofdiferentsocialstatus,meettogether.Whattheyhaveincommonbuildsthebridge
towhatisdiferentbetweenthembutdesiredbytheother,andwouldremainoutof
reachwereitnotforthisbridge.
Polishworkersdonothavepreferencesasfarasethnicityoftheirco-workersis
concerned(13):“Itdoesn,tmatterbecauseitalldependsonpeopleasyougettoknow
themnationalityjustdoesn,tmatterthatmuch”(F);“Whenyouareatworkyouhave
towork!Tereisnotimeforzspendingtime,
,butIhaven,theardofaPolepraising
anotherPole,sworkeither”(Q);“Tereisnodiferencetheyareboththesame,they
bothcheatandlie”(C).Sometimesthetypeofjob(e.g.interpreter)naturallymakes
thepersonworkwithpeopleofdiferentnationalities.Fourpeopleprefertoworkwith
Americansbecausetheylovetheiroptimismandpositivethinking:“Myself-esteem
riseswhenIamwiththem”(N).However,twoofthemsimplydonothaveanychoice
theyworkwithAmericansonly.NobodyindicatedPolesastheirpreferentialethnic
group;threepeoplesimplyhadtochoosethisanswerbuttheyexplaineditwasbecause
theyworkedmainlywithPoles.TesendingsimplythatPolishimmigrants,although
theydonotstateitopenly,aremorelikelyandwillingtobridgeoutsidetheirethnic
groupthanbondwithinit.
Anetworkofbothbondingandbridgingconnectionscanbebuiltthroughmem-
bershipinorganizations.PolishmigrantsintheUSAalsobelongtoorganizations(9);
theydonotbelongtoorganizationsintheworkplace(onlythreepeoplebelongtotrade
unions).Twobelongtoorganizationsconnecteddirectlywiththeirprofessionalinterests
andbecausetheyofercontactwithothermembers:“AmericanTranslators,Association,
MidwestAssociationofTranslatorsandInterpreters,AssociationduTraductorsInterna-
tional,AlumniAssociationoftheUniversityofILatChicagobecauseoftheseminars
theyoferaswellasprestigeandopportunitiesforcooperationwithotherprofession-
als”(H);“organizationsconnectedwithhearingandaudiologytoparticipateintheir