Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
ish society, but rather with retaining one's cultural and social norms (and privileges) in-
side/outside Spain. Migrants carrying white capital can institutionalize this and convert
it into other forms of capital, such as social or economic capital.
These social divisions were most often explained by cultural differences between
Spanish people and Northern Europeans. Ursula, a woman in her seventies, who has
lived outside Marbella with her husband for 20 years, identifies a common cultural
ground between Nordic people and parallel distinct cultural features among Spanish
peopleinparticular.Inadiscussionaboutthesimilarities anddivergencesbetweenBrits
and Scandinavians living in the Sunbelt, I asked her:
Catrin:
Do you socialize with Brits or do you know Brits?
Well, I know the ones in the [golf] club. They are a majority. The Spaniards
are a minority. Englishmen are the majority and after that come the Scand-
inavians and then there are some Germans. Maybe some French. Very occa-
sionally Italians.
Catrin:
Do you know Spaniards otherwise?
Ursula:
Yes! Oh, yes we do! Absolutely! But they are so damn difficult to invite to
one's home, I think. For one thing they would like to come between nine and
ten, half past ten. For dinner. But at that time I think we finished dinner. It's
too late. And even so in the summer, we think. And then you invite them at
nine o'clock, let's say. Well, then they may show up at ten. They are … they
arenotveryorderly.Wellthen,howevernicetheymaybe,youhavetospeak
Spanish with them. And then, if there are other guests here who perhaps do
not do that, it often ends up with Englishmen socializing with Englishmen
and Northerners socializing with each other. That's how it is! We have sort
of a different common culture.
Ursula:
ForUrsula,groupsaredividedalongsocialandculturallines.Eventhoughsheknows
Spaniards, it becomes difficult for her to socialize with them, due to different cultural
habits, language, and other circumstances. As her statement makes clear, the local golf
club—and its costly entrance fees—creates the (class-based) selection of people in her
everyday life. In these clubs, the British constitute the majority and Spaniards are in the
minority, which allows to Ursula and her husband to socialize with the British despite
the cultural difference that exists between Continental Europeans and British Islanders.
