Claire Bidart

Evolutions of personal networks and life events

Networks of personal relations evolve over time. They reflect and go with processes of socialization. Their history and dynamics contribute to their present structure. The number of people involved in them and their composition change, as does the quality of the links that constitute them. What life events might influence these changes, or possibly even explain them? Drawing on a qualitative survey of a panel of 66 young people living originally in Normandy (France), who were questioned every three years, we attempt here to find a relation between the evolution of their personal networks and the events marking their entry into adult life. Do their networks expand or contract, do they move regularly or in stages? What are the links that appear, disappear or change? What events are likely to influence changes in these links and in the networks as a whole? We begin by examining the changes in the young peoples networks during the surveys three waves. We then identify the life events that took place in the intervals, focusing in particular on entry into the labour market, geographical mobility, setting up house with a partner and the birth of children in the household. This enables us to advance some hypotheses about the impact of these events on the evolution of networks and to illustrate our argument with a few significant examples.

Introduction : The dynamics of personal networks

The collection and analysis of empirical data concerning the dynamics of personal networks, about which there are still only a few hypotheses in existence, will enable us to better observe reality and the socio-historical issues that relate to this intermediate social world. A longitudinal perspective of this type has methodological potential for the exploration of the forms and determinants of change. Our desire in this issue was to give priority to these ideas which call for further contributions.

How to Generate Personal Networks: Issues and Tools for a Sociological Perspective

The debate on the limits and relevance of the different name generators comes with the development of social network studies. The core questions are: What are they supposed to construct? For what research question? Some procedures tend to choose a precise target with a unique name generator; others prefer to use a series of name generators. The authors discuss here some specificities and advantages of these methods for ego-centered networks. The authors then present the ‘‘contextual’’ name generator, which was developed in longitudinal qualitative panel studies in France and Québec. This tool gives access to a great variety of information focused on sociological questions. Its original design differentiates two complementary stages to distinguish the global contexts-based network from specific resource-based networks. This tool remains flexible and may be adapted to different topics.

What does time imply? The contribution of longitudinal methods to the analysis of the life course

Longitudinal panel methods are particularly suited to studying the life course as a process. They make it possible to compare different moments in time, to analyse the intervals and to identify ‘ways of moving’. Such an approach reveals turning points and helps to identify the relevant objective and subjective elements and driving forces that help to shape life transitions. These elements and rhythms are embedded in diverse life spheres, networks and social frames. The ways in which they interact, evolve and synchronize with each other are particularly crucial for young people. Based upon a longitudinal panel survey of young French people, this methodological discussion provides an original insight into processes of socialization.

Personal Networks Typologies: A Structural Approach

Abstract Building typologies allows to compare networks on multiple dimensions, and to approach a generalization grounded on empirical data. In this article, we present a typology of personal networks only based on indicators related to the structure of relations between alters. It is designed from very detailed data on young French people who were involved in a longitudinal study. Our typology mobilizes a small number of indicators to discriminate the types that compose it. In so doing, we intend to make it applicable to various surveys.

Réseaux sociaux Une « French touch »? Retour sur l’école thématique CNRS « Réseaux sociaux: enjeux, méthodes, perspectives », Cargèse (Corse), 15—20 septembre 2008

Social Network Analysis — ‘‘A French Touch’’? Looking Back on the CNRS Summer School « Social Networks — Issues, Methods and Outlooks », Cargèse (Corsica), 15—20 September 2008: This summer school was intended to present social network analysis and its recent developments to a French-speaking public. It was also the opportunity to take stock of work in this area by French and, more generally, French-speaking researchers. The article covers the presentations that were made on this occasion and attempts to identify what may be the specific nature of this work, which seems to be associated with a particular attention to theoretical and epistemological reflexivity. L’école thématique « Réseaux sociaux : enjeux, méthodes, perspectives » qui s’est tenue à Cargèse en septembre 2008 était destinée à présenter l’analyse des réseaux sociaux et ses développements récents à un public francophone. Elle a aussi été l’occasion de faire le point sur les travaux dans ce domaine des chercheurs français, et plus généralement francophones. L’article revient sur les présentations qui ont été réalisées à cette occasion et tente de cerner ce que peuvent être les spécificités de ces travaux. Celles-ci se situent semble-t-il dans un souci particulier de réflexivité théorique et épistémologique.

Narratives and Traces: " Trans-" Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for Bridging the Gap between Objective and Subjective Data

Dans cette brève introduction nous rappelons les objectifs de ce double dossier : explorer de nouvelles voies dans la combinaison des méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives. La dimension temporelle et l’articulation des échelles sont présentes également dans l’ensemble de ces travaux. Ici la focale est portée plus précisément sur les articulations entre données objectives et subjectives.

Life Course, Time and Process Exploring “Trans-” Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

The increasing development of research mobilizing “mixed” quantitative and qualitative methods is associated with the search for more permeability and innovative paths between these approaches. In this double thematic dossier of the BMS, we wish to continue in this direction of decompartmentalizing methods by moving their boundaries of application. Exploratory analyses are using methods of data extraction and processing which “transgress” the traditional correspondence between materials and methods of treatment. The six articles of this double dossier to be published in issues 124 and 125 of the BMS offer original designs combining these qualitative and quantitative dimensions. They are based upon surveys focusing on temporal processes and life courses. They seek to open up new avenues for research methods, without undermining the validity of existing standard methods.

Rythmes sociaux et interférences temporelles - Exploration de séquences biographiques de calendriers et de récits

Social Rhythms and Temporal Interference – Exploring Biographical Sequences of Calendars and Stories: The life course and transitions are structured by institutional and cultural frames that contribute to regulate the trajectories. From three similar longitudinal survey panels which were conducted in France, Quebec and Argentina, we can articulate different kinds of temporal data concerning the paths young people follow as they are entering adulthood. Their careers were noted month by month on calendars, and in-depth interviews were used to record their stories. A quantitative exploration of the sequences allows to compare the situations, the events but also their temporal coincidences, while a qualitative analysis of the stories allow to understand their precise arrangements and to compare the conceptions of change in these three countries. We explore the heuristic potential of such mixed-methods design for both international comparison and precise interactions between events and decisions.

Ecole thématique CNRS « Etudier les réseaux sociaux », Porquerolles,10-14 septembre 2012:

CNRS Thematic School “Studying Social Networks”, Porquerolles, 10-14 September 2012: Following the success of the first CNRS Summer School on social networks in Cargèse, Corsica, 15-20 September 2008 (see the preceding article by Alain Degenne), the organizers and the CNRS decided that a second thematic school should be organized on the Mediterranean island of Porquerolles, this time with more of a concentration on social sciences other than sociology, and specifically on history. This is a report on this rather successful second thematic school on social networks.