Bonding, Bridging, and Linking Social Capital in a Community Association: Three Dimensions of an Applied Project in Argentina

Abstract

This paper addresses the process of helping a community organization to develop social capital, assert its identity, enlarge its visibility in the local arena, and make its voice heard by regional authorities. The members of the United Islanders Civil Association 2 live in an area of the Lower Paraná River Delta, which is only 80 km away from Buenos Aires city but whose social needs are little known. Members of the association and a group of professors and students from the School of Agriculture of the Universidad de Buenos Aires developed an applied project that addressed social capital as an asset that associates could employ to make their voices heard. The methodology consisted of cooperative workshops where the association’s trajectory and identity were documented. Oral history and photo-elicitation were the techniques that led to the elaboration of a written document, four posters, and a photo exhibition. The participation of the associates in the workshops enhanced bonding social capital, the presentation of the results in events where other local organizations took part increased bridging social capital, and the presence of the organization at events where authorities and other powerful stakeholders took part reinforced linking social capital.