Social Capital And Relational Work: Uncertainty, Distrust And Social Support In Azerbaijan

Dustin Samuel Stoltz, Illinois State University

Imported from ProQuest Stoltz_ilstu_0092N_10109.pdf

Abstract

Much of the social capital literature focuses on unambiguous social situations where actors share generalized trust or interpersonal trust. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork in northwest Azerbaijan, this thesis focuses instead on distrust and the negotiation of conflicting interpretations of shared norms within moments of informal social support. In such situations, participants engage in an on-going negotiation of the situation, drawing on available cultural conventions to make sense of situations and perform relational work. They ultimately create meaning out of on-going social interaction and accomplish locally viable forms of social support.