ABSTRACT
Social network research emphasizes the advantages that actors can derive and the risks they incur when engaging in various forms of structural bridging. A separate tradition in cultural sociology examines the causes and consequences of cultural bridging. Building on work that brings structural and cultural perspectives into dialogue with one another, this chapter proposes a conceptual fusion of these two kinds of literature that offers fresh insight about the tradeoffs and contingencies associated with each form of bridging. In particular, it develops a novel conceptualization of the social contexts in which bridging occurs. The proposed framework suggests four ideal types of contexts in which actors can be ensconced or act as bridges and points to promising avenues for future research that aims to integrate structural and cultural perspectives to uncover how social relations can produce variation in individual attainment and well-being.
