ABSTRACT
In the United States, Indochinese refugees' kin and communal ties resist incorporation by collectively evaluating public assistance and bureaucratic encounters. There is an inherent conflict between refugees' social networks and the host society institutions which manage their adaptation. The French mode of incorporation presents refugees' with a social contract, offering resources in exchange for assimilation into the host society. The French state's ability to assimilate international migrants is greatly determined by the strength of migrants' social networks. The French mode of state incorporation is a social contract in which international migrants are offered resources in exchange for assimilation. Indochinese refugees who are members of weak social networks are more likely to accept the social contract offered by the French state than those who belong to strong networks. A fragmented kin network in the city of Beauville in western France holds the local foyer in high regard and greatly values the resources it provides.
