Friends in precarious spaces: how enforced proximity and social infrastructure shape trust and friendship practices among migrant mothers

Women and mothers subjected to legal and financial precarity after migrating are likely to experience particular kinds of support needs, which new friendships may help to address. This article brings together two ethnographic studies: a study of mothers who, with their children, had fled war in Ukraine and were living in an emergency reception centre in Belgium; and a study of mothers from different countries living in the UK with insecure immigration status, most with experiences of sofa-surfing and/or living in shared houses. We show that the physical spaces in which precariously positioned mothers live and interact with others shape how they 'do' friendship. We argue that 'enforced proximity' and 'throwntogetherness' in shared domestic spaces constrain friendship practices, while social infrastructure can present opportunities to form and sustain friendships. Examining the roles of 'reliance trust' and 'confidentiality trust', we highlight the importance of practical and material help as friendship practices in destination countries, whilst underlining how mothers are compelled to exercise caution and avoid certain kinds of self-disclosure. Despite intimacy and confidentiality trust being widely seen as essential building blocks of friendship, we argue that, in the context of precarious migration and motherhood, reliance trust is more important as a means of sharing emotional support.