This paper analyzes the implications of chain migrations in the conformation of an Italian elite in an ethnic neighborhood in Buenos Aires. After studying the insertion of immigrants from Agnone, Italy in the downtown quarter of el Carmen, the author concludes that the ethnic group enables some of its members to move socially upwards, attaining local leadership. There is also a strong presence of ethnic settlement patterns in Buenos Aires which were not apparent to scholars considering the overall Italian dimension of the migration process. The authors also discuss the influence of Italian clubs and mutual aid organizations in determining and defining the roles of Italians in Argentina. Finally, the paper reaffirms the role of primary social networks woven around the chain as the core explanatory element in the migration movement.

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