Invisible Poles and their integration into Polish society: changing identities of UK second-generation migrants in the Brexit era

Abstract

The article discusses what happens when a 'critical event' exposes a migrant population to public view, leading them to reflect on their multiple identities and loyalties. Its focus is on 21 st century Europe, where societies spread across international borders, offering opportunities for individuals to identify with two or more, and attempt to integrate sufficiently for their own purposes within each. Our case study is British-born Poles; the critical events are the post-2004 wave of Polish migration and the 2016 Brexit referendum. Based on interviews with 28 British-born individuals who felt they had emerged from 'invisibility' and become increasingly Polish, we seek to explain their integration trajectories into new Polish society in the UK and society in Poland. These integration experiences are shaped by the complex intersection of generation, wave, community, and historical and geographical setting. Existing research tends to focus on tensions between the post-1945 and post-2004 waves. We show how tensions can oocur. However, we also point to instances of successful integration, where British-born Poles update their linguistic and cultural knowledge, form social relations with the new arrivals and, perhaps most importantly, experience life in Poland more intensely than was possible before 2004.

Suddenly I Felt Like a Migrant: Identity and Mobility Threats Facing European Self-Initiated Expatriates in the United Kingdom under Brexit

“…For the EU citizens living in the UK at that time, the referendum result and its aftermath represented a significantly unsettling event (Ryan, 2019), suggesting an end to their ability to seamlessly migrate to, work in, leave from, and return to the UK. It led some to rethink their relationship and identification with the UK (White & Goodman, 2021), although the nature of these reactions and any related consequences for their residency or employment decisions are only starting to become clear. This paper analyzes how macro-political initiatives encouraged by anti-immigration movements impact highly-skilled resident foreigners who might not have envisaged permanent migration, that is "self-initiated expatriates" (SIEs).…”

‘Am I Less British?’

“…60. See Berggren et al 2019Midtbøen and Nadim 2019;Falcke et al 2020;Mavrommatis 2021;Varshaver et al 2022;White and Goodwin 2021. 61.…”