The Internal Functioning of Immigrant Organisations. The Case of Polish Voluntary Associations in France

Abstract

The article presents the internal aspects of the social sub-system of non-profit and voluntary associations in France, whose members are people holding Polish and dual Polish-French citizenships as well as French people of Polish origin and who pursue the goals related to the presence of the Polish immigrant and post-immigrant communities in France. In relation with these organisations, the article provides answers to the following questions: 1) What are their decision-making structures? 2) How mobile are the members within the structures and where does the mobility stem from? 3) What is the cooperation like between the movers and shakers in a specific organisation? The conclusions have been based on data from five case studies and 48 individual in-depth interviews revolving around typologically diverse associations plus data obtained in the course of an institutional opinion poll, carried out among Polish immigrant organisations with an online CAWI questionnaire completed by members of the Polish diaspora in France.

The French paradox, or a bottom-up modification of integration policy. The republican model and Polish immigrant organisations in France

“…In this article, I present the results of a qualitative analysis of 48 individual in-depth interviews conducted as part of a research project entitled "Polish immigrant organisations in Europe" (see: Kubera, 2022;Nowosielski & Dzięglewski, 2021). All of the interviews, which took place between September 2016 and July 2017 concerned the conditions under which PVAFs function, including the characteristics of France as a host country.…”

“…Participants are Polish immigrants who have lived in France for various lengths of time (who are Polish or French citizens) or descendants of immigrants (second, third or further generation), as well as French people without any Polish migrant background. They differ in many respects, as do the audiences of PVAFs' activities, including the degree to which they are rooted in French or Polish culture (Kubera, 2022). PVAFs most often concern themselves with Polish culture and art, preserving traditions and national identity, and promoting Poland (Krzyworzeka-Jelinowska, 2019;Kubera, 2020b).…”