Treść książki
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A.Stenning,A.Słowik(Edited),Post-AccessionMigrationinEurope–aPolishCaseStudy,Kraków2011
ISBN:978-83-7587-702-1,©byOficynaWydawnicza„Impuls”2011
KathyBurrell.ScalingPolishMigration:OverviewandObservations
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trustinvestedininformalmigrationnetworks,thepullof!backhome’,theper-
sonalhopes(!betterpay,betterlives’)andmotivationssurroundingmigrationand
thevulnerabilitiesmigrantsnavigateoncetheyhavemoved.Particularlystriking
istheissueofconfidenceraisedinJudd’spaper.Tecareworkersinterviewed
forthispaperdidnotdisplaysignsofilltreatmentbytheiremployers,andnor
didtheyseemtofaceanyserioushostilityintheirnewenvironments;whatthey
feltwasholdingthembackwasamoresubtlelackofself-confidence,alossof
theknowledgeandsecuritywhichcomeswithworkingandlivinginafamil-
iarenvironment.Teseexamplesareanimportantreminderthatthedifficulties
migrantsfacearenotalwaysextremeorrelatedtooverthostility–althoughas
White’sandKarczemskiandBoer’spapersillustrate,hostilityandtheunscrupu-
lousactivitiesofsomeworkagencieshavebecomepressingconcernsforPolish
migrantsacrossEurope.Instead,thematterswhichreallyworryrecentmigrants
canbeinvisible,unspectacular,andonlyaccessedandunderstoodthrough
themethodologiesofbiographicalresearch.Oneveryobviousworry,asseveral
papers,andTemple’sinparticular,illustrate,islanguage.Tefrustrationofnot
beingabletolearnthenewlanguagequicklyenoughnotonlyposespractical
problemsforissuessuchasintegration,butagaincanworkmoresubtly.Being
identifiedasaforeignerimmediately,notbeingabletohavethesameintricacy
ofconversationinEnglishorDutchasinPolish,andnotbeingabletojokeas
freely,areallunderminingaspects,asEvaHoffman’swork(1998)hassovividly
illustrated,oftheneedtoadjusttopubliclifeinanewlanguage.AsWhite’s
paperalsoshows,languageabilitycandisruptfamilyrolestoo,changingtherela-
tivepositionsofdifferentpeoplewithinafamilyunit.Inevitablyitisthechildren
who,onceinlocalschools,pickupthenewlanguagemosteasily;strongorweak
languageproficiencycanalsopressureestablishedgenderroles,eitherdamaging
maleconfidencewithinthefamilyoralienatingwomenwhodonotworkfrom
non-Polishcirclesandmedia.
Tepersonalaccountsofthecareworkersespeciallyalsoreinforcetheimpor-
tanceoftheworkplaceformigrants’experiencesintheUK,bothpositiveand
negative.Atoneextreme,workingconditionscanbedangerousandinhumane,
asevidencedbyashockingrecentreportbytheEqualityandHumanRights
Committee(2010)ontheexperiencesofmigrantworkerswithintheBritishmeat
industry.Moregenerallythough,theworkplaceiswheremostrecentmigrants
meetawiderrangeofpeopleandformbroadersocialconnections(see:Cook
etal.,2010);justastheeconomicdynamicsoflabourarecrucialforlocalun-
derstandings,thesocialdimensionsoftheworkplaceareoftencentraltothe
personallivesofmigrants.
