Communication Strategies of Polish Exiles of the second half of the 19th Century (the example of Tara and Kurgan)

Diaspora studies penetrating into the Polish-Siberian theme since the late 1990s focused as a rule on the study of stable institutions, social organizations created by migrants for the preservation and development of ethnic community, and articulation of ethnic interests. However, such organizations among the Siberian Poles appeared only in the late XIX-early XX centuries. To understand the ethnic processes that took place among Polish migrants in the earlier period, the study of informal social ties of Polish migrants, various elements of group solidarity and communication systems becomes of paramount importance. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct, on the basis of office documentation and correspondence, the communication strategies of exiled participants in the revolts of the 1863-1864 on the example of two cities of Tobolsk province, namely, Kurgan and Tara. As a result of the study, we recorded the existence of a fraternity in Tara, covering most of the Poles who lived in the city. The self-organization of the exiles was facilitated by the presence of ready-made social structures – large traditional families and the system of communication between them that has developed at home. The emersion of the community in Kurgan was the result of the efforts of a group of exiled nobles who had a good education. In the conditions of a limited social status, and the absence of rich compatriots, the social value of this community turned out to be insufficient to become the center of attraction for Poles.

Life in London on the Eve of Brexit – Polish Migrants’ Reports

London is home to the largest community of Polish migrants in Great Britain. The multicultural and superdiverse character of the city frequently – though not always – helps newly-arrived inhabitants to settle and decide to stay for longer or for ever. In 2016 there was a referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union. It was a moment when many migrants (re)considered their presence and their position in the society of the United Kingdom. One of the largest affected groups of migrants were the Poles. The purpose of this article is to present the situation of Polish migrants on the eve of Brexit, from the perspective of life in a multicultural and superdiverse city – London. The spectre of Brexit has brought out social tensions, detectible to varying degrees depending on the social character of the place of residence in question. In this article I have tried to answer the question: To what extent have the social mood and the social status of migrants in their own perception changed due to Brexit in the context of London’s multiculturalism and superdiversity? The article was based on 25 in-depth interviews with Polish migrants living in London. The research was realised within the framework of the scientific program: “The process of the social (re)adaptation of Polish migrants in London when facing Brexit – change and redefinition of social status from an intragroup perspective” (Miniatura 2, NCN Register No.: 2018/02/X/HS6/02300). Interviews were carried out at the end of April and the beginning of May, and in October 2019.

“It sounds like elves talking” – Polish migrants in Aberystwyth (Wales) and their impressions of the Welsh language

The purpose of this paper was to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of the Welsh language held by the Polish adult migrants in Aberystwyth, Wales. Using qualitative research methods, we collected data from participants concerning their perceptions of the sound and spelling system of Welsh. Data obtained showed that adult Poles in Aberystwyth perceive the phonetics and phonotactics of Welsh to be markedly different from that of their native Polish. The participants believed Welsh to have small number of vowels and large number of consonantal clusters. By comparing consonantal and vowel inventories we were able to demonstrate that Welsh has a more complex vowel inventory than Polish. The consonantal inventories of both languages show great similarities and should not pose major problems to Polish learners of Welsh, who are also speakers of English. As for the phonotactics, Polish possesses a far more complex inventory of consonantal clusters than Welsh. We show that claims of the study’s participants that Welsh pronunciation is markedly different from Polish is not based on the linguistic grounds. Instead, such claims must be rooted in the social and ideological perceptions of the Welsh language on the part of the participants in the study.

Economic Crisis, Lived Experiences and Temporal Reasoning Among Polish Migrants in Iceland

The article focuses on the relationship between the lived experiences of economic crisis and its lingering effects on Polish migrants’ understandings of the current matters in Iceland. It shows that even though the economic collapse in 2008 was experienced differently, it has also induced different emotions and became a significant point of reference for Polish migrant community in Iceland. Interestingly, long after Iceland’s economic recovery, the crisis continues to inform migrants’ ways of negotiating the present and unfolds the intricate relationship between past experiences and future orientations. Thus, by drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the article introduces an affective approach to the consequences of the crisis and problematises migrants’ temporal reasoning, which leads to the emerging states of alertness and anticipation of another crisis. In doing so, it shows the ways in which the past happenings affect the present matters and impinged migrants’ understandings of the future.