The intelligentsia informed habitus in social distance strategies of Polish migrants in the UK

Rafal Smoczynski, Ian Fitzgerald, Tomasz Zarycki

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Antagonism and conflict within newly resident UK Polish migrants has been typically related to labour market competition. Without denying the relevance of this argument, we argue that explanations of antagonism within the Polish community should also take into account the role of a Polish intelligentsia habitus. This habitus provides a repertoire of available discursive strategies used for interpreting antagonistic and “risk” situations both in Poland and among Poles abroad. It is argued that not only can this intelligentsia habitus critically legitimize intergroup inequalities in status and symbolic power but also may impact on the patterns of a migrant’s integration, linkage to social networks, access to different capital resources, and interactions with the indigenous population.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)951-968
    JournalEthnic and Racial Studies
    Volume40
    Issue number6
    Early online date17 Aug 2016
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 3 May 2017

    Keywords

    • Polish migrants
    • UK
    • intelligentsia
    • habitus
    • feudal legacy
    • conflicts among migrants

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The intelligentsia informed habitus in social distance strategies of Polish migrants in the UK'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this