The unprecedented wave of Polish migration, with its major onset in 2006, has left an abiding imprint on contemporary British society. Poles brought with them their own cultural and social practices, and knowledge, which not only enriched UK communities but also underwent transformation through interactions with British culture. This chapter is based on 40 in-depth interviews with Polish migrant mothers and examines the deployment of the imported maternal capital: economic, cultural, and social (For further elucidation of other concepts used in this chapter, please refer to my other works, where I also define habitus, field, and strategies (López Rodríguez, 2016, 2018). Further, it identifies the strategies undertaken by the mothers with specific regard to their children’s education and upbringing. The assertions, which are brought about here in the form of mothers’ testimonies, remain an inherent component of the processes of social integration, and of forming and/or reshaping of hybrid identities among the participants. Polish mothers entered the host society with a cultural background shaped by values developed in their native Poland, which differed from those they encountered abroad. Yet, they had to accommodate unfamiliar settings while steering on the educational arena of their children. This chapter proposes that collective capital formed in public spheres of socialisation in Poland had a significant impact on how they approached the educational field in the UK and how they strategised. Importantly, the focus on children’s academic fulfilment and gratification may have prevented working-class migrants and those with underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds from potential marginalisation and deprivation. Ultimately, this chapter enhances our understanding of the complexities of how aspects of “intangible cultural heritage” are deployed by Polish migrants, their personal negotiations and experiences within the local cultural environment, as they settle.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

The Impact of Collective Capital on Construction of Migrant Identity: The Case of Polish Mothers in the UK

  • Magdalena Lopez Rodríguez

摘要

The unprecedented wave of Polish migration, with its major onset in 2006, has left an abiding imprint on contemporary British society. Poles brought with them their own cultural and social practices, and knowledge, which not only enriched UK communities but also underwent transformation through interactions with British culture. This chapter is based on 40 in-depth interviews with Polish migrant mothers and examines the deployment of the imported maternal capital: economic, cultural, and social (For further elucidation of other concepts used in this chapter, please refer to my other works, where I also define habitus, field, and strategies (López Rodríguez, 2016, 2018). Further, it identifies the strategies undertaken by the mothers with specific regard to their children’s education and upbringing. The assertions, which are brought about here in the form of mothers’ testimonies, remain an inherent component of the processes of social integration, and of forming and/or reshaping of hybrid identities among the participants. Polish mothers entered the host society with a cultural background shaped by values developed in their native Poland, which differed from those they encountered abroad. Yet, they had to accommodate unfamiliar settings while steering on the educational arena of their children. This chapter proposes that collective capital formed in public spheres of socialisation in Poland had a significant impact on how they approached the educational field in the UK and how they strategised. Importantly, the focus on children’s academic fulfilment and gratification may have prevented working-class migrants and those with underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds from potential marginalisation and deprivation. Ultimately, this chapter enhances our understanding of the complexities of how aspects of “intangible cultural heritage” are deployed by Polish migrants, their personal negotiations and experiences within the local cultural environment, as they settle.