Do we need other ‘posts’ in migration studies? Polish migration to the UK through a postdependence lens

Gawlewicz, A. (2020) Do we need other ‘posts’ in migration studies? Polish migration to the UK through a postdependence lens. Area, 52(3), pp. 523-530. (doi: 10.1111/area.12624)

Abstract

In this article, I discuss postdependence as a compelling new lens to study Polish migration to the UK and Poland as a migratory context. Revisiting existing critiques, I argue that neither postcolonialism nor postsocialism sufficiently reflects on the complicated geo‐historical situatedness of Poland and its distinctive migratory circumstances. Postdependence, on the other hand, advocated by Central and East European scholars, opens up new avenues for exploring dependence, oppression and the politics of difference, offering a decolonial perspective on migration from/to/within the area. In the article, I draw upon a study of encounters with difference conducted with Polish nationals in England and Poland. In this study, participants utilised orientalist and essentialist discourses to make sense of sameness and difference, and to reflect on England and Poland. I propose that the employment and circulation of such discourses should be understood and explored against the overarching framework of postdependence. In doing so, I address a wider question of whether new conceptual frameworks (new ‘posts’) are needed and why. The article contributes to the fast‐growing body of work on East‐West migration in Europe and the emerging scholarship on decolonising migration studies.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gawlewicz, Dr Anna
• Authors: Gawlewicz, A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Area
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0004-0894
• ISSN (Online): 1475-4762
• Published Online: 26 April 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Author
• First Published: First published in Area 52(3): 523-530
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License