CFP "Contemporary Polish Migrant Culture"

[Dirk Uffelmann]

Call for Papers
Contemporary Polish Migrant Culture in Germany, Ireland, and the UK
Passau University, Germany, 15-18 January 2009

“Przychodzi baba do lekarza
 a lekarz w Anglii.” (Polish joke)

For centuries, migration has been part of Polish history. As recent
developments suggest, leaving the home country – be it temporarily or
permanently – and seeking a better life abroad is still a common experience
for millions of Poles. The migration patterns, however, have undergone a
significant change, especially after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1990:
contemporary e/migrants are no longer political fugitives fleeing from the
repressions of a totalitarian regime, but people departing voluntarily,
encouraged by the freedom of movement granted in a united Europe and the
general mobility made possible in a globalised world.
In Germany and the United Kingdom – two countries that have received several
waves of Polish emigrants in the past – a change in migration patterns is
equally observable: in Germany, Polish migrants have claimed and attained
stronger visibility around the turn of the millennium, while in the UK, a
new wave of Polish migration set in immediately after Poland’s accession to
the European Union in 2004, mainly because Britain counted among the few
countries to grant the new EU citizens free access to its labour market. A
similar policy in Ireland led to a considerable influx of Polish migrants
seeking employment on the liberalised job market there. Moreover, a
well-educated and curious generation of young Poles considers temporal
migration as an important asset for their future careers and thus
confidently embarks on the adventure of living abroad.
So far, substantial research has been carried out in order to illuminate the
sociological, legal and economic implications of recent Polish migration.
What seems to be missing though is a thorough analysis of the manifold
cultural activities of Polish migrants. It is this ‘gap’ that we would like
to fill with a conference on contemporary Polish migrant culture in Germany,
Ireland, and the UK. Relevant questions with regard to this topic are for
instance: what linguistic strategies are used by the producers of migrant
culture? Do the latter aim at fellow migrants, address Poles back home or
seek prominence within the receiving culture? How do the migrants’ cultural
attitudes (auto-stereotypes and hetero-stereotypes, artistic, political and
religious preferences etc.) change in the wake of migration? Do the cultural
activities enhance the integration of the migrants into the host country or
do they serve to strengthen the bonds within the migrant community? And how
does the receiving culture respond to this new area of cultural production
in its midst?
We encourage the submission of papers revolving around issues such as these
and dedicated to culture in a broad sense. We understand culture as
encompassing a wide array of creative activities, ranging from literature,
music, drama, and the visual arts, to more ‘popular’ cultural phenomena such
as newspapers, magazines, radio, television or the internet.
If you are interested in participating in the conference, we would
appreciate if you let us know via email by 3 March 2008. Please include a
preliminary title of the contribution you would like to make and, if
possible, a short abstract of 100 words (please note that all papers should
be held in English). We plan to publish a volume based on the results of the
conference and will also endeavour to cover the costs for transfer and/or
accommodation. Additionally, we hope to gain support from the Polish
Consulate in Munich.

With kind regards,

Prof Dirk Uffelmann; Joanna Rostek
 
www.phil.uni-passau.de/ost-mitteleuropa-studien.html
www.phil.uni-passau.de/engl_literatur

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