‘Poland and its Migrants’ conference
Book your place on our conference about Poland and its migrants.
‘Poland and its Migrants’ conference
05 Jun 2025 - 06 Jun 2025
On Thursday 5 June, the conference showcases new research about Ukrainians, Belarusians, Turks and other migrants living, working and using services in Poland. The sessions on Friday 6 June discuss Poles (and refugees from Ukraine formerly resident in Poland) who live in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other countries of western Europe. Some presentations also set Poland in its European context, drawing comparisons with other Central and East European countries and their migrants. Many speakers will adopt an intersectional approach, looking at the particular experiences and reflections of women, children, parents, young and older people. Others focus more on receiving society attitudes and policies which help shape migrants’ lives abroad.
The conference will take place in person and on Zoom. To register, please contact the organiser, Anne White, Professor of Polish Studies, at anne.white@ucl.ac.uk, saying whether you would like to participate in person or on-line. There is no registration fee.
Poland and its migrants: conference programme
Thursday 5 June: Migrants in Poland
| 9.00-9.20 | Registration | |
| 9.20-9.30 | Anne White | Welcome |
| 9.30-11.30 | Panel 1 | The diversification of Poland’s foreign population and Polish attitudes towards migrants |
| 9.30-10.10 | Katarzyna Andrejuk | Attitudes towards migrants in times of war, refugees and economic crises: continuity or change within the Polish “host society”? |
| 10.10-10.50 | Furkan Sönmez and Sara Bojarczuk | Double underemployment and transnational networks: Why and how do Turkish migrants enter the Polish labour market? |
| 10.50-11.30 | Anne White | The multi-ethnic population of smaller cities and towns: experiences of Poles and foreigners living in Dobrodzień, Myślenice, Piła, Kalisz and Płock |
| 11.30-12.00 | Coffee/tea | |
| 12.00-1.20 | Panel 2 | Ukrainian war migrants: identities and decision-making |
| 12.00-12.40 | Emil Chról | Ukrainian identity during migration: a study of identity discourses and practices among migrant communities in Poland |
| 12.40-1.20 | Ivanna Kyliushyk and Emil Chról | Post-migration mobility of Ukrainian female war migrants in Poland |
| 1.20-2.00 | Lunch | |
| 2.00-4.00 | Panel 3 | Health and education |
| 2.00-2.40 | Izabella Main | Untangling healthcare sector for migrants in Poland |
| 2.40-3.20 | Wiktoria Moritz-Leśniak | Exploring social meanings of migrant parents’ involvement in their children’s integration: case study of the Belarusian self-organized movement |
| 3.20-4.00 | Elżbieta Goździak | The role of children’s education in family decision-making strategies among migrants in Poland |
| 4.00-4.30 | Coffee/tea | |
| Panel 4 | Skills and de-skilling | |
| 4.30-5.10 | Sara Bojarczuk | Unlocking opportunities: Leveraging IT and Education 4.0 for the integration of Ukrainian refugees across the EU – the case of Poland |
| 5.10-5.50 | Izabela Grabowska | De-skilling protection factors (DPF) of migrants: the case of Ukrainian female war migrants in Poland |
Friday 6 June: Focus on receiving countries
| Panel 5 | World War II, the Holocaust and displacement | |
| 9.30-10.10 | Josef Butler | Refugees, exiles, others? Reimagining the displaced Polish community in Britain’s experience of the Second World War |
| 10.10-10.50 | Annelie Bachmaier | The writings of a wanderer: Migration, uprooting and the notion of ‘home’ in Avrom Zak’s works |
| 10.50-11.20 | Coffee/tea | |
| 11.20-1.20 | Panel 6 | Transnational identities, practices and imaginings |
| 11.20-12.00 | Elaine Moriarty and Sara Bojarczuk | EU Medical Movers: Transnational healthcare practices of Polish migrants living and working in Ireland |
| 12.00-12.40 | Bożena Sojka, Kate Botterill, David McCollum and Daniela Sime | Navigating liminality – The Experiences of Ukrainian Refugee Youth Between Poland and the UK |
| 12.40-1.20 | Sara Bojarczuk and Elaine Moriarty | “Warming our old bones in the Spanish sun”: Older Polish migrants living the western dream? |
| 1.20-2.00 | Lunch | |
| 2.00-3.20 | Panel 7 | Women’s perspectives |
| 2.00-2.40 | Anna Jochymek | I got caught in my own trap. The methodological advantages and risks of women’s positionality in researching Polish far-right groups in the UK. |
| 2.40-3.20 | Anna Key | [Polish women in the UK: Risks to health and safety before, during and after the Covid pandemic] |
| 3.20-3.50 | Coffee/tea | |
| 3.50-5.50 | Panel 8 | After Brexit and Covid |
| 3.50-4.30 | Agnieszka Radziwinowiczówna | Port returns in the UK: How the post-Brexit mobility of EU citizens is restricted |
| 4.30-5.10 | Daniela Sime, Bożena Sojka, Kate Botterill and David McCollum | MigYouth: Unscripted transitions, belonging and identity among young Central and Eastern Europeans in the UK |
| 5.10-5.50 | Agnieszka Trąbka, Paula Pustułka and Irma Budginaitė-Mačkinė | Examining the impact of unsettling events on Lithuanian and Polish migrants in the UK: The consequences of Brexit and Covid-19 |
Image credit: Anne White
Further information
Ticketing
Pre-booking essential
Cost
Free
Open to
All
Availability
Yes