Contemporary European diasporas in Wales

This studentship examines the social and cultural geographies of European diasporas in Wales. While much diaspora research focusses on migrations between former metropolitan powers and their former colonies, relatively little attention has been paid to the experiences of migrants from other European countries to the UK. This neglect is surprising considering facilitation of movement between one member state and another by the European Union, as well as the single market creating more opportunities and incentives for intra-European connections. Significantly, migration to the UK from the Ascension 8 (A8) group of states that joined the EU in 2004 has brought significant demographic changes both to many localities in particular and to the UK as a whole. An academic study of contemporary A8 diasporas is particularly pertinent for a number of reasons. Firstly, these EU nationals' negotiation of belonging along several facets of identity allows for a study that does not experience these post-colonial ties. Secondly, much of the academic literature on diasporas is concerned with the way in which race and racial differences are experiences and negotiated. As A8 migrants are mostly from a white ethnic background, such a study has potential to examine alternative conceptualizations of race in diaspora through whiteness. This study focusses on the experience of members of the Polish diaspora in Wales. The overwhelming majority of A8 migrants to the UK are Polish nationals; for reasons of practicality in accessing sufficient participant numbers, as well as the candidate's own research interest and positionality, it is proposed to focus on the experiences of Polish diasporas.

Wales has been particularly neglected in studies of diaspora compared with other parts of the UK. Again, this is a surprising neglect considering how thousands of European migrants were attracted to southern Wales during its industrial heyday. Researching contemporary diaspora experiences in Wales allows the examination of multiculturalism in a minority nation context. Such an intervention invites exploration of some theorists' assertions that minority nations are hostile to ethnocultural accommodation which is perceived to threaten their own cultural distinctness. Such an investigation also allows for critical examination of how migrants experience oft-cited perceptions of Welsh hospitality and tolerance, as well as the extent Welsh societal culture and national identity can be considered in 'civic' rather than 'ethnic' terms.

Diasporas, by their very nature, are geographical phenomena, entwining social and spatial dimensions. This project draws on a mixture of geographical understandings of diaspora, as well as contributions from other disciplines, to attain broad and critical theoretical and conceptual foundations.

This studentship begins its examination of these issues by focussing on the following issues:
The ways particular diasporic communities express their own cultural heritage in Wales
How ideas of Welshness are engaged and negotiated by members of diasporic communities
The roles key sites play in the maintenance of 'homeland' identity and in encountering Welshness.

This studentship is suitable for a mixed-methods approach combining photo-diary based interviews, participant observation, and statistical surveys.