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Cited by 3Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationDiaspora, migration, transnational identityUrban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 52 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Discursive integration through spatial segregation: how Polish migrants racialise British cartography to claim belonging

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Polak, Marcin D.·2026·Ethnic and Racial Studies
DOI 10.1080/01419870.2026.2642953
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Abstract

This article examines how Polish migrants in the UK negotiate belonging by constructing a racialised spatial imaginary centred on a mythologised English past. Based on qualitative data, it argues that migrants engage in race-making through racial cartography: reconstructing a symbolic socio-cultural order and mapping it onto geography. They deploy this cartography as discursive integration – a vernacular practice in which migrants claim belonging by mobilising racialised categories to align with a white Christian majority, often at the cost of distancing themselves from other minorities. “Posh” districts, villages, and suburbs are constructed as positive, clean, safe, and authentically English – implicitly coded as white. Conversely, multi-racial urban areas are framed as negative, dirty, and un-English. Through alignment with a mythologised white English past, Polish migrants claim symbolic whiteness and a place alongside the white majority. The article contributes to debates on integration, the spatial dimensions of racialisation, and ways migrants reproduce racial hierarchies.

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Research works printed but not linked: 17

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  14. Twine, F. W. 2000. “Racial Ideologies and Racial Methodologies.” In Racing Research, Researching Race: Methodological Dilemmas in Critical Race Studies, edited by F. W. Twine and J. Warren. New York: NYU Press.
  15. van Dijk, T. A. 2004. “Racist Discourse.” In Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies, edited by Ellis Cashmore, 351–355. London: Routledge.
  16. Wetherell, M., and J. Potter. 1992. Mapping the Language of Racism: Discourse and the Legitimation of Exploitation. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
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Metadata

Authors
Polak, M. D.
Affiliations
University of Bristol (GB)
Corresponding author
Polak, Marcin D.
ORCID
Polak, Marcin D.
Venue
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2026-03-27
Pages
1-18
ISSN
  • 0141-9870 (ISSN-L)
  • 1466-4356
DOI
10.1080/01419870.2026.2642953
OpenAlex
W7141466379
Cited by
3
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 3
FWCI
34.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Ethnic and Racial Studies (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Refugees, and Integration
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Diaspora, migration, transnational identity
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies
Keywords
Polish immigrants, racialization, spatial segregation, sense of belonging, whiteness, race-making, vernacular knowledge, racial hierarchy, integration

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