Cultures of Transnationality in European Migration

Transnational mobility in the EU has become a key factor for supranational integration, equal life chances and socioeconomic prosperity. This book explores the cultural and social patterns that shape people’s migration, the historical and contemporary patterns of their movement, and the manifold consequences of their migration for themselves and their families. Exploring the links between social and spatial mobility, the book draws attention to the complexity of moving and staying, as ways in which social inequalities are shaped and reinforced. Grounded in research conducted in Germany and Poland, the book develops the concept of "cultures of transnationality" to analytically frame the variety of expectations involved in migration, and how they shape migration dispositions, opportunities, and outcomes. Cultures of Transnationality in European Migration will be of broad interest to scholars and students of transnational migration, European development, cultural sociology, intersectionality and subjectivity. Specifically, it will appeal to scholars interested in the cultural ramifications of moving and staying as well as those interested in the interplay of gender, ethnicity and class, in the making of social inequality.

"Cultures of Transnationality in European Migration offers an insightful theoretical framework for understanding the intertwining of migration, culture and inequality through an empirically rich study of Polish migration to Germany. Written in a compelling style that will appeal to academics and students alike, Barglowski innovatively uses the sensitizing concept of ‘expectations’ to understand transnational culture through detailed narratives of migrants." — Umut Erel, Senior Researcher in Sociology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK"This erudite monograph makes a substantial contribution to the literature on migration and inequalities, examining gender, class and other axes of difference. It presents a case study of a large but under-researched group, Poles in Germany. The author’s focus on migrants’ expectations, rather than motivations, is a welcome corrective to standard but often distorting approaches to understanding why migrants behave the way they do." — Anne White, Professor of Polish Studies and Social and Political Science, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, London, UK

Karolina Barglowski is a Junior Professor of the Sociology of Migration at Technical University Dortmund, Germany. Her research focuses on social inequality, European migration, transnational social protection, qualitative methods and cultural sociology.