Social embeddedness in a harmonized Europe: the social networks of European migrants with a native partner in Belgium and the Netherlands

Abstract

Although intra-European migration is often considered relatively easy to realize given European citizens' right to freedom of movement, settlement in another

Differentiated embedding: Polish migrants in London negotiating belonging over time

“…Insufficient attention has been paid to how intra-EU migrants negotiate belonging and attachments over time (Collett 2013;Grzymala-Kazlowska 2016;Koelet, Van Mol, and De Valk 2017). In attempting to address this gap in the literature, my work examines how intra-EU 'temporary stays' were gradually extended over time while, at the same time, remaining somewhat undefined; perhaps not permanent but clearly not transient either.…”

Social support networks and loneliness of Polish migrants in the Netherlands

“…According to the Central Bureau of Statistics Netherlands, the number of Poles registered with the municipality quadrupled from less than 40,000 in 2004 to more than 173,100 in 2018 (Statistics Netherlands 2018). Due to differential adaptation and assimilation processes, social support networks can be expected to be highly heterogeneous among migrants (Koelet, Van Mol, and De Valk 2017;Ryan et al 2008). Networks of post-accession Polish migrants in the Netherlands have been studied widely in the context of being conduits of the migration decision and facilitators for the labour market integration in the host country (Nijhoff 2017).…”

“…The support networks of migrants are hence no longer localised, as they become embedded in a transnational network linking multiple localities. Constructing a new local network may go at the cost of keeping the transnational network intact, as it has been found that the transnational network shrinks over time, with a greater focus on supportive relationships with a few close friends and family members (Koelet, Van Mol, and De Valk 2017). Migrants tend to keep in touch with a limited number of friends in the origin context and such friendships tend to fade away with lapsing time after migration (Morosanu 2013).…”

Narratives of Settling in Contexts of Mobility: A Comparative Analysis of Irish and Polish Highly Qualified Women Migrants in London

“…Despite all the advances in new technology, it is apparent that care giving still requires physical proximity (Kilkey and Merla, 2014). Forming relationships with British men, who would not consider moving to Ireland or Poland, was another interesting similarity across the data and points to how marriage to "natives" may influence women's migratory strategies (Koelet et al, 2017). However, that is not to suggest that women were contained within caring roles.…”

“…The focus on intra-EU mobilities, has meant that, with some recent exceptions (Ryan and Mulholland, 2015;Grzymala-Kazlowska, 2016;Koelet et al, 2017), surprisingly little academic attention has been paid to how European migrants negotiate attachments, belonging and processes of settling in destination countries (Collett, 2013;Erdal and Oeppen, 2013). Challenging assumptions within the migration literature, my initial research on Polish migration to the UK (Ryan et al, 2008) already began to find evidence of family reunions, family formations and growing numbers of Polish children in British schools; suggesting that patterns of longer term stays were beginning to emerge.…”