UNIVERSITY OF WROCLAW FACULTY OF

SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF

SOCIOLOGY

Course: Labour and migration in Eastern Europe: comparative perspectives

Dr. Adam Mrozowicki

Migrant workers and their socio-cultural experiences in Poland:

the case of Abubakar

Presented by:
Birwe Habmo
 Introduction

Nowadays, migration has become an issue that mobilizes a lot of social scientists.
Historians, sociologists, economists, lawyers and geographers, among all others, have an
increasing interest in that general theme of migration. Indeed, migration is very complex
because it has several forms depending on the purpose of travel or mobility patterns. Thus, we
can point out national migration, international migration and transnational migration.
Depending on human mobility, we can also note study migration, labor migration, refugees or
asylum seekers. However, our essay deals with labor migration (on high skills migration in
particular) by trying to study the migration experiences of a foreign worker in Poland. The
aim of this analysis is to show how pre-migration experiences of a foreign worker and social
networks that he develops influence his integration into the host country/society. In order to
study the migratory path of our interviewee, our analysis is organized into four parts. The first
part is devoted to theoretical framework of the concept of migration, the second part explains
the methodology we used, the third part deals with biographical portrait of our interviewee
and the fourth part focuses on the sociological analysis of the migration experience of our
interviewee in Poland.

A. Theoretical contextualization of the case

The context of immigration of Abubakar is quite special. In fact, the main features of
his migration path are based on two indicators: his immigrant status modification and his
change into another polish city. He came to Poland first as a foreign student and then as a
foreign worker. The second characteristic refers to the change he made about his city of
residence. In 2011 he lived in Wroclaw and since October 2013 he has lived in Warsaw (see
below for more details).

Paradoxically, there is no more research on migration of Algerians or Africans in

general in Poland. The bibliographical references that we found on immigration into Poland
concern mostly people who come from France, Germany, England, and especially countries in
Eastern Europe such as Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Belarus. Indeed, Agata
Gorny et al. (2010) wrote that “According to official statistics, in 1946-1948 nearly 1.5
million people immigrated to Poland; about as many as immigrated in 1945. Almost all of
them, however, were polish nationals. Some of them included former emigrants who, before
World War II, resided mainly in France, Belgium and Germany, and in some cases married

2
foreign spouses”1. So we can think that there are not really a great number of African
migrants in Poland. Many of them are students or people who work for their countries in
organizations like embassies. It is the case of Abubakar our interviewee.

B. Methodological framework

Biographical interview was the method we have chosen to study the migratory path of
Abubakar in Poland. With this method we could carry out a semi-structured interview to
understand the migration experience of Abubakar in Poland. However, we chose Abubakar
because his profile corresponds the most to our expectations. Moreover, we met our
interviewee thanks to the help of a Polish friend to whom we expressed our desire to have a
conversation with an African foreign worker living in Poland. So it was thanks to this Polish
friend who put us into touch with the Algerian Abubakar that we got the approval of the
former who indicated us his availability to answer to our questions. The interview was
conducted by Skype because our interviewee lives in Warsaw. During 28 minutes, we
exchanged with our interviewee in a friendly and very relaxed atmosphere.

C. Biographical portrait of Abubakar

Born in the 80s, in a Muslim family in the Maghreb region, Abubakar is an Algerian
migrant living in Warsaw for two years now. Aged 33, he arrived in Poland for the first time
in January 2011 as an Erasmus student at the University of Wroclaw. Before coming to
Poland, Abubakar was in France and Spain for his studies in communication and journalism.
Indeed, after graduating in Algeria in July 2010, he applied for an Erasmus Mundus Master
scholarship in Communication and Journalism which is coordinated by three European
universities, namely the University of Marseille Aix Provence in France, the University of
Wroclaw in Poland and the University of Madrid in Spain. Obtaining the Erasmus mundus
scholarship he dreamed of, Abubakar arrived in France in 2010 for his first semester. After
four months in Marseille, he left France to Poland, where he made his second semester at the
University of Wroclaw. After six months in Wroclaw, he continued in the University of
Madrid and the last semester he returned to Marseille to finish his master studies. After
graduation in Journalism and Communication in July 2012, Abubakar returned to Algeria to
stay with his family. From his home country he found a job as Press affairs assistant officer at
the Algerian Embassy in Poland, precisely in Warsaw. If we refer to an article written by

1
Immigration to Poland: Policy, employment, integration. Edited by Agata Gorny, Izabela Grabowska-Lusinska,
Madalena Lesinska, Marek Okolski, Warsaw 2010

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Csedo2, Abubakar can be seen as a “cosmopolitan” because he did not used his family or
traditional networks to find this job. Therefore our interviewee is currently a foreign worker in
Poland. He returns to this country (Poland) once again but this time with not only a new status
but also a new live in a new city. He has already been to Poland in 2011, in Wroclaw city to
be precise, as a student and now he comes back to Poland in 2012 as a foreign worker in the
capital city of Warsaw where Abubakar lives with his Polish girlfriend. Interestingly, he
frequently leaves Poland to go back to visit his family during summer holidays.

D. Analysis of the biographical interview with Abubakar

Born in a Muslim family, Abubakar attended his primary and secondary education in
Algeria. As his family is Muslim; he was introduced to Islamic culture very early in his
childhood. Like all young Algerian children, Abubakar began his studies at the age of seven;
and, he studied hard to get his Baccalaureate’s degree and then to go to university. Europe
therefore looked for him like the ideal place to realize his dream and find a good job.
Furthermore, owing his level of education as a Master degree holder we can say that
Abubakar is a high skilled migrant in Poland.

Despite his previous sojourn in Poland, specifically in Wroclaw, as an Erasmus

Mundus scholarship holder, Abubakar said that Poland still remained for him a foreign
country and that resulted in his fear to return to this country even when he succeeded in
getting a job. To support this argument, he said: “I was happy but also worried because I was
going to leave my new family for another stay abroad. I was also worried because it was my
first professional experience. I had to return to Poland and with a new status. I was in Poland
as a student now I return as a foreign worker. I returned to Poland but not with the same
status. I returned to Poland not in Wroclaw where I studied before but in the capital Warsaw.
How could I face this new challenge? How will be my everyday life in this new city? How can
I adapt myself with this new status? How could I live in this new city?”

2
Csedo, K (2010) Markets and channels towards the employment of Eastern European professionals and
graduates in London, in black, R, G, Okolski, M, Pantiru, ch (eds) A continent moving West? EU enlargement
and labour migration from Central and Eastern Europe. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp.89-144
(UK)

4
 However, his diplomatic status and the relationships he created during his first stay in
Poland made easier his decision to leave his home country and join his workplace. Despite
this, Abubakar said he was afraid about Polish climate and weather because he comes from a
tropical country, a Sahelian one that is Algeria.

1. Arrival in Poland and form of integration

Arrived in Warsaw in October 2012, Abubakar has not encountered difficulties during
the first weeks or the first month of his life in Poland. To explain his arrival he said “on
November 2012 I went again In Poland not as a student but as a migrant worker, not in
Wroclaw but in Warsaw. It is very nice. Everything is very nice here…you know”. So his
arrival and adjustment to his new life in Poland were not very hard. His Algerians and Polish
colleagues welcomed and oriented him during his first days in Warsaw. In this case we can
note that Abubakar was supported and accompanied by a professional network (colleagues)
that facilitated his adaptation and integration.

Homesickness and nostalgia are the primary challenges for migrants who belong to the
same case as Abubakar. For many, leaving the country is like being ripped off, uprooted and
thrown into a new world, much bigger and different. “When I arrived in Poland, although it
was not for the first time, I felt lost. It was as if I have never been here in Poland... My family
was already missing me, after only two days ... unfortunately” said Abubakar.

In general, social integration of foreign workers in Europe, particularly those from

Africa, is a process that is commonly shaped by networks. Poutignat and Streiff- Fénart noted
that in this way “these networks that accompany the integration of African students and
workers play key functions of information, support and socialization3”. In the particular case
of Abubakar, his integration was precisely facilitated by his social network, including
supports and relationships with colleagues he found on his arrival in Warsaw. The family
network that emerged here allowed him to become familiar with the customs, rules of
conduct, routines to properly play his role of immigrant worker in a country like Poland. To
illustrate this assistance Abubakar received, he said: “I think sincerely that actually the
conditions invite me to be integrated into the Polish society because I live with Polish people.
My girlfriend is Polish and many of my friends, colleagues, neighbors are also Polish. I
believe now I am integrated into Polish society because contrarily to my first stay here in

3
Poutignat, Philippe, et Jocelyne Streiff-Fénart. «Réseaux et trajectoires d'étudiants africains.» International
Review of Sociology, Novembre 2000: 385-404

5
2011 I am adapted to the climate and I like the Polish food". In addition to the welcome he
received, Abubakar also found a “new family”, a religious community within which he meets
lots of Muslims and Algerians. Another form of network can be highlighted here with
religious features. “In Warsaw, I found a Muslim community where we meet with others
Muslims every Friday to pray. There is also a mosque in the Algerian embassy where we can
pray” said Abubakar. So Abubakar is also attached to the Muslim community in the city apart
rom his colleagues and compatriots working in Poland.

We noticed that Abubakar is not really clear concerning his cohabitation with Poles.
On the one hand, he claims to have "good relations with [his] polish colleagues and
neighbors," but on the other hand, he spends more time with his Muslims “brothers”.
However, Abubakar believes that he is really integrated into the Polish society. A serious
analysis of the migratory path of Abubakar reveals a peculiar interpretation of the concept of
integration. Indeed, he has lived in Poland for two years now but his main network consists of
immigrants from his own religion and country. At the same time, Abubakar said that he is
well integrated into Polish society. So, the question is: What is integration? In his article
entitled “French integration”, Jacqueline Costa-Lascoux notes that “integration leads too
many misunderstandings. It often irritates young “immigrant” that feel like an injunction that
would made them conform to a model. Conversely, it evokes a hope for all those who want to
"integrate" a high school or public service. ( ...) [I] integrating (the same etymological root
or in full and integrity) means «to make whole» participate in the construction of a set
created from different elements; It is a process of interaction and reciprocity, made possible
on the basis of common principles. The process is intended to be long term, while the simple
insertion is always likely to reintegration in another context4”. From this perspective, it may
be difficult to say that Abubakar is well integrated into Polish society. What did he bring?
We cannot say that Abubakar is well integrated if we refer to the definition of integration
Tribalat5 pointed out. In fact according to this writer there are two integration approaches: the
first means that it belongs to migrant to adapt to the customs of the host country/society and
the second posits that the host society, while encouraging immigrants to adopt his culture,
allows migrants to keep their cultures of origin.

4
Costa - Lascaux, Jacqueline, «French integration " Philosophy for the reality test, European Journal of
International Migration, 2006
5
Michèle Tribalat, « La France sait-elle encore intégrer ses immigrés ? », Hommes et migrations [En ligne],
1294 | 2011, mis en ligne le 31 décembre 2013

6
 2. Transnationalism

The Migratory path of Abubakar can be understood firstly by his social relations in
Poland, and secondly by his maintaining of family contacts in Algeria. Arrived in Poland for
the first time in February 2011 in order to continue his studies as we said above, Abubakar
provides a satisfactory outcome of his life in this country which seemed to be a "great
unknown» as a country. Indeed, Abubakar left Wroclaw city and by settling down in the
capital city of Warsaw, he felt himself well “integrated” into the Polish society. After what
can be also considered as an intellectual who had a brilliant academic background, Abubakar
said he is particularly proud of and pleased with his stay, his work and his life in Poland. To
illustrate this satisfaction, he added: “It is very nice. Everything is very nice here…you know
[…] people are also very nice”.

However, in Poland, Abubakar did not escape from what Philippe and Jocelyne
Streiff- Poutignat Fénart called "duty of recognition vis- a-vis their country of origin."
According to these authors, « […] Arrival of foreign worker in Poland is determined by a
technocratic ideal scheme: earn money and then send this economic capital in the origin
country6”. Motivated by the desire to be useful to his family, Abubakar sometimes helps his
father to pay the school fees of his brothers and sisters who live in Algeria. In addition, he
occasionally returned to his home country to spend his holidays with his family. The case of
our interviewee is particularly interesting because he maintaines his links both with his home
country (Algeria) and his host country (Poland). Therefore, we can say that he is fully a
«transnational migrant». According to Jacques Baru, "transnationalism7" is all the processes
by which migrants forge and maintain multiple social relations and create kind of relationship
between the society of origin and the society they settle in. The “family” and “community”
are vital factors influencing the individuals’ decision to work abroad. People who have
migrated tend to pull along with them other family members and eventually other community
members.
Abubakar is now in permanent migration, he is caught halfway between his host
country (Poland) and his country of origin (Algeria). For the moment Abubakar continues to
live this transnational experience as he says himself “as I am waiting for getting married, I
continue to experiment this migratory path between Algeria, my country of origin and Poland

6
Poutignat, Philippe and Jocelyne Streiff- Fénart . “Networks and trajectories of African workers in Europe”.
International Review of Sociology, November 2000: 385-404.
7
Baru Jacques. Europe: Land of Immigration. Paris, PUF, 2006

7
my adopted country. Now, I think so, after a few years in this wonderful country.... I can
introduce myself as an Algerian by nationality, a Polish by adoption and also by passion ... ah
ah yes!”

Conclusion

To sum up, it is important to note that our Algerian migrant interviewee (Abubakar)
had a particular migratory path. Arrived to Poland for the first time to continue his graduate
studies, Abubakar returned once again to Poland to work. His life story can be summarized in
three steps. The first refers to his life before his departure and his representations (stereotypes
and prejudices) on Poland. The second concerns his arrival in Poland, his adaptation to the
polish life style through his various networks. The last step refers to his migration experience
as well as the relationships he kept with his country of origin.

Bibliographical references

Agata Gorny, Izabela Grabowska-Lusinska, Madalena Lesinska, Marek Okolski. Immigration

to Poland: Policy, employment, integration, Warsaw 2010

Baru, Jacques. Europe: Land of Immigration. Paris, PUF, 2006.

BAZENGUISSA-GANGA, Rémy (2012). « Paint it “Black”: How Africans and Afro-

Caribbeans became « Black » in France », in T. D. Keaton, T. Sharpley-Whiting and T.
Stovall, Black France – France Noire: the history and politics of Blackness, Durham: Duke
University Press, pp. 184-217.

BONILLA-SILVA, Eduardo (2006). Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the
Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, Rowman & Littlefield.
Costa - Lascoux, Jacqueline. French Integration, philosophy to the test of reality. European
Journal of International Migrations, 2006.

Coulon , Alain, and Saeed Paivandi . Foreign students in Eastern Europe: the state of
knowledge. Centre for Research on Higher Education, University of Paris 8, Paris:
Observatory of Student Life, 2003

Csedo, K (2010) Markets and channels towards the employment of Eastern European
professionals and graduates in London, in black, R, G, Okolski, M, Pantiru, ch (eds) A
continent moving West? EU enlargement and labour migration from Central and Eastern
Europe. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp.89-144 (UK)

ESSED, Philomena (1991[1955]). Understanding Everyday Racism: An Interdisciplinary

Theory, Sage Publications, London, the International Professional Publishers, Copyright 1999

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Michèle Tribalat, «La France sait-elle encore intégrer ses immigrés ? », Hommes
et migrations [En ligne], 1294 2011, mis en ligne le 31 décembre 2013

Poutignat, Philippe and Jocelyne Streiff- Fénart . “Networks and trajectories of African
workers in Europe”. International Review of Sociology, November 2000: 385-404.

Royal Embassy of Thailand. 2010. “Thai migrant workers in Poland”. Background paper for
the workshop From Vision to Action: Strengthening Network and Referral System for Thai
Migrant Workers to and in Europe, 30–31 October 2010, Berlin,

Salt, J. (2008) Managing new migrations in Europe: concept and reality in the ICT sector, in:
Bonifazi, C., OKOLSKI, M., Schrool, J, P (eds) International migration in Europe. New
trends and new methods of analysis. Amsterdam: Amsterdam university Press, pp.19-35