US AMONG THEM. A STUDY OF THE CONTEMPORARY POLISH EMIGRATION TO NORWAY

A significant increase in migration from Poland has been observed since Poland joined the European Union in 2004. It has mainly been labour migration to richer countries of Western Europe. The rate of migration has exceeded the expectations of both politicians and experts. Statistics now show that about 2 million citizens have left Poland since that moment (Glowny Urząd Statystyczny 2011). One of the top countries which Poles choose as a target for migration is Norway. Not only do the majority of Polish immigrants lack basie skills in Norwegian, but they also lack basie skills in English. The communication problems with people who don't belong to us, those who use the same language, is one of the most important factors that contributes to the cre-ation of closed Polish ethnic enclaves. These communities try to rebuild their own identity in new countries based on the traditions and cultural codes brought from Poland, and us-them as opposite values. In this case us designates those members of a Polish minority in Norway, who follow norms accepted by the group, while Norwegians here represent them. A confrontation with the antagonists certifies one's own ideas and values. It is worth noticing that not all Polish migrants live within their ethnic groups. Poland is a rather culturally homogeneous country. This is a factor which facilitates finding one's own ethnic group in a foreign land and thereafter establishing one's place in it. Living abroad, however, changes one's identity due to foreign influ­ence. The identity o ithem changes similarly, depending on the situation. After a preliminary categorization of all the Poles as us, gradual divisions and categorizations take place within the Polish immigrant community. A significant number of Poles, usually less educated, often deliberately choose to isolate themselves from the culture of the host country. They use it as a method of retaining their own culture. Families and friends are brought from Poland in order to reproduce the lost local homeland.


INTRODUCTION migrant society in Europe (Boski 2010). and
The aim of this study is to present the antagonism from the minority point of view, where relates themselves with their new homeland, its culture and tradition.
with those immigrants who have returned to Poland, and with families of immigrants residing research of archival source materials.having free time counts most (Edyta).

IDENTITY AS A MARKER OF CULTURE BOUNDARIES
of the migrant community usually learns the rules governing a particular group through active codes and values.This results in the

WHO IS US AND WHO IS ?
turally homogeneous in comparison to other European countries (Mucha 1999).It is a factor grants often use the popular stereotype to oppose the known against the unknown.The main indicator of the It is also worth mentioning that due to linguistic similarity and thus easier communicagroup.

one situation are perceived as
This means that compatriots as no matter the region or community of origin.The situation changes when This results in loosening of ties with the , nor completely with where there is greater loyalty than to a common ethnic group.The Polish immigrants are not and .The former consists of people who emigrated to Norway as political ships with the Norwegians.They differ from the modern income-oriented new immigration of people with low education, sharing such different values that they do not feel a special and , the natives.Other ethnic groups are considered as or even more especially when there is a similarity of language and culture (e.g.Slovakians, Ukrainians).

POLES IN NORWAY -US AMONG
Norway is a multicultural country, where over 700 thousand citizens are immigrants.In population.There are 60 thousand Poles living in this cultural mosaic.What is more, for Migration in itself has many aspects, since decisions to emigrate have various underlying reasons such as political, economic, family, social, cultural and demographic situations increasing needs (Tiersland 2012;Braathen 2011).It is a post-modern country, which prefers to act according to the notion that seen as an Eastern European, as opposed to Western European cultural identity (Mazur and as spontaneous people, who are quite emotional and extrovert, which stands at odds with social codes of conduct. They differ in mentality, for example.It seems to me that they are more even-minded.For example when they work, they work and when they relax, they relax.A Pole cannot do that, just simply you can pop in without making special prior arrangements.In our country drinking alcohol is more form small enclaves, distancing themselves from the natives and excessively drinking alcomainly of alcohol and cigarettes (Andreassen 2012; Eriksen 2012), and also as people "with where of course I won and he had to return everything... (Adam).
approved cultural knowledge, language in its cognitive and paradigmatic function, as well as axiology related to the values and everyday practices in all spheres of life (Boski 2010).from the Norwegian lifestyle, where concentration on pleasure, comfort and consumption family.
However, it happens that this otherness and cultural difference is maintained consciously, Polish migrants often choose cultural separatism in order to uphold their own culture, disregarding the culture of the host/receiving country (Boski 2010).
Being there in Norway, they treat the country in a purely pragmatic way, the only thing that counts language and that is how they communicated with the management.But how they managed to get .

Ruiz 2010).
We talk, eat something nice.Once a week we have a party with some alcohol, [...] we laugh, (Krzysztof).which and sometimes even as an act of opposition against the rules governing the other group.One is childcare.Norwegian law gives the Barnevernet, which is a national institution, the right to far-reaching intervention in family issues (Barnever-every few months under strict control of the Barnevernet authorities (Witoszek 2012).Such the Polish society in Norway.For them it is against all known norms.The institution which and then delegates the child to strangers, who often do not speak its language, and often lead to personal tragedies.Such situations generate extreme action taken up families (Adamowska 2011).

AN IMAGE OF THE US GROUP REPRESENTATIVE
The vast majority of Polish migrants in Norway constitute men (Norsk statistisk senonly 5 thousand women in the same group.Polish females usually work in the services sectors as cleaners (Trygstad et al. 2011).The Norwegian employers are more willing to hire 2011; Oddvin 2011; Michalsen 2011).This means that Norway is almost completely dependent on foreign employees (Tiersland 2012).Having a dramatic fall in social status.
spends most of their earned money on self-maintenance and delegates a sum to the family in Poland.Entertainment, which is quite expensive in Norway in comparison to Poland, seems out of reach.
then they return for ten days to Poland, where their social identity changes, where, on one hand Poland they can afford to go on different trips or for dinner to more expensive restaurants (Mark).
with a little whisky, and after that night I stopped having fun this way (Tomasz).
The attitude to work and play is one of the key features that distinguishes Poles from way round, as entertainment and pleasure play an important part in their lives.
Poles are proud of their typical Polish values such as close relationship with family, hosis a constant longing for their relatives and elements of Polish culture or reality which could girlfriend.We met and it was nice.There was a warm family atmosphere.And you know, friends, it is sometimes (Katarzyna).

NOT TOTALLY US BUT NOT COMPLETELY
as a unifying identity (Garapich 2010).
that I was writing something down here (Marek).
ladder, tend to shy away from the typical migrant community.They distance themselves from -Ruiz 2010).antagonism, trying to this division.Usually the language is the key to this social integration with the natives, giving acquired customs.
knowing the language (Eliza).
In most cases these immigrants take advantage of the acquired skills professionally, They go out of their own group and reach into with new values and ideas.Meanwhile as due to the highly hermetic nature of the migrant society, for the natives they con-Children constitute a very interesting group, who have either come in constant presence of the Norwegian educational environment and forming close relations with their Norwegian peers at school, they take over the values and culture codes of the host childhood, despite having Polish parents, they identify themselves as Norwegians.Not infrequently, the third generation of Polish immigrants does not speak Polish.In the eyes of , culture in the eyes

CLOSER TO US
hierarchy within the notion of and another time as national and cultural ones (Benedyktowicz 2000).However, in relation to international and having Norwegian citizenship, they maintain their own cultural values and identify themselves with the origin country.In Norway, just as in Great Britain, Polish migrants are perceived in who are usually of Islamic origin and a different race.The image of a Pole seems and more

Migrants create a
When looking at the migration process [from other countries] or from Poland, initially it was economically motivated, then in many cases, a politically manifested opposition against the system.
There are no longer such dramatic consequences.I know that for example our friends, who came Migrations are a matter of personal development, not related to morality, as they were transformation of personality (Garapich 2010).Moreover, dramatic reasons to migrate generate close attachment to the concept of homeland (Appandurai 2005) and often lead from the country was a traumatic experience, one which determined their attitude towards the homeland.Many representatives of this migration period who settled in Norway in political protest against the communist regime had spent some time in Polish prisons, which gave they cultivated their and the image of the forsaken motherland.When after 1989 they had a chance to visit Poland, it was hard for them to recognise the country and, most of the foggiest idea how to do it (Ewa).mentality (Wojciech).
mentality.I left Poland with a different mentality, now the new generation lives differently (Jolanta).
Despite an initial urge to return to Poland, only some of them have managed to achieve take into account the fact that the nation undergoes constant transformation in the process of further development.Especially when such a dramatic and revolutionary system change took place as it did in 1989.
Current migrations do not have such dramatic underpinnings.In a place of rapid change there without money" (Wojciech).
that contact with the country so that the social environment, in which they are going to live again, in country.
9. CONCLUSION mies.Due to poor integration, creating closed communities and, in many cases, lack of in-2010).
the contraculturation process (Gajda 2008), they treat Norwegian society with animosity and distrust, whereas their own positive national traits create a highly idealized image of Polish culture.
One cannot omit the fact that the relations, which are still maintained having cess, mainly relate to people with a highly traditionalistic worldview, unwilling to accept (Boski 2008).It is worth noticing that not all Polish migrants live within their ethnic groups.The phenomwhere the industrial sector attracts large communities of immigrant workers.However, many Poles live in small villages scattered across the country, which lack large ethnic groups of Polish origin.Thus the migrants are forced to interact with Norwegian society.
ity and do not plan on changing this in the near future.They usually work in professions unattractive to the natives and do not aspire to higher positions; therefore, they do not pose a threat to Norwegians.Poles and Norwegians mutually feel as , however, this does not carry any sense of threat.In addition, Poles in Norway are not seen as much as the larger and more culturally distant migrants from the countries of Africa, Asia the native citizens expect that the Polish immigrants in the second and third generation, with and divisions located in the human consciousness -an outcome of the actions of a particular comare quite complex and multilayered, and result from and values (Mazur and Wawrzyczek 2010).
Poland a few years ago.And really they, the people in Poland, are far more educated than Norwegians.At least they know where Norway is, and Oslo.But not every Norwegian can point to Poland or Warsaw on the map (Krzysztof).aries. of their mother tongue in comparison to other Western European languages.Such claims group are denigrated and th -century Polish society of "silencer" of the social anxiety and sense of inferiority in relation to (1978) This chance of moving up in the social ladder.ism of Norwegians and their laicisation.In some cases Polish Catholicism takes quite radical In reality not infrequently invokes anti-Semitic slogans and propagates values and attitudes of the radical right(Kulas 2012;Skogsrad 2012).