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Migration Decisions and Paths in Family Stories of Polish Intergenerational Dyads in Germany

Data publikacji: 09.06.2025

Studia Migracyjne – Przegląd Polonijny, 2025 (LI), Nr 1 (195), s. 83-103

https://doi.org/10.4467/25444972SMPP.25.004.21387

Autorzy

,
Zuzanna Kapciak
Uniwersytet SWPS
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4660-9423 Orcid
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Paula Pustułka
Uniwersytet SWPS
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6679-0365 Orcid
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Tytuły

Migration Decisions and Paths in Family Stories of Polish Intergenerational Dyads in Germany

Abstrakt

The article addresses migration as a temporally-embedded process, shedding light on the complexity of individual and family trajectories. Through a multi-perspective lens, we examine migration decision- making and constructions of shared migration stories in Polish families in Germany. Previous research, largely focused on economic activity as a driver behind seasonal migration, has obscured the implications of generationality in this destination country.
The findings stem from the IRIMTA study, which uses multi-perspective interviews with young adults (aged 18–29) who grew up in Germany and represent 1.5 and second-generation, as well as their parents (aged 44–68) who left Poland approx. 25 years ago. The article’s question is: How are migration decisions and paths intergenerationally narrated in the context of Polish families in Germany?
The analysis reveals that parents and their adult children consistently recall the process of moving to Germany, referring to the same events, even if their emotional attitudes to the mobility projects differ. We reveal gender and subsequent relational and professional paths in Germany as filters that shape how migration is viewed today by the parents. As for young adults, we report mostly positive feelings associated with living in Germany, as well as their Polish background, thus demonstrating the role of migration stories in engendering intergenerational transnationalism.

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Informacje

Informacje: Studia Migracyjne – Przegląd Polonijny, 2025 (LI), Nr 1 (195), s. 83-103

Typ artykułu: Oryginalny artykuł naukowy

Publikacja: 09.06.2025

Status artykułu: Otwarte __T_UNLOCK

Licencja: CC BY  ikona licencji

Udział procentowy autorów:

Zuzanna Kapciak (Autor) - 50%
Paula Pustułka (Autor) - 50%

Informacje o autorze:

Zuzanna Kapciak is a PhD candidate at SWPS University. She is a graduate of sociology at Jagiellonian University. Zuzanna is particularly interested in qualitative research, gender studies, and youth studies. Currently involved in the IRIMTA project

Paula Pustulka is an Associate Professor and Head of Youth Research Center at the SWPS University. She is a sociologist who specializes in multiperspective qualitative longitudinal (MPQL) methods. Her research interests encompass youth, gender and migration. She is the PI of the ULTRAGEN, GEMTRA and IRIMTA projects funded by the National Science Center Poland.

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Języki publikacji:

Angielski

Migration Decisions and Paths in Family Stories of Polish Intergenerational Dyads in Germany

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