According to U.S. Census data, New York City is the one of the main places of concentration for members of the Polish diaspora. Despite the fact that the migration stream from Poland to the United States is not as large as it was in the past; Polish immigrants continue to be in the top twenty ethnic groups coming to the city after 2000. The literature-both in Polish and English-lacks complete research about the Polish diaspora in New York City. This article attempts a description of Polish immigrants in New York City. In the analysis, particular attention is focused on general demographic characteristics and socioeconomic characteristics. Four dimensions of socioeconomic characteristics are included: education, occupation, income, and residence patterns. The sociological significance of the analysis lies in the fact that these characteristics provide us with the basic indicators of social status and give us a general picture of the group’s adjustment and integration, or lack of it, to the vertical structure of the host society.
The paper is a case study and addresses the issue of intersection of the immigrant and artistic worlds, exemplified by functioning of Polish and Ukrainian communities in East Village in New York. The Author tries to show how ethnic can intersect with the world of alternative artistic and intellectual culture and what the consequences of such a phenomenon for the transformation of the ethnic neighborhood and its status among the diaspora can be. The analysis is embedded in the historical and humanist perspective, accentuating the “longue durée” process, emphasizing the importance of the area and the social relations going on there for their users. Such an approach allows to form a final question on the possibility of conceptualizing this particular ethnic neighborhood in terms of cultural heritage of the immigrant group.
This article deals with the problem of ethnic relations between Polish and Ukrainian immigrants in the United States between the years 1945-1991 by way of a sociological interpretation of the historical process. The author describes two basic forms of intergroup behavior including conflict relations (factors triggering conflict) and intergroup cooperation. The paper therefore tries to reveal the correlation between what “has happened” between members of the groups in European conditions and how this impacts intergroup relations in the diaspora.
The paper aims at presenting the conclusions of research encompassing: an analysis of the social participation of Poles living abroad alongside with a diagnosis of crucial determinants of that involvement, a diagnosis of their opinions concerning the functioning of Polish diaspora organisations, and the identifi cation of Poles’ readiness to become involved in such organisations. The analysis is based on empirical data collected during an internet survey among Poles living in 11 Western European countries and the USA and a qualitative study conducted among Polish diaspora elites in those countries. Results of the empirical research show that the surveyed Poles living abroad were characterised by: relatively low knowledge of Polish diaspora organisations, a low level of involvement in Polish diaspora organisations, and a low level of readiness for future involvement in such organisations. Moreover, the research proved low levels of the survey participants’ general involvement in three distinct aspects of social life: political, cultural and civil. The article also presents the main determinants of the diagnosed social phenomena.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.