Rebordering Britain & Britons after Brexit
Uncanny Europe and Protective Europeanness: When European Identity Becomes a Queerly Viable Option
Abstract
Europe has recently become closely associated with LGBTQ rights. It remains unclear, however, what is the role of this association in everyday European imaginations and identifications. Empirical research on European identity hardly ever discusses the role of LGBTQ rights. Nor do we know much about European identifications of LGBTQ people themselves. In this article. I address those gaps from the perspective of Polish LGBTQs in the UK. Drawing on 30 interviews from a recent two-year research project. I discuss my participants' European imaginations and identifications by developing the concepts of `uncanny Europe' and `protective Europeanness'. I show how my participants tend to view Europe as `diverse', `open' and `tolerant', while attributing those characteristics exclusively to Western Europe. I also demonstrate that they tend to readily identify as European in the context of increasingly hostile national identities, with the increasing anti-Polish xenophobia in the UK and growing anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Poland.
You might also be interested in :
Brexit and the Classed Politics of Bordering: The British in France and European Belongings
This article considers what Brexit means for British citizens living in France. Drawing on empirical research I examine the emotional and material impacts that uncertainties about their futures have had on their lives. The article documents the measures they take (or anticipate)…
Migrant Capitals: Proposing a Multi-Level Spatio-Temporal Analytical Framework
This article explores how migrants utilize and access different forms of capital. Using a Bourdieusian approach to capital, we focus on how migrants' temporal and spatial journeys are shaped by and in turn shape their opportunities to mobilize resources and convert them into capitals.
Mobility for Me but Not for Others: The Contradictory Cosmopolitan Practices of Contemporary White British Youth
This article seeks to problematise the perception that young people are committed cosmopolitans by highlighting some of the contradictory and contingent practices that young White British youth engage in. To do so…
The Role of Migration Policies in the Attraction and Retention of International Talent: The Case of Indian Researchers
Governments are increasingly implementing policies aimed at attracting or retaining highly skilled migrants. While a growing number of studies examine the effectiveness of these efforts, the actual mechanisms through which migration policies may operate have not been questioned.