Post-Socialist Britain: Memory, Representation and Political Identity amongst German, Polish, and Ukrainian Immigrants in the UK

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What happens to the connection between collective memory and political identity in the process of migration? 'Post-Socialist Britain' takes as its point of departure the growth in support for anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic parties across Europe. Our focus is on post-socialist countries - that is, those with experience of state socialist rule. The support for right-of-centre and xenophobic politics has frequently been explained in these contexts as being underpinned by collective memory of authoritarianism, and/or the ways in which these histories are used by those seeking support for ethnonationalist politics. Nonetheless, those who give such explanations usually assume that those remembering authoritarianism do so in their country of origin. Post-Socialist Britain breaks out of this national mould to explore if and how memory is linked to political identity when the individual moves to a new national context.In so doing, the project makes a substantial original contribution to scholarship in multiple fields: memory studies with an interest in transcultural/relational modes of remembrance; sociological work on integration and incorporation of immigrants; and political science accounts of the relationship between the past and present political behaviour. The urgency of this research is given not only by the political shift to the right across the continent, but also by the increase in xenoracism experienced by (especially) Central and Eastern European immigrants in the UK since the 2016 'Brexit' referendum. The presence of these individuals and memories in the UK means that Britain too can be thought of as post-socialist.Political identity is influenced by a complex web of factors: e.g, constructions of ethnicity, social inclusion, community networks, and media representation. Post-Socialist Britain uses an innovative interdisciplinary methodology to explore this complexity; it combines narrative interviews, network analysis, media research and arts-based community work. It uses a case study approach, focusing on two comparable, but very different, groups: Polish and German immigrants in the UK. Poland and Germany both have memory cultures structured around the dual histories of National Socialism and communism, albeit in very different ways. They also represent two of the largest groups of EU immigrants currently living in the UK. Nonetheless, their experience of migration in terms of the size of their respective communities, constructions of ethnicity in different contexts, representation in culture and media, and radicalisation within the immigrant groups themselves differ substantially. These differences provide a unique opportunity to explore the elements that contribute to the formation of political identity and the role of memory within them.The research findings of Post-Socialist Britain will lead to a better understanding of how immigrant groups negotiate different aspects of their identities and the factors that contribute to the development of political behaviour. The project will therefore also be of significance for multiple stakeholders who work towards promoting community cohesion and against xenophobia and extremism. We will work closely with Polish and German professional and community associations, policy-makers, immigrant communities, and schools in order to ensure that the findings are disseminated to and are usable by these beneficiary groups. Our project partners are: Centrala/Polish Expats Association, Polish Professionals in London, European's Welfare Association, British German Association, and Creative Black Country. The project will result in a diverse portfolio of outputs for different audiences: a single-authored monograph, a conference and special issue, five peer-reviewed journal articles, six stakeholder workshops, two policy briefings, a virtual and physical exhibition and series of artistic performances, school teaching resources, and press op-ed and opinion pieces.