The racialization of whiteness in migrants’ residential decisions: the case of Polish migrants in England

Abstract

There is a dearth of information on the link between racialised whiteness and migrants’ residential decisions in England. This article aims to address this knowledge gap by analysing the narratives of 41 Polish migrants who resided in England between 2015 and 2016. The investigation uncovers that race influenced their residential decisions in two primary ways: firstly, by the migrants relying on potentially harmful stereotypes to classify their neighbourhoods as safe or unsafe, and secondly, by how other residents racialised their whiteness, affecting their visibility and making them vulnerable to discrimination and racism. These experiences led to intricate spatial strategies of inclusion and exclusion, which have temporal dimensions and are shaped by the migrants’ interpretation of threat and their likelihood of encountering additional harmful encounters. The study's results hold significant implications for policymakers who are concerned with migrant integration, emphasizing the need for more inclusive spaces between migrants and existing residents.