'It is English and there is no Alternative': Intersectionality, Language and Social/Organizational Differentiation of Polish Migrants in the UK

Abstract

In this paper, we employ an intersectional approach to explore language as a process of social and organizational differentiation of Polish migrant workers in the UK. In addition to intersectionality, our conceptual framework is informed by a sociolinguistic perspective on globalization, which accounts for the social differentiation produced by language in transnational contexts. Empirically, the paper is based on a qualitative study employing life history interviews. Our findings show that for a migrant worker, the ability to negotiate access to employment and other key institutional settings depends to a large extent on her or his linguistic abilities. However, as we demonstrate, it is necessary to account for the intersections of language and other processes such as gender, class and nationality to understand how the social and organizational positions as experienced by the participants are shaped by broader processes and practices of differentiation. Our study contributes to the extant literature on intersectionality by specifically considering the intersection of language with other categories, and by relating intersectionality to contemporary debates on migration.