Polish Immigrant Organizations in Germany

Michał Nowosielski, sociologist, political scientist, and expert in public administration, professor at the WSB Merito University in Gdańsk, an affiliate in the Centre of Migration Research at the University of Warsaw, and member of the IMISCOE Standing Committee DIVCULT. Previously, he was a director of the Institute of Western Affairs in Poznań and a member of the Committee for Migration Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Michał Nowosielski has been a principal investigator and participant in numerous research projects, such as “Foreigners—Varsovians. Diagnosis and recommendations for integration activities” and “Polish immigrant organizations in Europe” funded by Polish and international institutions. His recent academic interests concentrate on migration issues, particularly immigrant organizations, culture and migration, diaspora policies, and migrants’ inclusion in an urban context. Michał’s research outcomes appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Central and Eastern European Migration Review, Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, Ethnopolitics, Polish Review, and Globalisation, Societies and Education as well as in monographs and as chapters in several edited books.

• 1. Introduction 2. Immigrant organizations and determinants of their formation and functioning 3. Enthusiasm and insecurity – situation of PIOs in Germany 4. PIOs transnational opportunity structure and moderating factors 5. Conclusions

"The book presents the results of one the first comprehensive and thorough research on Polish immigrant organizations in Germany. Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data and on a multidisciplinary perspective, it is a very valuable read for scholars in the field of migration and beyond."Marco Martiniello, Professor of Sociology, FRS-FNRS and CEDEM-University of Liège (Belgium)"Polish organisations in Germany have been suffering from organisational difficulties for decades. Michał Nowosielski analyses the structural problems and challenges. An important publication also against the background of the Polish government's diaspora policy."Peter Loew, Director, German Institute of Polish Affairs in Darmstadt (Germany)"Michał Nowosielski presents a comprehensive picture of the Polish diaspora in Germany, one of the most numerous in Europe, its functioning and integration, through the lenses of Polish immigration organisations. Bringing together the experiences of representatives of these organisations and the views of relevant Polish and German institutions involved in migration policies and juxtaposing them with the findings of other researchers, the book offers an innovative multifaceted perspective on the study of the diaspora."Marek Okólski, Professor, Center of Migration Research, University of Warsaw (Poland)"Polish Immigrant Organisations represents an important contribution to scholarship on transnational civil society, by introducing and operationalising the concept of transnational opportunity structures. The well-organised empirical study showcases the application of this analytical tool, as well as providing welcome, indepth information on a hitherto largely neglected research area."Anne White, Professor of Polish Studies and Social and Political Science, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London (UK)