Dr Magdalena Muszel

Transnational Dimensions of the Women's Rights Movement: Polish Migrant Activism in the UK

On 1 November 2020 Polish activists initiated a traditional Polish dance (Polonaise) in central London to protest tightening of abortion laws in Poland. That this dance was staged over 1000 miles from Warsaw points to the growing phenomena of transnational migrant protest by the over 800,000 migrants who have arrived since 2004. The new Polish far-right government elected in 2015 has created a dangerous ‘illiberal democracy’ with laws that counterview European and UK norms. This is particularly notable in terms of restrictions on women’s reproductive rights, which have triggered waves of protest across Europe and the UK.

Examining these transnational feminist migrant movements offers the first opportunity to understand the importance of international networking and political citizenship in migrant communities as a critical mechanism of contemporary democratic expression in Europe. This fellowship will offer the first, cutting-edge study of this topic, and establish a fruitful legacy of Polish-UK collaboration.