Finding one’s way: recreational mobility of post-2004 Polish migrants in West Midlands, UK

Abstract

In migration studies, relatively little attention has been paid to leisure. This article aims at contributing to this field. It analyses how migrants’ leisure, identity and uncertainty linked to migration experience are intertwined. The study is based on materials of a year-long field research that was carried out in the West Midlands, UK, among post-2004 Polish migrants. The material was collected through participant observation and interviews. The article focuses on two types of recreational mobility: (1) visits to theme parks and other commercial attractions and (2) ‘wandering around’. Despite notable differences, both types of recreational mobility participate in identity work and provide migrants with some form of empowerment. First, they reduce uncertainty that is related to the changed status of an individual or changed environment. Second, they allow inhabiting an environment and establishing a more personal relation with place. It is concluded that recreational mobility is a form of identity work that contributes to migrants’ adaptation.