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Polish Children in Norway: Between National Discourses of Belonging and Everyday Experiences of Life Abroad

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Childhood and Nation

Part of the book series: Critical Cultural Studies of Childhood ((CCSC))

Abstract

This chapter revolves around the issue of “blending” or hybridizing, as well as seeking to unpack the “why” in Adrian and other children’s accounts of feeling peculiar or strange as youths with migratory backgrounds. To start with some illustrations, seven-year-old Marek, who arrived in Oslo three years ago, begins his meeting with the researcher by underscoring that he is not Norwegian; Norway-born Jan, also aged seven, keeps switching between talking about life and events in Poland and Norway—indicating that his life is happening “here and there.” Finally, Sylwia, 12, browsing international fashion stores and websites on her iPad throughout the interview, states that English is her language of choice, thus demonstrating all the markers of being “a global teen.” While the three examples pertain to the lives of three children all residing in Norway and born to Polish parents, their stories of (national) belonging and affinity are dissimilar, showcasing a range of identities that migrant children construct for themselves and narrate.

I would like to live in a place that is a blend of Norway and Poland. It seems so strange togo for summer holidays to your own country, your home country. It somehow doesn’t sound right. (Adrian, ten years old)

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Authors
  1. Paula Pustulka
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  2. Magdalena Ślusarczyk
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  3. Stella Strzemecka
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Editor information

Zsuzsa Millei Robert Imre

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© 2016 Paula Pustulka, Magdalena Ślusarczyk, and Stella Strzemecka

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Pustulka, P., Ślusarczyk, M., Strzemecka, S. (2016). Polish Children in Norway: Between National Discourses of Belonging and Everyday Experiences of Life Abroad. In: Millei, Z., Imre, R. (eds) Childhood and Nation. Critical Cultural Studies of Childhood. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137477835_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137477835_11

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55573-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-47783-5

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