“What I Really Detest As a Polish Immigrant Is Other Poles”: Class and Consumption Among Eastern European Immigrants in London.

Short abstract “What I really detest as a Pole is other Poles”: Class and Consumption among Eastern European Immigrants in London. In this paper I will discuss class differentiation within a group of Polish immigrants living in London and the impact of this differentiation on their consumer behaviour. Through my empirical research, I have observed that Polish immigrants apply mechanisms of distinction within their ethnic group, which are not recognised as class-related issues in the context of the British culture and the British market. As many other diasporas, they are regarded as homogeneous group of consumers, categorised according to ethnic and national markers. This is particularly visible in the organisation of marketing logistics targeted at such groups. In my argument I will discuss the past and present legacy of the determinants of consumption among Poles and compare them to the current social and political relations that they face as immigrants and consumers in the UK.

Citation:

Marta Rabikowska (2011) ,"“What I Really Detest As a Polish Immigrant Is Other Poles”: Class and Consumption Among Eastern European Immigrants in London. ", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Alan Bradshaw, Chris Hackley, and Pauline Maclaran, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 586-588.