Structuring Social Remittances: Transnational Networks of Polish Migrants

This chapter considers the contents, structures, and meanings of communication as key elements enabling or hindering transfer of social remittances in the transnational social networks of Polish migrants. It departs from the assumption that migrants are confronted with new patterns of behaviours and with unfamiliar social norms and uses both quantitative and the qualitative approaches to social networks to investigate the contents, structures, and meanings of migrants’ communication with members of their transnational network. It is argued that when we consider why, when, and how migrants ‘report home’ about their experiences abroad, we can better understand the mechanisms beyond social remittances. The chapter draws on the data from in-depth interviews and questionnaires with 134 migrants from Poland in Germany (Berlin and Munich) and England (London and Birmingham).