RESEARCHING THE POLISH COMMUNITY IN TYNE AND WEAR
External Partner: Tyne and Wear Museums
The population of Tyne and Wear is made up of a diversity of people and communities – some of whom have migrated from all over the world. These many different communities have interesting histories which are often unknown to anyone outside of the community. Stories of migration and subsequent life in small communities in Tyne and Wear are largely undocumented. Tyne and Wear Museums seek to reveal these hidden histories and document the stories of the people who have migrated to this area. After World War II Britain became home for many Polish people and some settled in the north east of England. There has also been a recent inflow of Poles into the area in the last 5 years.
The aim of this project is to research the existing and recently migrated Polish communities in Tyne and Wear. Information on the social history of these communities would be a valuable resource. Subjects such as housing, jobs and work, community and social life could be explored including researching whether the communities had their own shops, pubs, churches and community organisations. A comparison of the two waves of immigration would be interesting, including the study of attitudes of local people towards newcomers to the area.
Tyne and Wear Archive Service have a good selection of research material including information about ethnicity and migration http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/pdf/userguide24.pdf . There are a number of Polish organisations in the north east such as the North East Polish community organisation http://www.nepco.org.uk/index_en.html. The student researching this project could work closely with the Keeper of Contemporary Collecting at Tyne and Wear Museums who plans to work on a project with people from the Polish community in Tyne and Wear in 2009.
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