„Diskriminierung ist ein sehr starkes Wort“. Rassismuserfahrungen von Personen mit polnischer Einwanderungsgeschichte in intersektionaler Perspektive
“Discrimination Is a Very Strong Word”. An Intersectional Analysis of Experiences of Racism by People of Polish Background

Summary/Abstract: While anti-East European racism is increasingly being developed as a field of research, empirical studies from the perspective of those affected are still rare. This applies above all to the German context and to the group of Polish immigrants and their descendants. Against this background, the article presents a comprehensive analysis of the experiences of racism of 22 members of the ‘educated middle class’ with a Polish immigrant history from Hamburg. The analysis shows that the interviewees reported a variety of experiences of stigmatisation and discrimination (the latter, however, almost exclusively in relation to their childhood and youth). These included problems with the transition to secondary school, verbal abuse, social distancing and, above all, being confronted with Polish jokes and stereotypes. However, the interviewees were reluctant to interpret these experiences as ‘racist’. A detailed analysis of the experiences and reflections of the interviewees shows the significance of gender, generation and class, but also temporal localisation, among other things, in their intertwining as a condition for experiencing anti-East European racism.

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