LU konferenceThe presentation will explore the trajectory of anti-Eastern European migrant moral panics, observing their rise following the Eastern European EU accession in May 2004 and subsequent decline after the UK EU Referendum in 2016. The reproduction of anti-migrant discourses and the subsequent volatility of analyzed anti-migrant sentiment will be examined through the Durkheimian lens of affectively invested social action. Post-Referendum, anti-migrant discourses sporadically surfaced among the British public, but in a more subdued, non-emotional, and descriptive manner, merely symbolizing social issues instead of actively perpetuating them. The study will present evidence of the decline in moral panic through interviews with predominantly low-skilled migrants and an analysis of over a thousand newspaper articles from both pre- and post-Referendum periods.
Rafal Smoczynski is a sociologist, Associate Professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and Head of the Department for the Study of Religion. His research interests include social control, political philosophy, sociology of elites, and sociology of religion. His work has been published in Ethnic and Racial Studies, East European Politics and Societies and Cultures, Current Sociology, Theory and Society, among others. He has participated in projects funded by the European Commission, the Research Council of Norway, DAAD, and the National Science Centre (Poland), and has acted also as a visiting professor at universities in Australia, South Korea, Iran, Poland, Japan, and Great Britain.
Language of the lecture: English. Venue: Kalpaka Boulevard 4, Sapere aude Hall (2nd floor). All interested are welcome!