Poles and Polonia in Spain at the Turn of the Twentieth and Twenty First Centuries

Abstract

The aim of the article is to describe the situation of Polish community in Spain before the restrictions on free movement of workers from new EU member states have been removed in May 2006. Firstly, we describe the history of Polish presence in Spain. We pay special attention to transformations of social and cultural features of the Polish Community in Spain in the last decades. In the next section we present main social and demographic characteristics of the current Polish migrant community in Spain: its size, age and sex structure, spatial distribution, and occupational situation. We also discuss several issues related to institutionalised community life of the Poles in Spain and its transformations. Next, there are described past and present ethnic associations and press, as well as Polish Catholic Church pastoral work among migrants. Finally, we explore several difrent aspects of informal activities of Polish migrants in Spain.