The creation of a Polish community in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa 1980-1989

dc.contributor.authorVan Ingen-Kal, Michaela
dc.contributor.authorMacqueen, Ian
dc.contributor.emailian.macqueen@up.ac.za
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-08T07:10:33Z
dc.date.available2025-08-08T07:10:33Z
dc.date.issued2025-02
dc.descriptionDATA AVAILABILITY : The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, I.M., upon reasonable request: ‘Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University Libraries. (Tue Sep 17 2024)’; There’s a place for everyone in South Africa, Retrieved from https://dc.library.northwestern.edu/items/24b5d39d-a051-4b67-83c6-6a18356fdc88.
dc.description.abstractDuring the 1980s, amid a domestic crisis, almost a million Poles left their homeland, fleeing a failing socialist economy and a repressive regime. The majority settled in Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States of America, but some elected to relocate to South Africa. Drawing on Everett Lee’s ‘push and pull theory’, firstly, this article examines factors influencing the migration of Poles to South Africa. Secondly, it examines the formation of a Polish community in the Vaal Triangle and the importance of religion in consolidating the community and preserving a sense of Polish culture. By focussing on the Vaal Triangle during the 1980s, an area that attracted a proportionally higher number of Polish immigrants than other parts of the country, the article addresses the significance of its state industries as a magnet for skilled immigrants. CONTRIBUTION : The article draws on South African newspaper coverage of Poland’s crisis as a comparative lens, together with interviews with members of the Polish community in South Africa and archival research.
dc.description.departmentHistorical and Heritage Studies
dc.description.librarianhj2025
dc.description.sdgSDG-10: Reduces inequalities
dc.description.sponsorshipThe University of Pretoria’s Postgraduate Bursary for Master’s and Doctoral students, the University of Pretoria’s University Capacity Development Programme (2019) and Research Development Programme (2018).
dc.description.urihttps://newcontree.org.za/
dc.identifier.citationVan Ingen-Kal M. and I Macqueen. “The creation of a Polish community in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa 1980-1989.” New Contree 92 (2025): a880. https://doi.org/10.4102/nc.v92.880.
dc.identifier.issn0379-9867 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2959-510X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.4102/nc.v92.880
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/103838
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAOSIS
dc.rights© 2025. The Author(s). Licensee: AOSIS. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
dc.subjectMigration
dc.subjectPoland
dc.subjectSouth Africa (SA)
dc.subjectPolonia
dc.subject1980s
dc.subjectVaal Triangle
dc.titleThe creation of a Polish community in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa 1980-1989
dc.typeArticle

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