‘Between a rock and a hard place’: Bulgarian highly skilled migrants’ experiences of external and internal stereotypes in the context of the European crisis

Genova, Elena

Abstract

The intensification of intra-European migration has more recently coincided with the negative socio-economic consequences of the European economic crisis. The latter has revitalised dormant national stereotypes, employed into the scapegoating of migrants across Europe. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic research, this article focuses on young, highly skilled Bulgarian migrants in the UK. Their experiences of internal and external national stereotypes are examined in detail. This article argues that this results in a process of double-sided othering, which has implications upon the identities of young skilled Bulgarians as they employ various strategies to make sense of their migratory choices.

Citation

Genova, E. (2017). ‘Between a rock and a hard place’: Bulgarian highly skilled migrants’ experiences of external and internal stereotypes in the context of the European crisis. National Identities, 19(1), 33-51. https://doi.org/10.1080/14608944.2015.1136609

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 25, 2015
• Online Publication Date: May 10, 2016
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jul 3, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 8, 2021
• Journal: National Identities
• Print ISSN: 1460-8944
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-9907
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 33-51
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14608944.2015.1136609
• Keywords: Bulgarian migrants; highly skilled; stereotypes; European crisis; double-sided othering
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4745990
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14608944.2015.1136609?journalCode=cnid20
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in National Identities on 10 May 2016, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14608944.2015.1136609?journalCode=cnid20