Czech Migrants in the European Migration Space
Czech Migrants in the European Migration Space

Summary/Abstract: Free movement of people is one of the fundamental rights of citizens of the European Union. However, in the European space, there are migrants of different status and different power and recourse for constituting their positions and also shaping their own perspective of the migration space. This text is analyzing the interconnection between the actors’ perception of the migration space and their behaviour. The text is based on qualitative research among Czech migrants in the UK. In-depth interviews were conducted with 48 migrants. The perception of space is strongly influenced by political factors, which still have power to define barriers of mobility or, on the contrary, open the gates. In narratives with Czech labour migrants, there appear to be two basic conditions to European migration space represented by the United Kingdom – proximity and simplicity. The legality of migration and work and plenty of services within the migration industry changes the perceived geographical distance. But despite openness within the space, migrants live their everyday lives locally and retain their Czech identity. After initial migration, they then move across Europe, more so as tourists than as transmigrants. Nevertheless, the openness of the European space changes the need to create a community based “only” on a common national identity. More frequent contacts with family and friends across the state borders weaken the need for the cohesion of immigrants in the destination country.

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