"It's Our Patriotic Duty to Help Them': the Socio-Cultural and Economic Impact of the 'Solidarity wave' on Canadian and Polish-Canadian Society in the Early 1980s

Authors

  • Michal Mlynarz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21971/P7MW2M

Abstract

This paper examines the economic, social, and cultural impact made on Canadian and Polish-Canadian society as a result of the mass influx of refugees from the People’s Republic of Poland to Canada in the early to mid 1980s. Although a brief overview and examination of Polish immigration history to Canada over the last few centuries is provided, the paper focuses upon the significant effect caused by the arrival of a new wave of Polish immigrants, largely consisting of highly educated and politically vocal individuals, into the country.

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Author Biography

Michal Mlynarz

Michal Mlynarz is a graduate student in the Department of History & Classics at the University of Alberta, currently working on completing his MA thesis and degree. He has a particular interest in the socio-cultural and nationalist history of East-Central Europe, in particular that of Poland and the Balkan region. His MA thesis examined the commemoration of Pope John Paul II in the public sphere in Poland, analyzing it as a new expression of Polish identity for the 21st-century. He also has a keen interest in immigration history and the development of ethnic communities in the Canadian context.

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Published

2008-03-24

How to Cite

Mlynarz, M. (2008). "It’s Our Patriotic Duty to Help Them’: the Socio-Cultural and Economic Impact of the ’Solidarity wave’ on Canadian and Polish-Canadian Society in the Early 1980s. Past Imperfect, 13. https://doi.org/10.21971/P7MW2M

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Section

Articles