Friday, July 14, 2017
Gilbert Scott Conference Room - 251 (University of Glasgow)
This paper discusses the post-Brexit projections and strategies of a cohort of Polish-born men who moved to the United Kingdom following the 5th enlargement of the European Union, in 2004 (some are now naturalized British citizens), for whom what I term libidinal cosmopolitanism is a quality-of-life factor. The paper is based on in-depth interviews with a snowball sample of respondents who are in, or have had, interracial relationships in Britain with BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) men. The title of this paper is taken from a respondent’s comment. At the time of interview, he was a 32-year-old, Polish-born man who migrated to a town in the East Midlands in 2005. Now faced with uncertainties surrounding his long-term prospects in a post-Brexit UK context, he was explaining his take on the range of options. Regarding the possibility of relocating to another country, or returning to Poland, he made this unintentionally poetic comment about how his sexual and amorous interests are generally towards non-white, particularly black, not white, men. This sexual disposition the speaker, like other informants, regarded as a factor deserving of consideration alongside economics and environment in his post-Brexit decision making. This paper gives insights into the intersectional influences of sexual desire and racial identification on spatial and social mobility strategies.
