Migrating for Change: How Polish Feminist Activists Turn Oppression into Action Abroad

Over the past decade, feminist activism has significantly expanded globally, responding to increasing gender-based violence and repressive state policies. This article investigates the migration of Polish feminist activists to the UK, specifically examining how oppressive policies targeting reproductive rights, exemplified by Poland's Black Protests and Women's Strike, have influenced their decisions to migrate. Drawing on qualitative research from 21 in-depth interviews, the study uncovers complex migration motivations that blend economic necessity, personal safety, and political defiance. Utilizing "embodied resistance" as a conceptual framework, it argues that migration constitutes a strategic extension of feminist activism, enabling Polish feminists to sustain and expand their advocacy abroad. The study also explores intersectional dimensions of migration, highlighting how race, class, and legal status shape activists' experiences and opportunities for engagement. Ultimately, it contributes to transnational feminist scholarship by reframing migration not merely as escape but as deliberate, politically motivated resistance that reinforces global feminist solidarity and activism.

近十年来，面对日益加剧的基于性别的暴力与压制性国家政策，全球女权主义行动主义（feminist activism）迎来了显著扩张。本文聚焦波兰女权主义行动者移民英国的现象，专门探讨以波兰‘黑色抗议（Black Protests）’与‘妇女罢工（Women's Strike）’为代表的、针对生育权利的压制性政策，如何影响了她们的移民决策。本研究依托21项深度访谈的质性研究资料，揭示了融合经济必要性、人身安全诉求与政治反抗意识的复杂移民动机。本研究以‘具身抵抗（embodied resistance）’为概念框架，提出移民乃是女权主义行动主义的战略性延伸，使波兰女权主义者得以在海外延续并拓展其维权行动。本研究同时探讨了移民的交叉性（intersectional）维度，揭示种族、阶级与法律身份如何形塑行动者的经历与参与机会。最终，本研究为跨国女权主义学术研究作出贡献：它将移民不再仅仅界定为逃亡行为，而是重塑为一种有意识、具政治动机的抵抗行动，以此强化全球女权主义团结与行动主义。