Performing whiteness: Central and Eastern European young people's experiences of xenophobia and racialisation in the UK post-Brexit

The state-induced anti-immigration environment and the normalisation of xenophobia in political and media discourses have led to the increased othering of European migrants in the UK through new forms of social stratification, especially since the Brexit Referendum of 2016. For young people who migrated to the UK as children from Central and Eastern Europe, Brexit has represented a major rupture in the process of their identity formation, adding new insecurities in the context of increasingly uncertain rights. Based on a survey with 1,120 young people aged 12-18 who identified as Central or Eastern European migrants, followed by focus groups and case studies, we report on young migrants' everyday experiences of xenophobia and racialisation. We explore the coping and resistance strategies young people used to integrate themselves in these racialized hierarchies. Drawing on insights from emergent theories of racialisation and whiteness, we add new evidence on the direct consequences of these experiences of marginalisation on young people's sense of belonging and their own attitudes towards other ethnic groups.

Automated summary

The state-induced anti-immigration environment and normalisation of xenophobia in political and media discourses have contributed to the increased marginalisation of European migrants in the UK. This has been especially evident since the Brexit Referendum in 2016. This research focuses on the experiences of young migrants from Central and Eastern Europe, who have had to navigate the challenges of identity formation and uncertainties in their rights in the aftermath of Brexit. Through surveys, focus groups, and case studies, the study examines the everyday experiences of xenophobia and racialisation among these young migrants. It also explores the strategies they employ to cope with and resist the racialised hierarchies they encounter. The study contributes to our understanding of the impact of marginalisation on young people's sense of belonging and attitudes towards other ethnic groups.