Milena Błahuta was an Associated Researcher with RECET in 2022-2023 and returned to RECET in 2025.

Project title:

Unobvious Mobility: Migrations from Poland to the 'New' European Union

Project description:

My project focuses on international mobility of skilled migrants from Poland who voluntarily take up employment in countries of the “new” European Union. Research addresses young Poles in four selected countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. The research is based on individual in-depth interviews with migrants in each of the studied countries, complemented by analysis of secondary statistical data. Research examines the region’s transformation, moving from being primarily emigration states to emerging destinations for migrants from diverse backgrounds. In the analysis I explore migrants' trajectories and the role of this mobility in their individual biographies, particularly in the context of evolving migration patterns among the “post-transformation” generation. The project also aims to highlight the diverse ways "Europeanness" is defined from a bottom-up perspective, engaging in broader discussions on the conceptualization of the categories of "East" and "West" in migration research.

Research interests:

• international migrations

• CEE labour markets

• racialisation and whiteness in Eastern European context

• memory and identity in CEE

• intersectional perspective

Selected publications:

• Błahuta, M. (2025) “From the East in the East? Young migrants from Poland in Central and Eastern Europe.” w: Narkowicz K., Gawlewicz A., Pędziwiatr K. (eds.) Migration and race in Central & Eastern Europe: Decolonial perspectives, Routledge

• Trajanovski, N., Błahuta, M. and Falski, M. "Introduction: Reconsidering “Post-Socialist Cities” in East Central and South East Europe" Journal of Nationalism, Memory & Language Politics, vol.17, no.3, 2023, pp.180-183.

• Guest editor: “Post-Socialist City: Local Perspective and Grassroots Movements” Journal of Nationalism, Memory & Language Politics, vol.17, no.3, 2023
   

Milena's profile on academia.edu

Milena's profile on Bluesky