Niniejszy artykuł jest próbą opisania zjawiska najnowszych migracji Polaków, które mają miejsce po 2004 roku, kiedy Polska stała się państwem członkowskim Unii Europejskiej i kiedy wielu Polaków znalazło zatrudnienie za granicami własnego kraju. Większość migrantów z Polski, relatywnie dobrze wykształconych, młodych i mających przykre doświadczenia w kraju wysyłającym, radzi sobie w nowych okolicznościach społecznych i zawodowych całkiem dobrze i wyraża zadowolenie z powodu podjęcia decyzji o wyjeździe. Z tego punktu widzenia problematyka migracji jest bardzo ważna i aktualna. Kiedy ludzie migrują z jednego narodu czy kultury do odmiennych, ich tożsamość kulturowa oraz ich poczucie przynależności podlega zmianom. Celem artykułu jest odpowiedź na pytanie: W jakim stopniu środowisko społeczno-kulturowe różnicuje dystans społeczny wobec obcych emigrantów polskich w Niemczech, ludności miejscowej oraz Polaków zamieszkujących w kraju? W prezentowanym artykule poruszone zostały różnice dotyczące dystansu społecznego badanych wobec osób innych narodowości oraz wobec wyznawców innych religii.

The aim of the research was to establish the relationship between Polish and Ukrainian students’ social distance towards „others” and their place of residence. Social distance is defined according to the conception of E. Bogardus, as the level of liking and closeness of relations, or aversion and avoiding contacts with certain people or social groups. „Other” is understood as a person of different nationality. The author employs diagnostic poll as the method and the social distance scale as the tool of research. 480 students from Poland and 491 from Ukraine were included in the study. The analyses proved the existence of directly proportional relationship between the investigated factors. The subjects coming from large cities show more positive attitude towards „others” than the ones who live in towns and villages. Large cities are becoming more and more culturally diversified in terms of material, spiritual and symbolic spheres. The strangers who arrive at big agglomerations bring different cultural patterns, axiological and normative systems as well as languages.. They come in order to seek employment or as tourists. The situation leads to more intense contacts and multidimensional interactions, which, in turn, result in getting to know each other, increased understanding of individuality, tolerance and acceptance of values. The phenomenon in not usually found in towns and villages.

Social distance (SD) characterises attitudes towards stigmatised groups, such as individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Investigating the SD of nursing students is crucial for understanding how future healthcare professionals perceive and interact with people with ID. The study aimed to examine the SD of nursing students towards patients with ID in medical service scenarios. The sample consisted of 327 nursing students from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. A diagnostic survey method was used. The SD of surveyed students towards individuals with disabilities exhibited greater variation in intergroup comparisons within formal contexts associated with professional roles than in situations demanding personal involvement beyond professional duties.

Reflecting on contact with Islam and Muslims – a teacher’s perspective

The school environment, despite changes taking place as a result of the inflow of a high number of refugee students from Ukraine (but not only), remains relatively homogeneous. The main problem is still the level of preparation of educational institutions in creating a diverse environment. The article is devoted to teacher’s attitude towards Islam and Muslims from the perspective of experiencing cultural contact and reflecting on it. Teachers play or could play a key role in shaping attitudes of openness and respect towards “otherness” and in creating a safe school. The research is a part of the project: EMPATHY: ‘Let’s Empower, Participate and Teach Each Other To Hype Empathy. Challenging Discourse About Islam and Muslims in Poland’. The aim was to determine the ways in which teachers perceive Islam and Muslims in the context of cultural contact and the reflection it triggers. The results allow one to describe the situation, but also to draw attention to potential problems and areas of changes.