ABSTRACT

This study explores the way Bulgarians living in the UK interact online. We rely on an online survey of attitudes among Bulgarians in the UK, participant observation in Bulgarian support networks during the period 2016-20, as well as qualitative interaction analysis over the course of six months (2019-20), adapted for non-visual environments, of top posts from the largest online support groups. Our findings point to the gradual consolidation of organised informal support among Bulgarians, especially and predominantly among those of ‘low-status’ occupations and more precarious migration journeys. We also observe a trend of emancipation and entrepreneurship enabled by online networks in the almost complete absence of formal associations of Bulgarians in the UK. Finally, we acknowledge the importance of the context of crisis and precarity for the emergence of informal support networks online. What this tells us about Bulgarians in the UK is that, while often avoided by so called ‘elite migrants’, informal support groups have begun to function as quasi-diasporic communities assisted by online social networking platforms, (still) facilitated by free movement but creating a unique transnational space between ‘home’ and ‘the foreign’ to enable mobility, interaction and belonging.

摘要

这项研究探索了居住在英国的保加利亚人在线互动的方式。我们依靠对英国保加利亚人态度的在线调查，2016-20年期间保加利亚支持网络中的参与者观察以及六个月（2019-20年）的六个月过程中的定性互动分析（适用于非视觉）环境，来自最大的在线支持小组的热门帖子。我们的研究结果表明，保加利亚人，特别是在“低身”职业和更加不稳定的移民旅程中，尤其是在保加利亚人中，有组织的非正式支持逐渐得到巩固。我们还观察到在几乎完全没有英国保加利亚人正式协会的情况下，在线网络支持的解放和企业家精神趋势。最后，我们认识到危机和不安全环境对于在线非正式支持网络的出现的重要性。这告诉我们有关英国的保加利亚人的情况是，尽管通常被所谓的“精英移民”所避免，但非正式支持团体已经开始在在线社交网络平台的协助下作为准侨民社区发挥作用，（仍然）在自由流动的推动下，但是在“本国”和“外国人”之间建立独特的跨国空间，以实现流动性，互动性和归属感。