Prethodno priopćenje
National Minorities in Poland and Mechanism of Their Ethno-National Revival
Piotr Wróblewski
; Institute of Sociology, Silesia University, Katowice, Poland
Sažetak
The objective of this paper is to examine the processes of regeneration among national minorities inhabiting Poland. According to Anthony D. Smith the process of ethno-national revival occurs in three phases. First, there takes place the discovery of one's own ethno-history. In the next phase, ethno-national revival enters into the realm of politics and politicisation of culture. Finally, purification of the community leads to redefinition of citizenry and destruction of everything alien. It is the thesis of the paper that the revival of national minorities in Poland has been based mainly on certain symbols recognised as the group property. First of all, the renewal of ethnic nationalism focuses on certain locally distinguished places, generally acknowledged as sacred. Secondly, ethno-national revival of national minorities in Poland is strongly connected with the cult of heroes. Thirdly, the minority language is considered to be the highest value of the groups. According to the national minorities in Poland all these elements constitute the bases of national awareness. Furthermore, the ethno-national revival of these groups has been intensified by very particular interpretations of ethno-history. The history of the nation is considerably different from the way it is understood by people living in national states (Germany, Ukraine, Belarus). In this paper the author deals with the phenomena noticeable among Germans, Ukrainians and Belorussians living in Poland. These groups form majority conglomerates of non-Polish population of the Republic Poland. The author provides examples referring to these minorities and showing their practical solutions to identification dilemmas. This national regeneration of ethnies began in 1980 with the first revolution of "Solidarity". It reached its climax in 1989, when institutionalised social change took place, called "refolution" (Timothy Garton Ash). The basic symbolic system underlying the ethno-national revival of German, Ukrainian and Belorussian minorities is religion, since interpret of the history of the nation and the individual.
Ključne riječi
ethno-national revival; national minorities; religion; sacred places; cult of heroes; language; Poland
Hrčak ID:
126886
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.12.1996.
Posjeta: 1.385 *