Rethinking History, Reframing Identity: Memory, Generations, and the Dynamics of National Identity in Poland

338 Pages·2012·1.824 MB·English

by  Alexandra Wangler (auth.)

Rethinking History, Reframing Identity
Alexandra Wangler
Rethinking History,
Reframing Identity
Memory, Generations,
and the Dynamics of National Identity
in Poland
RESEARCH
Alexandra Wangler
Bremen, Germany
This work was submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy at the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences at
the University of Bremen.
ISBN 978-3-531-19225-3 ISBN 978-3-531-19226-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-531-19226-0
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
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For my parents Richard and Hanna
Acknowledgements
Writing and completing this dissertation would not have been possible without the
help of numerous friends, colleagues and my family. First and foremost, I would like
to thank the Bremen Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) for awarding me a
Doctoral Fellowship and hosting me in an extraordinary environment in the FVG-West
building at the Bremen Uni Campus for the whole duration of this project. I would
particularly like to thank Werner Dressel for his cordial and substantial assistance of the
fellows. I also would like to thank all other members of the executive team of BIGSSS
for their warm support and for contributing to create a pleasant working atmosphere.
I am deeply grateful to my two supervisors, Prof. Dr. Ansgar Weymann and Prof.
Dr. Dorle Dracklé, whose encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to
the final level not only enabled me to develop and strengthen my arguments but also
enriched me with a unique experience of academic mentoring. My sincere gratitude
also goes to Prof. Dr. Matthias Wingens for always having his door open for the
needs of fellows from the Thematic Field Life-Course and Lifespan Dynamics and
for providing me with important comments that helped me to structure my thoughts.
(cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:78)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:85)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:74)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:68)(cid:226)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:76)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:80)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)
(cid:56)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:42)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:318)(cid:86)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:79)(cid:83)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:71)(cid:76)(cid:73)(cid:73)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:76)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:17)(cid:3)
Also I would like to express my gratitude to all the interviewees who took part in the
(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:89)(cid:76)(cid:72)(cid:90)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:42)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:318)(cid:86)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:17)(cid:3)
There are many other people who I owe more than just gratitude for their
presence and their support. I would like to point out my BIGSSS office mates Jenny
Winterhagen and Çetin Çelik as well as my friends Elma Laguna, Chris Swader, Volha
Vysotskaya – their fruitful and mobilising conversations and their joyful presence have
made these years an unforgettable experience. My gratitude goes to my friend Ramona
Breyer for not only cheering me up with her charming personality but also for her
great talent that she invested into designing this book. Many special thanks go to my
brother Thomas and his wife Karolina for sustaining me with warm encouragement.
I would like to thank my dear Elias who supported me particularly during the last
months of the project with his unique positivity. Finally, I cannot be grateful enough
for the enormous support, love and encouragement of my parents Richard and Hanna
Wangler: Thank you for being there, this study could have never been made without
you; it is dedicated to you.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ 7
1. Introduction: National Identity in Eastern Europe after Communism ... 15
1.1 National Minorities in Eastern Europe: A Growing Field of Study .......... 15
1.2 Selecting the Case: Polish Citizens with Ukrainian Descent ........................ 17
1.3 Fragmented Identities? Identity Process as a Research Focus ..................... 19
1.4 A Comparative Approach: Conceptualizing Three Generations ................. 21
1.5 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 24
1.6 The Structure of the Dissertation .................................................................... 26
Part I:
Dynamics of National Identity: Conceptual, Theoretical, and Methodological
Approaches
2. National Identity as a Process ................................................................ 33
2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 33
2.2 Pillars of Identity Theory .................................................................................. 34
2.3 The Salience of National Identity: Everyday Understandings
and Social Context .............................................................................................. 39
(cid:3) (cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:23)(cid:3)(cid:40)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:29)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:92)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:192)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:3) ...................................... 42
2.5 Ethnicity and Nationalism – Eastern Europe as a Special Case .................. 45
2.6 Distinguishing Nation, State, and Ethnicity .................................................... 46
2.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 51
3. The Life Course and Social Change ....................................................... 53
3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 53
3.2 Social Change, Dynamics and Collective Identity .......................................... 54
3.3 Structural Conditions: The Terminology of Generations and Cohorts .... 56
3.4 Historical Generations and Familial Transmission ........................................ 60
3.5 The Power of History: Myths, Memory, and Generational
Consciousness ...................................................................................................... 62
3.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 66
10 Table of Contents
4. Methodology ........................................................................................... 69
4.1 Selection of the Case Study ............................................................................... 69
4.2 The Case of the Ukrainian Minority ................................................................ 70
4.3 Data Collection .................................................................................................... 73
4.4 Description of Data ........................................................................................... 76
4.5 Exploratory Data Analysis ................................................................................. 79
4.5.1 Semi-Structured Interviews .................................................................... 80
4.5.2 Fieldwork .................................................................................................. 82
4.6 Analytical Tools ................................................................................................... 84
4.6.1 Self-thematization and Historical Consciousness ................................ 84
4.6.2 Expressions of National Identity in Everyday Life ........................... 87
4.7 Analyzing the Data .............................................................................................. 89
4.7.1 Coding the Content ................................................................................. 90
4.7.2 Narrative Analysis and Patterns of Comparison ................................ 91
4.8 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 94
Part II:
Empirical Research: Historical Experience and Intergenerational Differences
5. The Ukrainians in Poland: Social Structure and History ....................... 97
5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 97
5.2 Social Structure .................................................................................................... 97
5.3 Organizational Structure of the Ukrainians in Poland ................................ 107
5.4 Poland and Ukraine: From the Commonwealth to the Second
Rzeczpospolita ................................................................................................... 110
5.5 Interwar Poland and World War II ................................................................. 112
5.6 The Communist Period .................................................................................... 115
5.7 The Transition Process after 1989 .................................................................. 116
5.8 The Insistent Presence of the Past ................................................................. 119
5.9 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 120
6. Homeland and Belonging as Factors of National Identity .................. 121
6.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 121
6.2 Action Vistula and the Disruption of Home ............................................... 122
6.3 Cohort One: Memories of Operation Vistula .............................................. 125
6.3.1 The Ukrainian State Today ................................................................... 130
6.3.2 The Relevance of Generations ............................................................ 134
6.4 Cohort Two: Between Narration and Place of Birth .................................. 136
6.4.1 For the Sake of Those Who Experienced It ..................................... 142
Table of Contents 11
6.5 Cohort Three: Between Corporal and Mental Home ................................. 149
6.5.1 Everyday Experience and Daily Encounters ..................................... 155
6.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 159
7. Overcoming the Past: Experience, Memory and the Present ............... 161
7.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 161
7.2 The Tragedy of Volhynia and Personal History Perception ...................... 162
(cid:3) (cid:26)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:50)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:29)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:48)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:45)(cid:88)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:192)(cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3) ............................................... 165
7.3.1 The Exceptional Character of Those Times ..................................... 170
7.4 Cohort Two: Making Sense of the Narrations ............................................. 174
7.4.1 Concentrating on the Consequences of Dispersion ........................ 180
7.5 Cohort Three: Leaving Historical Accusations Aside ................................. 185
7.5.1 Everyday Life, Historical Knowledge and Identity .......................... 189
7.5.2 Polish Citizens but Different ............................................................... 192
7.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 195
8. Talking about Identity and Prejudices: Interweaving
Sameness and Otherness ....................................................................... 197
8.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 197
8.2 Cohort One: The Experience of Being Strangers ....................................... 198
8.2.1 The Perception of Social Change after 1956 .................................... 203
8.3 Cohort Two: Tradition and Integration ......................................................... 210
(cid:3) (cid:3) (cid:27)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:3) (cid:39)(cid:72)(cid:192)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:49)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)(cid:48)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:92)(cid:3) ...................................................... 213
(cid:3) (cid:27)(cid:17)(cid:23)(cid:3)(cid:38)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:29)(cid:3)(cid:54)(cid:72)(cid:79)(cid:73)(cid:16)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:192)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:50)(cid:83)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:70)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:72)(cid:3) .................................. 224
8.4.1 Childhood Experiences and Becoming Aware .................................. 230
8.4.2 The Imprezy as Events of National Consolidation ......................... 236
8.5 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 241
9. Religion, Language and Traditions in Everyday Life .......................... 243
9.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 243
9.2 The Greek Catholic Tradition ......................................................................... 244
9.3 Cohort One: Inscribed Religiosity and Resistance to Assimilation ........... 250
9.3.1 Generational Awareness and the Observed Conduct of
the Youth ................................................................................................. 256
9.3.2 Mixed Marriages ..................................................................................... 262
9.4 Cohort Two: Similarity and Difference to Polish Traditions ..................... 267
9.4.1 The Process of Perceiving Mixed Marriages ..................................... 271
9.4.2 Language and Education ...................................................................... 275
12 Table of Contents
9.5 Cohort Three: The Julian Calendar and Differentiation in
Everyday Life ..................................................................................................... 278
9.5.1 Ukrainian, the Language of Intimacy and Familiarity ..................... 286
(cid:3) (cid:3) (cid:28)(cid:17)(cid:24)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:3) (cid:55)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:54)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:42)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:88)(cid:83)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:192)(cid:79)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:29)(cid:3)(cid:56)(cid:78)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:54)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)
the Imprezy ............................................................................................. 292
9.5.3 Mixed Marriages or: How to Find a Ukrainian ................................. 295
9.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 298
10. Conclusions: Explaining Heterogeneity in National Identity by
Means of Generational Change ............................................................. 301
10.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 301
10.2. Summary of the Findings ............................................................................. 302
10.2.1 Framing Historical Events .................................................................. 307
10.2.2 Generational Norms of Action ......................................................... 310
10.3 Towards Theorizing National Identity and Generational
Consciousness .................................................................................................312
10.4 Strengths and Limits of the Qualitative Generational Approach ........... 317
10.5 Some Remarks on National Identity in the European Context:
The Youth ....................................................................................................... 319
10.6 Implications of the Study ............................................................................. 321
References ....................................................................................................................... 325
Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 343