Tak zwani „tutejsi” na Polesiu jako zagadnienie polityczne w Polsce w latach 1921-1939 . . . . .
So-called ‘tutejsi’ in Polesia as a political issue in Poland, 1921-1939

Summary/Abstract: This article is an attempt to present the problem of repercussions of the assumption made in the Second Polish Republic that in Polesia there was a compact several hundred thousand group of people that do not have a modern national consciousness. In the interwar period this group was commonly referred to as ‘tutejsi.’ The issue is examined from three perspectives. The first is to reconstruct the position taken in this case by the Polish science, especially the authors gathered around the Institute for Nationalities Affairs (Instytut Badań Spraw Narodowościowych). The second part of the article presents opinions functioning about so-called ‘tutejsi’ in the Polish public opinion. The difference between points of view arising in the 1920s and ’30s is exposed here. The third part focuses on the actions taken by the Polish authorities. In the first half of the ’20s an assumption was formulated that in Polesia this group was dominant, therefore actions must be taken for its Polonization. After the military coup in 1926, the existence of ‘tutejsi’ was to a large extent disputed. The authorities stated that Polesia was populated mainly by Belarusians and Ukrainians. The reversal of this policy dates back to the early 1930s. The theory of the existence of ‘tutejsi’ – and at the same time their domination in Polesia – returned. It was believed they should be not only subject to Polonization, but also that they are particularly susceptible to it.

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