Legal Regulations and the National Identity of Members of the Belarusian Minority in Poland Cover Image

Legal Regulations and the National Identity of Members of the Belarusian Minority in Poland
Legal Regulations and the National Identity of Members of the Belarusian Minority in Poland

Author(s): Małgorzata Budyta-Budzyńska
Subject(s): Politics, Political Theory, Sociology
Published by: Collegium Civitas
Keywords: Act on national minorities; Belarusian minority in Poland; memorials; Romuald Rajs “Bury”

Summary/Abstract: In the article I address Polish-Belarusian relations in the Białystok region in the second decade of the 21st century — twelve years since the adoption of an Act on national and ethnic minorities and regional language. I discuss changes brought about by the new legislation, how they are assessed by leaders of the minority group, and the possible impact of the bill on the sense of national identity among Belarusians in Poland. In the second part of the article, I describe the main conflict between the Polish majority and the Belarusian minority, which concerns the memory and commemoration of the so-called damned soldiers, and of one of them in particular: Romuald Rajs, alias “Bury”.

  • Issue Year: 9/2018
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 91-111
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: English