W poszukiwaniu tożsamości Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej
In Search of Central and Eastern European Identity
A Volume Marking the Twentieth Anniversary of the Department of Central and East European Intercultural Studies, University of Warsaw
Contributor(s): Joanna Getka (Editor), Jerzy Grzybowski (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Central and Eastern Europe; identity; culture; history; language
Summary/Abstract: The volume presents results of long-lasting research projects undertaken by the academic staff of the Department of Central and East European Intercultural Studies, University of Warsaw. At the same time, it is a showcase of the scope of scholarly interests and areas of study pursued at the Department which marks its twentieth anniversary. Another defining feature of the book is its interdisciplinarity: the authors – cultural and literary studies scholars, historians and linguists – discuss in a synthetic manner a range of aspects of Central European past and present.
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-5928-3
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-5920-7
- Page Count: 178
- Publication Year: 2022
- Language: Polish
Obalić mity, paradygmaty i dogmaty
Obalić mity, paradygmaty i dogmaty
(Abolishing myths, paradigms and dogmas)
- Author(s):Joanna Getka
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:15-45
- No. of Pages:31
- Keywords:myths; stereotypes; Russian-Ukrainian war; 24/02/2022; propaganda; soft power
- Summary/Abstract:The article addresses the issue of myths that have been repeated in the Russian political discourse for years, which, according to the thesis presented in the text, constitute an ideological weapon and justify Russia’s military attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022. These myths exist on many levels, including the scientific one. The mythologized approach denies Ukrainians their own national identity, denies the existence of a separate cultural development of ‘two Ukrainian languages’ – eastern and western – and proclaims the thesis about the supposedly short history of the country and nation, which was allegedly created only thanks to Lenin, a theory not supported by the facts. Relying on source data on the development of the Ukrainian language and culture, the author argues against selected myths that have been used in Russian propaganda for years. These myths are established both in the West and in Ukraine, which makes it difficult to understand the continuity and distinctiveness of the development of Ukrainian culture. Access to knowledge makes the Russian policy of ‘gathering the Russian lands’ by soft (disinformation, propaganda) and ‘hard’ methods ineffective and unproductive. Hence the need to verify the circulating findings and versions of events, as well as scientific findings.
Wojna rosyjsko-ukraińska a tożsamość Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej
Wojna rosyjsko-ukraińska a tożsamość Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej
(The Russian-Ukrainian war and the identity of Central and Eastern Europe)
- Author(s):Leszek Szaruga
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:46-60
- No. of Pages:65
- Keywords:Russian-Ukrainian war; identity; Central and Eastern Europe
- Summary/Abstract:The article ponders the functionality of the concept of Central and Eastern Europe in the wake of the changes taking place in post-communist areas after 1989. The fundamental problem here is the difference in approach to legal issues in the West and in countries currently gaining political sovereignty, in particular the interpretation of the category of ‘the rule of law’.
Byt liminalny
Byt liminalny
(Liminal being)
- Author(s):Marcin Niemojewski
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:61-85
- No. of Pages:25
- Keywords:Central and Eastern Europe; Western literature; transitional stage; liminality; discourse; myth; crisis
- Summary/Abstract:After the disintegration of the Eastern Bloc and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the debate on Central and Eastern Europe did not end, despite numerous voices questioning the existence of the topic itself. The multilingual library on the region is constantly growing, covering the increasing number of works published in Western Europe and the United States. The article is an attempt to answer the question about how the image of Central and Eastern Europe is constructed in the Western literature on the subject published after 1989. The reading of selected works from this period reveals that the scope of interest in writing on this matter essentially has not changed and that considerations about Central and Eastern Europe as a historical, political and cultural phenomenon still dominate. There was, however, a noticeable shift in emphasis. New statements about the region which were created in the wake of successive crises such as the Balkan War and political and social perturbations in the countries of the region, bring about a clear correction of the belief that the changes in Central and Eastern Europe are unidirectional after the fall of the Iron Curtain and of understanding this breakthrough as a simple transition from one political and cultural order to another. In the texts that have been contributing to the next instalment of the above-mentioned debate over the last three decades, the ‘transitional stage’ appears as a specific disposition of the region, a model for its existence in history, and even a distinctive feature of Central and Eastern European identity. In order to examine such a recognised trend in shaping the image of Central and Eastern Europe, the author turns to the category of liminality introduced into the vocabulary of the humanities and social sciences by Arnold van Gennep and developed by Victor Turner. This category allows for capturing the similarities and common points in various approaches proposed in the discussed texts.
Naród, tożsamość, pieniądze
Naród, tożsamość, pieniądze
(Nation, identity, money)
- Author(s):Grzegorz Gąsior
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:86-109
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:economic nationalism; Czechoslovakia; Ostrava-Karviná Coal Basin; national minorities; industry
- Summary/Abstract:The Ostrava-Karviná Coal Basin was a crossroads of Czech, Polish and German cultures. In the times of Austria-Hungary, local industrial enterprises were owned by Germans and most of the leading positions were filled by German specialists. Since the 19th century, Czech engineers and technical staff had been pouring into the region. The working class in the eastern part of the region was mostly Polish, in the western part – mostly Czech. After the fall of Austria-Hungary in the years 1918–1920, Czechoslovakia obtained the whole territory of the coal basin. Among Czech engineers, clerks, technical staff and nationalist organizations there was a strong mood against German domination in the industry. They perceived it as a historical remnant of Habsburg dynasty’s rule and demanded to recruit Czech specialists only and to strengthen the influence of Czechs. The state administration supported these efforts, in spite of them being at variance with the protection of ethnic minorities guaranteed by law. Another opportunity to strengthen Czech influence was given during so-called nostrification of foreign (mostly Austrian) companies. Economic nationalism, however, was often used to the benefit of particular interests. Poles were mostly workers or peasants. The strengthening of Czech positions in the industry resulted in efforts to assimilate the Polish workers by using economic pressure to force them to join Czech organizations and send their children to Czech schools.
W poszukiwaniu własnej tożsamości religijnej
W poszukiwaniu własnej tożsamości religijnej
(In search of their own religious identity)
- Author(s):Jerzy Grzybowski
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:110-132
- No. of Pages:23
- Keywords:Belarusians; emigrants; Germany; religion; identity
- Summary/Abstract:After World War II, approx. 100,000 Belarusian people remained in exile. In the years 1945–1951, the largest concentration of Belarusian emigrants was in West Germany. In terms of religion, the majority were Orthodox (70%) and Catholics (20%). The religious situation was characterized by great disorder and a diversity of various religious organizations. Belarusian leaders strove to organize religious life based on national principles. To this end, an attempt was made to make the Belarusians independent from Russian and Polish influences. In the case of the Orthodox Church, this was done through the creation of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and Belarusian parishes under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Some Belarusian activists also wanted to establish a Belarusian Catholic Church of the Eastern Rite. It was believed that it would become the national church of Belarusians. This idea was not appreciated by the majority of emigrants.
Tożsamość uchodźcy
Tożsamość uchodźcy
(A refugee’s identity)
- Author(s):Iwona Krycka-Michnowska
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:133-147
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Vasily Yanovsky; Elysian Fields; unnoticed generation; historiosophy; emigration
- Summary/Abstract:This article analyzes the historiosophical reflections of the Russian emigrant Vasily Yanovsky, a representative of the so-called unnoticed generation, contained in his memoirs "Elysian Fields" (1983). These memoirs testify to the author’s ambivalent attitude toward Russia and the Russians, an expression of bitter, demanding love for the homeland and his own people; it is a love marked by harsh criticism, but at the same time full of faith in the Russian potential. The leitmotif of Yanovsky’s reflections is the cultural antinomies between Russia and the East on the one hand, and Europe and the West on the other, and the longing to overcome them.
"Vlast" oraz jej modyfikacje, czyli fenomen czeskiej tożsamości narodowej
"Vlast" oraz jej modyfikacje, czyli fenomen czeskiej tożsamości narodowej
("Fatherland" and its modifications as a phenomenon of Czech national identity)
- Author(s):Beata Kuboková
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:148-164
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:fatherland; national identity; view of the world; worldview; Jan Amos Komenský; Bedřich Smetana
- Summary/Abstract:This article discusses the concept of ‘the Fatherland’ in the Czech language across history. The article will also focus on individual relations with the fatherland in the works of J.A. Komenský (Kšaft umírající matky Jednoty bratrské ‘The last will of brotherly unity, our dying mother’), and B. Smetana – composer and music producer of Má vlast (‘My fatherland’). The latter’s numerous commentaries on his works refer to the beauty of the Czech landscape and the old legends. The comments of contemporary journalists and writers will also be taken into account as a reflection of the period’s concept of the fatherland.
Tożsamość językowa w epoce globalnej unifikacji
Tożsamość językowa w epoce globalnej unifikacji
(Linguistic identity in the age of global unification)
- Author(s):Olga Lesicka
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:165-178
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:identity; metaphor; term; semantics; connotation; colour
- Summary/Abstract:The majority of national languages participate in so-called language contacts. In practice this implies interaction between them and increased process of adapting new borrowings in the language system. Nowadays, in the conditions of global communication, these processes often cause fear of significant impact on national languages and their cultural heritage. I will try to find out how considerable this impact is by conducting a brief analysis of metaphors containing the component of colour. The special character of this material stems from the fact that these linguistic units combine attributes of two subsystems of language – terms, as basic elements of languages for specific purposes, and metaphors, as an element of a standard/literary language. The motif of colour as a metaphor carrier is often used in the economic terminology, which is proven by my own research on this group of terms in Russian, Polish and English. The reason for this is that connotations associated with specified colours are complementary with information contained in the terms and are highly culturally conditioned. The purpose of this brief analysis, therefore, is to determine whether the colour component used in a particular term can be properly perceived both by specialists and other users of a particular language, embedded in a definite cultural context.
