AbstractsLaw & Legal Studies

Silesia and The Silesian Autonomy Movement

by Szymon Lincer




Institution: Roskilde University
Department:
Year: 2014
Keywords: Silesia; RAŚ
Record ID: 1120317
Full text PDF: http://rudar.ruc.dk/handle/1800/15848


Abstract

This, thesis discusses the matters revolving around Silesia and the identity of a group of people who see themselves as Silesians. In two recent Polish national censuses a substantial number of people living in the region had declared Silesian nationality. If acknowledged by Polish state this would be the largest national or ethnic minority in Poland. Nevertheless, this thesis' aim is not to elaborate and find differences between ethnic and national minority. Therefore, the aim is to "enquire concerning the political and social projects of the Silesian Autonomy movement and to discover how they facilitate the imagination of the contemporary Silesian identity. Bearing in mind that, officially, Silesian identity was never acknowledged in the past, and that, historically, Silesians have usually been able to claim official national identities such as Czech, German or Polish. To visualize how RAŚi is influencing the construction of identity in present public life, alongside other theories of nationalism, Benedict Anderson’s notion of imagined community is used to see Silesians as such an imagined community - real in the imagination of the people living in Silesia. Furthermore, I recognize the Silesian Autonomy Movement, established in 1990, as the most influential agent and facilitator which is influencing and shaping the new ‘Silesian nation’ possessing all the attributes of an officially recognized community. Hence, the most important element of this thesis will be the presentation of RAŚ projects in order to reveal which model of nationalism, civic or ethnic, RAŚ is emulating, and reveal how history is being used, while constructing and fostering the construction of contemporary Silesian identity. Additionally, by presenting the RAŚ projects and issues oscillating around Silesian land and identity, this paper will uncover the fundamental components of the Silesian identity.