Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Committee Chair
Robert Blobaum
Abstract
The present thesis discusses the nature of majority- minority relations in Poland after 1989. Among other things, democratic and geopolitical changes after 1989 have been associated with protection of minority rights. In order to implement respect for minorities into Polish reality, the state had to guarantee the rights of minorities. One of the key elements in the process of official recognition and integration of minorities in the Polish state was the emergence of a particular attitude and forms of cultural awareness in relation to the past. The subject of this thesis is to analyze the politics of memory and the historical awareness with regard to the Ukrainian minority, focusing particularly on the reflection of the painful memories of events of World War Two and the post-war years. I look beyond the well-known prejudices and examine the ways used by authorities after 1989 to create and maintain a particular model of memory politics. This study examines the process of integration of Ukrainian minority into Polish society from the perspective of memory politics. The integration of a minority's memory into Polish mainstream interpretations became the objective of the Polish government which was and still is pursued.
Recommended Citation
Klimczak, Joanna, "Politics of Memory with Regard to the Ukrainian Minority in Poland after 1989" (2012). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4877.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4877