Open and Closed National Attitudes In Border Areas

摘要: Borderland is treated as every situation of permanent and close contacts people different national cultures attachments. The subject the research - open or attitudes was based on 27 autobiographical accounts young Byelorussians (YB) Ukrainians (YU) autochthonous Silesians (YS) from Opole region, all living in Poland. Dual identification, cultural bivalence i.e. assimilation two one's own, acceptance exogamy conversion, were indicators attitudes. rejection such possibilities an indicator closed There found to be a diversity responses incom- mensurability scales given indicators. Overall, there appeared by respondents their minority regional status, coupled with demand for fuller recognition. With exception Byelorussian respondents, strong trends towards united Europe solution problem posed differences. possibility nation being collectivity emerged distinctly group those under study. Sixty years ago, Jozef Chalasinski, renowned Polish sociologist, studied Polish-German antagonism Upper Silesia during period Silesian uprisings against German domination plebiscite 1921. He defined borderland, light his studies official propaganda materials, territory where "the expansive aspirations nation-states confront each other whole nation-state expects borderlands more active consciousness, compared inhabitants central regions" (Chalasinski 1935 : 73). Such understanding borderland runs contrary some con- clusion drawn materials analyzed here. This does not imply, how- ever, that either conclusions should regarded error. A only represents social space, but historically variable well. second characteristic also reflected Chalasinski's conception. conditioned various factors, most important which are present character relationship between * article chapter book Kultury narodowe u korzeni (National Cultures at Grass-root Level) Warszawa: PWN, 1996, containing discussion contemporary concepts analysis seventy cases autobiographies representing generations Poles minorities