3 Minute Narration

Blog Post #1

What is National Identity?

National identity plays a massive role in how we perceive ourselves as well as others, whether we recognize it or not. However, there is no single correct way that someone can express their national identity, as it is a concept that manifests itself in almost every action we carry out, like the way we talk to the people around us or wearing your country’s colors during the Olympics. Since there is no clear, single image of national identity, the definition is also muddied. It is a concept that many historical authors have debated for decades. In my interpretation, national identity is made of many different components consisting of; historical context, political ideals, and a strong psychological sense of pride shared with others, for the country that you call home (Triandafyllidou, 2000, pg 595). Using this definition, national identity and pride can come in any shape or form and has no limitations since it is an idea that changes from person to person, depending on their own experiences within the world. Throughout this blog post, I will be using research to help define the complex national identity of Poland by focusing on; the significance of Catholicism and religion, the ‘solidarity’ act which directly opposed the Eastern European ideologies and symbols forced onto Poland by their history with nearby Soviet countries, and their intense push from being labeled as aligning with either Western or Eastern customs. 

‘Solidarity’

For much of Poland’s history, it had been in a consistent power struggle with foreign domination. Up until the late 1970s Poles were forced to bear symbols of differentiating distinctions, depending on which Eastern power was capitalizing on the country at that time. But during that decade, the birth of the ‘Solidarity’ movement marked the beginning of Poland’s long fight for its own sense of national identity through the use of symbols. But before I talk about those symbols, I want to provide context to what the ‘Solidarity’ movement actually is.  As defined by Longina Jakubowska in Anthropology Today the ‘Solidarity’ movement within Poland refers to, “... [the] emanation of Polish Roman Catholicism, and as the created social space with which all disenfranchised groups could identify…” (Jakubowska, 1990, pg 10). This movement persisted throughout the 1980s with one defining moment being the adoption of the white eagle as Poland’s national emblem. This emblem was paired with street signs stating, ‘a vulture will not defeat an eagle’ since the eagle was a direct contradiction to the Nazi symbol of a vulture (Jakubowska, 1990). The ‘Solidarity’ movement became a means of self-determination for the citizens of Poland. Throughout the years, there were many demonstrations in the streets by Poles adorned by their newly found personal polish symbols. Another important symbol of the ‘Solidarity’ movement was the image of Jesus being crucified on the cross. Combined with the deeply Catholic history within Poland, this image of Jesus symbolized, “... despair, sacrifice, and death, but also resurrection, they appeal to people barred from recognition and power by the prevailing social and political order” (Jakubowska, 1990, pg 12). The ‘solidarity’ movement itself and the development of those multiple symbols during that time period became one of the first clear distinctions of Polish national identity, and that idea of ‘Solidarity’ still lives on in the hearts and minds of Poles today.

Catholicism

As I mentioned briefly before, Catholicism and the idea of religion plays a huge role in the history and national identity of Poland. For a long time, symbols of catholicism were one of the few ways that the people of Poland could distinguish themselves from other foreign dominant powers. As time continued, however, the importance of Catholicism as a strict religion began to phase out. The religion transformed into a preservation of Polish national identity through the symbols developed throughout the ‘solidarity’ movement, like the image of the Black Madonna and Jesus after his crucifixion. It's a reminder of a time when the most important idea inside the minds of Poles was that they still had their own personal Polish identities. One of the best examples of Poland’s connection to Catholicism comes from Pope John Paul II. While visiting the historical Catholic land of Poland he gave a speech to the people saying, “It is impossible, without Christ to understand and appraise the contribution of the Polish nation to the development of man and his humanity in the past, and its contribution today.” (Porter, 2001, pg 290).

The Betweenness: Not Eastern, but not Western

After the Iron curtain fell, Poland was placed in a spot where they finally got a chance to decide what happened to their country. Since they didn’t want to be part of Eastern Europe, they began to look towards the West and thought about joining the European Union. Geographically, Poland genuinely is in the middle of the East and West parts of Europe. In Poland, and a lot of other countries constantly being fought for control by foreign powers, there is an emphasis on “us” versus “them”. “us” represents the citizens of Poland, and “them” is given to whoever is exploiting the country at that time. There are many references to “us” versus “them” throughout Polish literature as well, which only adds to the Poles' idea of wanting to be neither East nor West to prevent more control by another power.  An article analyzing interviews with young Polish citizens describes being a citizen in a country between East and West as, “... being conceived as a place in and of itself with its own positive and negative attributes… attachment to region, nation, and Europe do not compete, but rather are important to varying degrees in different contexts.” (Galbraith, 2004, pg 55). During those interviews, the current state of life reported by youths was described as having, “western prices, but eastern salaries” meaning that even though Poland is free from Eastern containment, they suffer from the literal high price that comes with living in a Westernized system (Galbraith, 2004). Even though Poland is part of the European Union now, there will always be a distinct want for sovereignty and a want to stay “in-between”. 

The “Others”

When talking about national identity, you must also talk about how other countries influence that identity as well. When referring to another country in the realm of national identity, the term usually used is “other”. To me, the definition of “other” is any country that is seen as a threat to the existence of a nation (Triandafyllidou, 2000, pg 600). For Poland, the most significant other is the country of Russia. Both countries have had a complicated history, spanning multiple wars. There have been multiple attempts to resolve conflicts between countries but Carnegie Moscow described the resolution of those attempts as, “Whenever their attempts inevitably failed, the sides found fault with each other, grew aggravated, and gave up all efforts as futile.” (Samorukov, 2021). The problem is, neither side wants to fully discuss what happened between them in the past or admit the huge importance it plays in the way their relationship will play out in the present and future (Samorukov, 2021). Poland has spent much of its history trying to escape from control by Eastern power through the development of its own symbols derived from its Catholic heritage. 

Word Count: 1,195

References

Galbraith, M. H. (2004). Between East and West: Geographic Metaphors of Identity in Poland. Ethos, 

32(1), 51–81. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3651887

Jakubowska, L. (1990). Political Drama in Poland: The Use of National Symbols. Anthropology Today, 6(4), 

10–13. https://doi.org/10.2307/3032734  

Porter, B. (2001). The Catholic Nation: Religion, Identity, and the Narratives of Polish History. The Slavic 

and East European Journal, 45(2), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.2307/3086330

Samorukov, M. (2021, June 8). Can Russia and Poland ever overcome their historical differences? 

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://carnegiemoscow.org/commentary/85115 

Triandafyllidou. (1998). National identity and the “other.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593–612. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/014198798329784