What is it about?
After years of having their culture repressed by the uniforming inclinations of the communist regime, there are a growing number of people identifying themselves as belonging to a separate Silesian national minority. Right now they are in the midst of struggle to abtain legal recognition
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Why is it important?
Across Europe, there are numerous examples of national or ethnic minorities successfully or unsuccessfully striving for recognition as a group entitled to self-determination. The examples of nations in the process of deliberate creation practically from scratch are, however, relatively few. This makes the situation in Silesia an interesting and valuable subject to observe and test how the theories of national identity and nation development work in practice. Moreover, it concerns one of the most densely populated and highly industrialised places in Europe, located at the very centre of the continent.
Perspectives
I hope this article makes people curious about what it means to be or to become a nation and what it means to be a part of a nation. As someone born and living in Silesia I have the experience of existing in the borderland and all the complicated feelings around belonging that come with it, so I'm excited to share a little bit about the story of my people
Sara Marondel
Uniwersytet Slaski w Katowicach
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Inventing a Nation: The Birth and Development of the Silesian Minority in Poland, International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, March 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15718115-bja10038.
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