Przedstawienia przeszłości mieszkańców osady „Pokój” jako element tożsamości kulturowej

Abstract

Results presented here are analyses o f part of the empirical material collated during investigations conducted in the „Pokój” settlement. The authors' principal interest is that part of the material relating to the past history of the inhabitants of this settlement, that links between the common past and the determination of their cultural identity. It was ascertained that the utterances of long year inhabitants of this district views on past history bear very little, relation to notable historical events. The past operates here rather on the Redfield principle of the „small tradition”, is cultivated within the domestic circle. Hence difficulties may be encountered in their eattempts to verbalise this problem matter, it is impossible to express their views in aform adequate to the conceptual stereotypes of a higher culture. In neither of the countries — Poland or Germany — on the borders of which this settlement was formerly located, can the past be written down without deformations. This being condemned to a secondary position was described as a feeling of „historical inadequacy” . It became one o f the indicators of the „marginalisation of the ethnic position” experienced by the long standing residents o f this settlement.