Poczucie odrębności i stosunek mieszkańców osady „Pokój” do „obcych”

Abstract

The manner in which residents of local communities define themselves is one o f the most important indicators of the sense o f local allegiance. Stressing the feeling of lack of affinity as regards all those do not fully belong to the well-rooted local community is an indication of the shutting off of the local groups and of the way of viewing the social world. The perception leading to the division into „one o f is” and „strangers” is always made a t the local level though the attitude to the social area which is recognised by „one of us” as belonging only to us is a specific local social value. The author’s reflections are based on studies conducted in a specific local community, the residents o f Nowy Bytom. From these investigations it may be concluded that in the social consciousness there is no positive definition o f „strangeness” (they do not distinguish concrete attributes o f strangeness) but simply a feeling of lack of „our-ness” and just for this reason is associated with many common negative characteristics. The outsiders are perceived as „worse” (irrespective o f whether or not there exist social justifications for this), as carriers of the social traits which are regarded as positive by these outsiders.