Image o f Poland and National Identity . Analysis of the Memoirs of the Polish Immigrants in Canada

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of national identity. Some autobiographies of the Polish immigrants in Canada were made use of. The memoirs were collected as a result of the contest held among Polonia by the Institute of Social Possessions in 1936.

The research problem can be expressed by the two following questions: What is /if any/ the image of Poland in the autobiographies? What is /if any/ the national identity of the memoirists?

It is assumed that the national /individual/ identity is designated by the opinions and images of the country of origin.

The analysis revealed the existence of many divergent opinions about Poland. All the memoirists call themselves Poles but their opinions and images greatly differ. Thus, it follows that the national identity may be understood in a different way in each individual case. This identity may focus on various aspects of reality concerning the existence of the nation.

A few autobiographies, however, share similar opinions. This concurrence appears to be a result of a similar social status of the memoirists.

The article suggests a new analytical understanding of the problem of national identity. Besides, the analysis deals with individuals and not larger groups or even nations.