Politics of memory in Upper Silesian schools: Between Polish homogeneous nationalism and its Silesian discontents

Abstract

The article discusses the connections between nationalism and history teaching in the context of dominant structures of collective memory in Poland. Drawing on qualitative research in Upper Silesian schools, the article analyses in detail how the state-sponsored history is enacted and resisted by the teachers in school practice. The article also demonstrates the advantages of processual conceptualisation of collective memory. It provides further theoretical insight by bringing together three strands of literature: memory studies, nationalism studies and critical media analysis.

Keywords

collective memory nationalism Poland politics school history Upper Silesia

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