Internetowe narracje historyczne a słowiańska tożsamość Polaków. Prolegomena teoretyczna

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of the “Great Lechina” myth from the perspective of cultural psychology. The critique of the historical point of view on that phenomenon is featured in opposition to a more subjective approach. The meaning of the analysed myth is shown in the background of the Polish national identity in connection with the Slavic ethnic identity, which is expressed on the Internet through historical narrations constructed by amateur (non-)historians. The analogy between the new Slavic identity of Poles and the Sarmatian identity stemming from the 17th and18th century noblemen’s legends is presented. The paper mentions the problem of possible psychological reasons for researching the historical identity sources in comparison with the modern phenomenon of the deconstruction of identity as characteristic for the Western, individualistic societies. The history of connections between the Polish identity and Slavic values since 19th century is shown to be compared with the contemporary situation when not only historians look for such national identity’s sources. Nowadays, many young Poles try to answer the question of them themselves when using the Slavic, pre-Christian culture’s content, which frequently leads them not to the academic knowledge but to non-academic historical narrations. The observation of such tendency in the Polish society leads to the conclusion that from the psychological, subjective perspective the Slavs are currently “being born”. It is the first time in the Polish history when a huge number of people are interested in the Slavic sources of their identity. Previously, this kind of reflection was reserved for intellectuals, especially historians, but nowadays it becomes the interest of more and more “true” (inner) Polish Slavs.