Cultural Borderland in sociological perspective : the case of Upper Silesia
Marek S. Szczepański Cultural Borderland in sociological perspective : the case of Upper Silesia
Prace Naukowe. Pedagogika
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M arek S. S zczepański (T y c h y - K a to w ic e )
Cultural Borderland in sociological perspective
(the case of Upper Silesia1)
People were not born to live in borderline/frontier situations, they try to avoid such situations or
to disengage fro m them as quickly as possible. However, men do encounter such situations every
where, they can be seen and fe lt anywhere... Border means stress, even fe a r (much more seldom:
liberation). The notion o f border may entail some extremity, the doors can slam behind us and trap
us forever...
Ryszard Kapuściński (Contemporary Polish writer & journalist)
(Imperium - The Empire)
One day we, Upper Silesians, will vanish. Even now we are already scattered, like Jews, all over
the world. Even though each o f us cherishes in him self that piece o f motherland, that piece o f
borderland.
Horst Bienek (German writer who was born in Upper Silesia)
(Opis pewnej prowincji - Description o f a Certain Province)
The borderline region: preliminaries
The text that I submit contains sociological reflection upon the multidimen
sional concept of borderline region. My paper is also another attempt at reinterpre
tation of results of empirical studies carried out in Upper Silesia in the years 1985—
1999, the region being a typical, in my opinion, case of cultural borderline2. Their
'Throughout my paper I apply the term U pper Silesia (Górny Śląsk), lacking precision. That lack of
precision is, indeed, due to the fact that the historically shaped Upper Silesian region, belonging after
World War II almost entirely to Poland, comprises a substantial part of Katowice and Opole provinces
(voivodships), as well as a small portion of the Częstochowa province (voivodship). Many researchers
also include the Cieszyn Silesia (Śląsk Cieszyński) into Upper Silesia, which region administratively
belongs to the Bielsko-Biała province (voivodship), although those opposing such delimitation stress
that Cieszyn Silesia - after Silesian wars - belonged to the Habsburg monarchy, and leaned towards
Galicja, whereas Upper Silesia was part of the Prussian kingdom, and leaned towards Great Poland
(Wielkopolska). The paper is - indeed and due to content limitation - devoted mainly to the Katowice
part of Upper Silesia.
2Some results o f empirical studies are included in the following papers: M.S. Szczepański: „Miasto
socjalistyczne i świat społeczny jego mieszkańców” (‘Socialist Town and the Social World of its In
habitants’),Uniwersytet Warszawski: Warszawa, 1991; W. Błasiak, T. Nawrocki, M.S. Szczepański:
„Górny Śląsk 2005. Scenariusz restrukturyzacji”, Towarzystwo Zachęty Kultury: Katowice, 1994,
English version of the book: ‘Upper Silesia 2005. The Restructuring Scenario’ Katowice, 1994 (W.
Błasiak, T. Nawrocki - co-authors, M.S. Szczepański - Scientific Editor); M.S. Szczepański (ed.):
summarizing recapitulation need to be preceded by at least a preliminary analysis of
key words and notions, which constitute the internal logic of the paper and its or
ganization. Those notions constitute a triad, based on similarity or closeness of
meanings (borderland - geographic borderland - cultural borderland).
The notion of borderland is very capacious and universal, referring to phe
nomena which commonly occur. There is a borderland between wealth and poverty,
between good health and illness, between well-being and ill-being, between happi
ness and unhappiness, between high and low culture, between love and hate, there
are borderlands between social classes: high, middle, and low. Borderland is present
in all societies and all communities, there are also borderlands in individuals them
selves. Each o f us - as has been pointed out by Horst Bienek, the German writer
who was bom in Upper Silesia - carries his piece o f borderland in him self How
common and universal the notion of borderland is has been oftentimes stressed by
Zbigniew Kwieciński and Lech Witkowski, when writing upon the pedagogy of
borderland3. The universality of the notion of borderland, already mentioned, leads
however - to difficulties in forming a precise definition which per saldo entails
limited explanatory value.
„Dilemmas of Regionalism and the Region of Dilemmas. The Case of Upper Silesia”, Uniwersytet
Śląski, Katowice, 1993; M.S. Szczepański (ed.) „Raport o stanie oświaty województwa ka
towickiego” (‘Report on Education in the Katowice Voivodship’), Kuratorium O światy: Katowice,
1993; M.S. Szczepański (ed.): „Górnicy górnośląscy - ludzie zbędni, ludzie luźni? Szkice socjologic
zne” ( ‘Upper Silesian Miners - Redundant People, Loose People? Sociological Sketches’), AMP:
Kraków-Katowice, 1994; M.S. Szczepański (ed.): „Górny Śląsk - na moście Europy” (‘Upper Silesia
- on the European Bridge’), Towarzystwo Zachęty Kultury, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Katowice,
1994; M.S. Szczepański (ed.): „System oświat (...truncated)