The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland
After 1945, the Republic of Poland appeared to be an ethnic monolith. However, this was (is) not the case for the Kashubians, who now live in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea. Presently, Kashubians do not have official status; they are not considered an ethnic or national minority. They create thei...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/10/872 |
| _version_ | 1827678641959469056 |
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| author | Monika Mazurek |
| author_facet | Monika Mazurek |
| author_sort | Monika Mazurek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | After 1945, the Republic of Poland appeared to be an ethnic monolith. However, this was (is) not the case for the Kashubians, who now live in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea. Presently, Kashubians do not have official status; they are not considered an ethnic or national minority. They create their own identity around language, origin, inhabited territory, and religion. The latter serves to maintain a sense of community—to legitimise the Kashubian language, the axial value of Kashubian ethnic identity. Kashubian religiosity is frequently emphasized in the public space. The objective of this article is to analyse the role of the Catholic religion in building the ethnic identity of Kashubians and legitimizing constructed traditions by the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association. The main purpose of the article is to show the process of ethnicisation of religions. This ethnic non-governmental organisation is aspiring to represent the Kashubian community in the public space in Poland. The results from studies conducted among members of this organization, which concern their views on the link between religious and secular events organised by the Association, will also be presented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:13:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0221cf29b34d46b5911fafffc68005f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:13:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-0221cf29b34d46b5911fafffc68005f22023-11-22T19:52:26ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-10-01121087210.3390/rel12100872The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in PolandMonika Mazurek0Faculty of Social Science, Institute of Sociology, University of Gdańsk, Bażyńskiego 9, 80-309 Gdańsk, PolandAfter 1945, the Republic of Poland appeared to be an ethnic monolith. However, this was (is) not the case for the Kashubians, who now live in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea. Presently, Kashubians do not have official status; they are not considered an ethnic or national minority. They create their own identity around language, origin, inhabited territory, and religion. The latter serves to maintain a sense of community—to legitimise the Kashubian language, the axial value of Kashubian ethnic identity. Kashubian religiosity is frequently emphasized in the public space. The objective of this article is to analyse the role of the Catholic religion in building the ethnic identity of Kashubians and legitimizing constructed traditions by the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association. The main purpose of the article is to show the process of ethnicisation of religions. This ethnic non-governmental organisation is aspiring to represent the Kashubian community in the public space in Poland. The results from studies conducted among members of this organization, which concern their views on the link between religious and secular events organised by the Association, will also be presented.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/10/872ethnicisation of religionsKashubssociology of religion |
| spellingShingle | Monika Mazurek The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland Religions ethnicisation of religions Kashubs sociology of religion |
| title | The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland |
| title_full | The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland |
| title_short | The Role of Religion in Creating and Maintaining Ethnic Identity—The Example of the Kashubs in Poland |
| title_sort | role of religion in creating and maintaining ethnic identity the example of the kashubs in poland |
| topic | ethnicisation of religions Kashubs sociology of religion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/10/872 |
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