Comments
Thank you for an interesting presentation! I think that especially the shared ideal of NOT adapting oneself to a “normal” life in the new home country is very intriguing. Could you please tell a little bit more of your theoretical framework – for example, if you are going to use the concept of emotional community or the community of experience in your work to describe the Polish community/communities abroad.
Thank you,
of course, I use these concepts in my work. It is an integral part of my research. But not the only one. It is also very important to see these people as political activists. Most of them were associated with one of the political camps of that time. And this determined their activities in various directions. We must remember, that each of them was different in their activities! They can`t be viewed as one.
Best regards
Thanks for your presentation. Do we know if (and to what extent) the Polish emigrants retained contacts to their families and politically like-minded people in Poland, or were kept updated about developments there (e.g. through newspapers)? Could this have influenced their life situations and experiences (that seem to me one of stagnation and resignation) in France and Britain? I also wonder what your source material is: do you mainly work with first-hand accounts of Polish emigrants; what about sources from the native population, authorities, perhaps police records or newspaper reports? How might such “external” sources and accounts of experiences of/about Polish emigrants have impacted their own collective identity and shared living experiences?
Anna Derksen
14.3.2022 15:48
Of course, Polish emigrants had contact with their homeland, with their families. So, all of them were well informed about situation in the country.
Situation in Poland often worsened their condition. I found an example of a young colonel who received a letter from Poland. The letter informed him that his father had been arrested by the Russians, his brother had been sent to Siberia, and the family’s property had been taken. He committed suicide next day.
Those Poles who took part in the conspiracy also had contact with political activists in the country. And we must remember, that many emigrants wrote to political activists, because they wanted to get some money or help. For example, they wrote to prince Adam Czartoryski.
I use various sources. Diaries, letters and memories from the second half of the 19th century. For example, I focus on Poles in Switzerland. The leader of this group, Henryk Nakwaski, wrote diaries and we have that manuscripts. It is a unique source.
External sources are also very interesting. For example, an police records. First, Poles often broke the law. But I use them to research where they traveled etc. too.
Regards
Beniamin Czapla
17.3.2022 11:26