Celebrating the Stateless Nation, Or How the "Polish Question" Stayed Afloat

Patrice M. Dabrowski. Commemorations and the Shaping of Modern Poland. Blommington: Indiana University Press, 2004. 313 S. $45.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-253-34429-8. Reviewed by Laurie Koloski Published on HABSBURG (May, 2007) The Poles' "long nineteenth century" was in a mythologized past, and committed to an inde‐ even longer than that of most European nations, pendent Polish future. In so doing, they kept the stretching as it did from the frst partition of 1772, Polish nation, and the "Polish question," alive and when Prussia, Austria, and Russia claimed chunks well. Commemorations and the Shaping of Mod‐ of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, to 1918, ern Poland, Patrice Dabrowski's excellent new when an independent Polish state re-emerged. Be‐ study, shows how. tween the third partition of 1795 and the end of The Polish "predicament" in the nineteenth World War I, Poland as a political entity essential‐ century, as Dabrowski points out early in the ly disappeared from the map of Europe, and eth‐ book, involved "the mind of a large nation in a nic Poles found themselves governed by three dif‐ stateless body" (p. 7). This dilemma turned out to ferent imperial states. Had the partitions hap‐ be a source of inspiration for Polish national ac‐ pened a century earlier, the "Polish question" tivists who had two goals: frst, to broaden the na‐ might have settled into historical obscurity. What tion to include the peasantry (only an inclusive Poland's partitioners could not know in the late nation would be strong enough to revive an inde‐ eighteenth century, however, was that in a few pendent state); and second, not only to avoid the short decades, their new subjects would make trauma of failed uprisings (several had been good use of the emergent ideology of nationalism launched, in 1794, 1831, and 1863), but also the and that, not long thereafter, an "age of commem‐ apolitical tactics and implications of "organic oration" would render memories and monuments work," the post-1863 efforts to turn away from the perfect venue for putting Polish national iden‐ anti-imperial resistance and focus on economic tity and political aspirations on display. As the and social modernization. Commemoration met nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, both needs. Celebrations and monuments carried Polish activists used Krakow and other patriotic national and political messages, and "gave rise to settings to promote a new kind of Polish nation, a more palpable sense of national unity and one broadened to include the peasantry, steeped H-Net Reviews strength" (p. 6), appealing to even the "nationally will readers familiar with Polish history be sur‐ indifferent" (p. 15). As Dabrowski describes them, prised to learn that the Polish nation which commemorations were a "new brand of Polish emerged by the turn of the twentieth century was 'defiance' ... tempered by concrete deeds ... a con‐ simultaneously more expansive (socioeconomical‐ structive, creative, yet intensely national variant ly) and exclusive (ethnically and culturally). Yet in of organic work--an attempt at national modern‐ considering Polish nation building through the ization, Polish style" (p. 15). prism of commemoration, Dabrowski gives us a Nowhere was Poland's commemorative age fresh and clearer picture of who and what were more visible than in Krakow, the provincial city involved in the process, and how "messy" it was sitting near the northwestern edge of Austrian (p. 16). Her work thus adds a great deal to existing Galicia, which occupies the center of Dabrowski's studies of Polish nationalism and nation-building story (though the book also includes case studies in east central Europe.[2] from Lwow, the Galician capital, and Warsaw, in Historiographically, Dabrowski seeks primari‐ the Russian partition, as well as brief discussions ly to contribute to discussions on the genesis of of other locales).[1] Krakow was the frst Galician modern Polish nationalism. She is critical of intel‐ city to benefit from limited self-rule in 1866, lectual historians' emphasis on "the logic of which meant city residents could conduct their of‐ ideas," which, as she argues, "moved the masses ficial business in Polish, send their children to Pol‐ rarely--if ever" (p. 16), and of scholars who em‐ ish schools, and, as it turned out, host huge public phasize the critical role conservative Galician celebrations in honor of national heroes and an‐ leaders played in fostering a new sense of Polish‐ niversaries. This was no small matter, particular‐ ness (p. 17).[3] Instead, Dabrowski seeks to extend ly compared to the limitations and repressions of agency to historiographically marginalized everyday life under Prussian and Russian rule at groups, particularly Galicia's liberals and peas‐ the time. Moreover, though Krakow had no "na‐ ants, and to highlight the contested nature of na‐ tional" standing in the political or economic tion building and the changing "constellations" of realms, it could boast an impressive cache of me‐ political power that accompanied it. In this sense, dieval historical monuments. The combination of her book can be considered a valuable companion these sites with the city's relative cultural and po‐ to Keely Stauter-Halsted's excellent study of peas‐ litical autonomy was a potent one, and Krakow ant nationalism in Galicia (cited above), both his‐ "proved to be a national space par excellence," in torically--Dabrowski's story is an essentially ur‐ which Poles could literally see their national ban one, even if her protagonists are often seek‐ past--and, ideally, their future as well (p. 215). ing peasant support for their agendas--and histo‐ Dabrowski's is the frst monograph-length riographically. study of east central European commemoration- Dabrowski seems less eager to situate her as-nation-building to be published in English, and work within the broader scholarly literature on it is a welcome addition to the growing body of collective memory and its role in nation-building, work on "imagined" national communities in the but to my mind it belongs there as well.[4] This is, region. Her central questions are not new: how after all, a story of how individuals and groups did the modern Polish nation take shape? What mobilized the past in the service of their present were the mechanisms through which Polish sub‐ goals, and Dabrowski does an excellent job illumi‐ jects of three different imperial states were en‐ nating the political and social agendas that in‐ couraged to identify themselves as Poles? Which spired them and their audiences. Her book re‐ definitions of Polishness prevailed, and why? Nor minds me of Alon Confino's The Nation as a Local 2 H-Net Reviews Metaphor, in which he makes a convincing argu‐ monwealth's 1410 defeat of the Teutonic Knights ment for the centrality of local ideals in an emerg‐ at Grunwald (chapter 6) and the more recent an‐ ing German national identity and successfully bal‐ niversaries of the 1813 death of the Polish prince ances the power of representation with the agen‐ Jozef Poniatowski, who had fought with cy of reception.[5] Dabrowski's story is a very dif‐ Napoleon, and the 1863 anti-tsarist uprising ferent one, but its approach and lessons (though (chapter 7). In a lengthy conclusion, Dabrowski missing Confino's explicit theoretical apparatus) fleshes out the central implications of her study are similar and equally illuminating of the com‐ fully. plexities of national identity formation. The overall narrative that emerges is one of Dabrowski divides her monograph into three growing awareness and action, as previously dis‐ sections, each devoted to a stage in the commemo‐ engaged sectors of the population (with the peas‐ ration-as-nation-building process. Part 1 focuses antry at the forefront) came to acknowledge Pol‐ on the late 1870s/early 1880s and the frst of the ishness as their own and as Poles in all three par‐ "notable public celebrations with a broad reach titions came to prioritize a revived Polish state as and impact" that are the book's focus (p. 20). In well as the fghting spirit required to achieve it. the frst chapter, Dabrowski traces the many Commemorations, Dabrowski argues in the con‐ agendas visible in the 1879 jubilee of Jozef Ignacy clusion, helped consolidate Poles and Polishness Kraszewski, a prolific and popular writer from in four key ways. Along with the institutions they Prussian Poland. Chapter 2 chronicles the 1883 spawned (among them museums and educational commemoration of the 1683 "Relief of Vienna," a programs directed at peasants), celebrations drew battle against the Ottoman Turks led by Polish Poles from all three partitions, fostering "horizon‐ forces under King Jan Sobieski. In the book's sec‐ tal" integration. They led to "vertical" integration ond section, Dabrowski turns to commemorations as well, as peasants came to play an increasingly of the 1890s, exploring the interactions between pivotal role in visions and celebrations of Polish celebration and mass politics and the growing as‐ nationhood. No longer could nobles cast the na‐ sertiveness of the Polish peasantry and integral tion in their own image or avoid interacting with nationalists. Two of three chapters chart the com‐ "the people." Commemorations also "fostered memorative significance of national bard Adam what could be considered a notion of 'Polish' or Mickiewicz, whose remains were transferred 'national' time, a time that transcended partition from France to Krakow in 1890 (chapter 3) and and geography," and in this sense promoted "tem‐ whose Krakow and Warsaw monuments, erected poral" integration between past, present, and fu‐ in 1898, were the stuff of contest but also national ture (p. 215). Finally, as a "living national relic" (p. construction (chapter 5). In an intervening chap‐ 215), Krakow contributed to the Poles' "symbolic" ter, Dabrowski shows how Poles in Krakow, War‐ integration, serving as a "surrogate homeland" saw, and Lwow celebrated the Enlightened consti‐ and promoting a "shared vocabulary for a nation‐ tution of May 3, 1791 and Tadeusz Kosciuszko's al discourse" (p.

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