Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the role of post-memory in creating historical narratives and individual sense of belonging in the post-migrant society of Warmia-Masuria.

Paper long abstract:

Warmia-Masuria is a Polish region that once was a southern part of the

former German province of East Prussia. Contemporary social and cultural

identity of the region was defined by massive forced migration after the

second world war. Post 1945 history of the region was dominated by the

new ideology in which the "historical justice" and national rebirth was

tightly connected to establishement of the rule of communist party.

Period after 1989 resulted with proliferation of narrations on regional

far and recent history. Despite that the idea of "local identity" still

seems far from being certain and appointed.

Looking at the promo material on the region one can easily found

recurring sentence that "region is still looking for its identity". The

sociologigal concept of "third generation" (counting from the first

generation of newcomers since 1945) found its way to the non-academical

discussions in the local media.

In my paper I would like to present contemporary strategies of "looking

for the region's identity". The empirical foundation of my paper are

biographical accounts of members of the "third generation". I want to

focus my presentation on the role of post-memory in the process of

forming the individual sense of belonging. In the local context

post-memory at the same time concerns with the history of "our own"

country and people as well as history and land of the group that could

be treated as alien or even hostile. I want to depict how this shadows

affect present inhabitants of the region.