Ramblings on National Identity and the like

Now that our academic programming is over (with the exception of our research projects, due Friday), it seems like a good time to revisit a few of the concepts I’ve been mulling over in my head and revisiting in various lectures, meetings, and readings. National identity, in particular, is a notion of which I had very little understanding when I came into this experience, but now feel like I can really think about and discuss in a meaningful way. I’m reminded of a post from early February, in which I noted:

I’ve been thinking a lot about a lecture we had with Professor Kubiak a couple days ago, about nationality and ethnicity as “imagined” communities that link people who don’t really know each other. It’s always in the back of my mind as I try to process this new society and culture in which I’ve suddenly found myself. What does it mean for something to be “real” versus “imagined,” anyway? All identities are “created,” in a sense, but does that necessarily mean they are as malleable as social theory would have us believe?

So how would I answer that question now? First of all, I think I’d probably step away from trying to decide whether or not national identity is “real” or “imagined” in any sort of pejorative sense- I now understand that national histories are mythologized in order to give people a shared sense of belonging, and symbols like flags and anthems are used to evoke supposed shared national values and ideals- all of this adds up to the construction of national identity. “Real” or “imagined” isn’t really the right way to describe it, national identity, or the perception of a shared history, plays an undeniable role in the way politics and society function in any given situation, a role that cannot be ignored or easily replaced. Rogers Brubaker may bemoan the use of national identifiers such as “Poles” and “Ukrainians” in scholarship and the news media, and he may be right about the limits they place on our capacity to “think outside the nation-state,” but when you get down to the level of how regular people perceive themselves and the world around them, national identity is real, no matter how visibly constructed. Case in point: I spent the weekend with a friend from Krakow at his family’s country house outside the city, and one of the first questions his mother asked me was what kind of conceptions I had about Poles before coming to Poland (honestly, I didn’t know enough to really have any), what were my impressions of the national culture, the overall tone of society? What did I think about the role of the Catholic Church? My friend’s mother (and he himself) are far from nationalistic (or religious, for that matter), and I don’t think her questions reflected any deep-seeded belief in the essential character of Poles as such, but the fact that she expected me to have reflected on Polish society in a national context is a testament to the enduring power of the concept of national identity.

On the other hand, while I have come to the conclusion that national identity is undeniable and influential, I am really glad I’ve had the opportunity to learn about it as a constructed notion, rather than an “essential” or immutable element of our DNA or something. It’s amazing the way that you internalize the idea that being “Irish” or “German” has some sort of natural or organic impact on your personality or behavior when you’re told over and over again as a child that “you are Polish” or “you are Italian.” The gradual erosion of that type of thinking has really allowed me to see projects like the European Union in a new light. While at first I was somewhat skeptical and worried that all of the unique national cultures of Europe would be somehow endangered by the emergence of a larger, European identity, now I understand that these traditions and ways of life are not fixed and unchangeable elements of “being French” or “being British,” but constructed ways of bringing together disparate groups of individuals and forming an imagined bond for the purpose of political stability and cultural harmony. The European Union is just a method for achieving this goal on a bigger scale, and while I think that national identity and state sovereignty aren’t going away any time soon, I no longer fear the erosion of national individuality at the hands of European integration. This whole experience has had the gradual effect of significantly diminishing the importance of national borders in my way of thinking about the world. Before, I had trouble understanding why some of my professors at Kenyon chose to devote their entire careers to studying political developments in nations an ocean away, but now I see how interconnected these developments really are, and how much more so they are becoming as the world becomes more politically, economically, and socially connected. I have a much clearer understanding of the elements of humanity that supercede notions of national identity- ideas like universal human rights, political freedoms, and the individual pursuit of happiness. Maybe these ideas are just the latest constructivist tactics for creating an “imagined world community” of some kind, but to me that sounds like the best bet for a peaceful and prosperous world, so I’m willing to buy in to them.

“And what would you say are the most pressing challenges to media independence in Poland?”

Two research interviews today: Ryszard Niemiec, senior editor of the regional daily Gazeta Krakowska, and Zbiegnew Bauer, former journalist and founding member/ current professor at the Pedagogical Academy Journalism School in Krakow. It’s hard to say how helpful the interviews will end up being for my project- because I was using a translator for both interviews, I think it’s easy for the essence of my questions to get lost, either that or the long delay makes it more tempting for interviewees to simply expound upon their favorite topic rather than answer my questions. Nonetheless, the interviews did give me some interesting insights into the world of the Polish media.

Mr. Niemiec definitely saw himself as a defender of Gazeta’s political independence. He told me that when he took over as editor in 1994, the party in power at the time (Democratic Opposition, or UW) was trying their best to use the paper as a tool for disseminating their propaganda. Mr. Niemiec said he made the conscious decision to “split the paper’s connection with the party,” which was a risky move at a time when close political ties gave newspapers a much-needed sense of security. From what I understood, this decision was very much in line with his philosophy about the role of editors and journalists in democratic Poland. According to Mr. Niemiec, the independence of a certain outlet is heavily dependent upon and editors’ “sense of political responsibility” and “not being a cohort” (presumably of any particular political party). I also found Mr. Niemiec’s comments about the paper’s coverage of the Pope and the Catholic Church particularly interesting. At first he insisted that it was case simply of “answering the demands of readers,” but later noted that a front-page story about the Pope or the Church was a “mark of prestige” for newspapers.

When I mentioned this last point to a Polish friend of mine, he had a fascinating anecdote to back it up. His older brother used to work as a reporter at Gazeta Krakowska, but quit his post after what he saw as a succession of editorial changes to his pieces in order to make them more “Church-friendly.” For example, the title of a profile he wrote about a patron of the arts and Krakow was changed from “Local Supporter of Culture Receives Prize” to “Prominent Friend of the Pope Receives Prize.” Although Mr. Niemiec insisted throughout our interview that the Church has no institutional mechanism for influencing the paper’s content, it’s clear that in reality the relationship is much more complex, and some sort of indirect pressure does in fact exist.

My second interview, with Professor Zbiegnew Bauer, felt more like a lesson in the history of Polish media than an actual interview, but it was helpful nonetheless. I found his comments about the inherent troubles of financing the public media to be especially indicative of the public’s skepticism of state-owned broadcast outlets: “Funding public broadcasting from the state budget means establishing a link between the media and the state, which is very dangerous.” He was also critical of the impact that foreign conglomerates have had on the Polish news media, particularly Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.: “The quality of the Plus-TV station has decreased dramatically since it was bought by Rupert Murdoch. He doesn’t care about quality, the most important thing is that he has a station in Eastern Europe so that he can begin to control that market.” One of his final comments really gave me some perspective about how much work still needs to be done to create the kind of news media environment in Poland that encourages democratic consolidation: “In Poland, we really need a public debate on the role of the media, economists should participate in this debate, but so far it has been dominated by artists and politicians, so nothing much happens.” From what I understand based on my research so far, economists aren't the only group being excluded from this debate.

Globalization

What a unique piece of evidence of our shrinking world: tonight I was walking around the main square around 9pm or so, enjoying the beautiful spring evening, when I noticed a crowd of people standing in a semi-circle. I investigated and found a street musician singing and playing guitar- classic American rock songs (in English, of course). I sat down on the pavement and listened, clapped, and sang along with the crowd for over an hour- this guy was so talented and did a great job incorporating the audience into his show. Later, I found out he was Israeli- imagine, an Israeli musician, singing American songs in English, to an audience of mostly British tourists, on the main market square in Krakow, Poland. Anyway I had been feeling pangs of homesickness all day, but when he finished up his set with a beautiful, passionate version of the Beatles’ “Let it Be,” I felt so at peace, so present in that particular moment, and so sure that no matter what life decides to throw my way, I’m slowly learning how to handle it with appreciation and grace.

A Day at the Museum

Now that I’m back in Krakow for an extended period of time, my days have become more predictable and schedulable, which is nice in some ways, but I do sometimes miss the chaos and uncertainty of being constantly on the road. Anyway, consequently, I’ve been able to reserve spaces for studying, working on my research, etc. I had a break this afternoon between classes, so I thought I’d explore the National Museum in Krakow, which contains an extremely varied and impressive collection of Polish art in various forms, from 13th century priests’ cassocks laced with gold to a video monitor playing a postmodern animated film in which pieces of string curled and unfurled to the beat of unappealing noise music, with plenty of 20th century impressionism (my favorite) in between.

I originally made the trip to check out an exhibit by Jacek Sroka, which I’d read about on the website crakow-life.com (check it out if you’re interested in the city, and please send me any recommendations!). Overall I was really impressed. Usually modern art isn’t really my thing, but I don’t even know if that’s how I’d classify this guy. All I know is I stood in front of each of his paintings for at least 5 minutes each, and could usually come up with some sort of idea about what I thought he was trying to say- usually a humorous criticism of some oppressive element of society, be it patriarchy, the rat race (one of his paintings was literally an enormous mass of rats scurrying in waves to a focal point outside the canvas). One of the first pieces was of a hunter on a giant horse, all painted dark blue using thick strokes that tried in chunks on the canvas, against the backdrop of a perfectly symmetrical, bright yellow bathroom. I saw in it the disaffection and apathy that can come from having everything handed to you thanks to modern technology and convenience. Postmodern much?

A couple of his other pieces that really struck me where those that commented on women and their position in society, something I was thinking about at the time in the context of our visit this morning with a representative from EFKA, a Polish feminist organization. One of the pieces, entitled Machine to Sustain Breathing in Women really caught my attention- a women is standing, naked, exposed, attached to a metal contraption through nodes pinching all parts of her body, with dead trees and a highway in the background. It was refreshing to see a male painter acknowledge and so artfully capture the anxiety, guilt, and silent suffering that are so often a part of the female experience. For women in Poland, the suffering has been especially silent, since a knee-jerk negative reaction to ideologies of any kind, as well as a fierce return to traditionalism post-1989 have made it difficult for feminism to catch on, even as women are made to bear the brunt of the economic hardships of democratic transition, not to mention nonexistent representation in the political sphere and widespread domestic violence. Our speaker this morning seemed optimistic about the future of feminism in Poland (while acknowledging the challenges), and from what I’ve been able to gather from my observations of the rather traditional relations between men and women in this society, she’s going to need all of the optimism she can muster.

Internationale

Tonight I took a break from my studying to check out a pub night for meeting Erasmus students (students studying abroad from other European universities) that I’d heard about from some friends at the Jagiellonian. It was low-key and fun, they had tables set up with signs designating what language was being spoken- I sat at the English table, where I met a girl from the Czech Republic who was studying film and Polish language at the Jagiellonain, and two guys and a girl from Poland who just wanted to practice their English. One of the guys asked me if college in the U.S. was “like it was in the films.” I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant- I had a feeling he was thinking of Animal House and Van Wilder style parties. I laughed and told him my school had a beautiful campus, with quirky, fascinating people and challenging but phenomenal professors...and the parties weren’t bad either (I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes I do sometimes miss the cheesy eighties music and cheap beer). The Polish girl told me that most people in Poland have an image of the U.S. as “a kind of paradise where dreams come true” (I promise I’m not exaggerating). I told her I felt extremely lucky and privileged, but that the U.S. has it’s share of problems as well- isolation and ignorance about the rest of the world being one of the most pressing, in my opinion. Definitely a question that made me conscious of toeing the line between ungratefulness and boasting, but I like discussions like this because they really force me to analyze what I really think about being an American and my place in the world.

Radio Racyja

We spend our last morning in Bialystock visiting a Radio Racyja, a Belarusian radio station that broadcasts from the Polish side of the border. Apparently it’s nearly impossible to do independent journalism in Belarus- the Belarusian KGB (as our host referred to them) had recently broken into an apartment in Minsk that was being used as sort of an “underground” headquarters for the station and made off with all of their files and electronics, luckily no one was hurt.

The whole experience was just inspirational. Inspirational for me as a (possible) future journalist- these guys have set up shop across the border to get people the information they need, but can’t access in their own country. That’s the kind of dedication to the truth that you just want to bottle up and give to every Western journalist who starts to take his or her freedoms and protections for granted. Also inspirational from a scholarly perspective- I’m really interested in the link between journalism and the news media and all the forces that come together to make democracy work- in countries where it’s the tried and true, established way of life, but especially in those places, like Belarus, where it hasn’t quite found its footing. The journalists we spoke with at the radio station said they did not expect to see a democratic Belarus emerge in their lifetimes, but nonetheless work tirelessly to lay the groundwork for such a change, risking their careers and sometimes their lives. I hope this experience sticks with me, and I can call upon it whenever I find myself questioning my purpose as a journalist or as an academic. The work these journalists are doing is so incredibly essential- and I want to do all I can to support it and study ways to bring it up from the underground.

Checking out the equipment

Wall in the newsroom (the photo is from a big protest in Minsk a few years back).
Hard to tell, but this is me doing a short interview with one of the Radio Racyja journalists.

Belarusian Border

Wow, today’s tour of the countryside outside of Bialystock was infinitely more interesting and enjoyable than yesterday’s. It was so nice to get away from the industrial gray concrete architecture and breathe some fresh air. Our minibus driver (who was such a character- he didn’t speak any English but his mannerisms were hilarious, I loved having him around) took us right up to the Belarusian border, which was cool but kind of...anticlimactic? I mean, national borders seem like such a big deal, but in this case especially, it’s hard to tell what it’s really separating. Our tour guide kept referring to the border as “artificial”- a term I found pretty appropriate considering the people living along both sides of the border, in their wooden A-frame houses with lace curtains and tiny plots of farmland, have more in common with one another than their fellow citizens living in their respective national capitals. We even read an article before the trip about one town along the border that has existed since before the present-day line was drawn, and is now cut cleanly down the middle and forced to exist as two separate towns, never mind the fact that their economies remained inextricably intertwined, or that entire families were split up and are now barely allowed to see one another thanks to increasingly strict visa requirements.

This last point really got me thinking about some of the less positive elements of the European project- which I was quick to endorse wholeheartedly and unquestioningly in January when I arrived in Krakow (plenty of evidence in my January post entitled “Integration, it’s Everywhere”). While integration makes border-crossing easier inside the EU, it has the opposite effect of further fortifying the external borders, which don’t actually belong to the EU, but to the individual member-states. Some authors refer to this phenomenon as the creation of a “fortress Europe,” intent upon keeping outsiders out while ensuring prosperity and free movement of goods and labor inside the union. In the case of this particular Belarusian/Polish town, the recent creation of the European Union border has further widened the gap economic gap between the two halves. The consequences of this external fortification have been difficult for Poland- in the past, visa-free travel between the Ukraine and Poland has added a boost to both economies, but Poland had to give that up when it joined the EU. To further complicate matters, EU border countries like Poland are given the additional responsibility of stemming the tide of illegal migration from outside the EU, as well as dealing with the large numbers of asylum-seekers.

The whole experience gave me a few second thoughts about European integration, but I still think the EU project holds the most promise for ensuring peace and stability in a region of the world that has been so badly ravaged by war. But I think that despite the optimistic notions of some scholars of a “Pan-European” identity, constructivist creations like borders and national identity are here to stay, and must be acknowledged and dealt with if the European project is to be truly successful in achieving it’s aims, which, like the EU itself, seem to be in a constant state of flux.

New borders, new problems.

For your enjoyment! "Mating Toads on the Belarussian Border": A Video of Epic Proportions