The Politics of Ethnicity in Central Europe

This book deals with one of the most important and misconstrued aspects of politics in Central Europe, namely the politics of ethnicity. It attempts to elucidate the issues involved and, most importantly, to counter stereotypical images of the region and the nature of inter-ethnic relations in the countries under consideration. In particular, in order to clarify these themes, the main part of the book focuses upon the nature of identity and inter-ethnic relations in the Central European region of Silesia. Although Silesia is terra incognita to most of the English-speaking world, it is an area that for centuries has been contested by German, Polish, Czech, Prussian, and Austrian elites, often with scarcely a thought as to the wishes of the inhabitants themselves. The author and contributors hope that after having read this volume, the reader will be better informed of both the region in general and Silesia in particular. Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowlegements......Page 10 Prefatory Remarks......Page 11 Place-Names......Page 12 Notes on Contributors......Page 20 Chronology of Silesia......Page 22 Maps......Page 24 Introduction......Page 32 Nationalism and the Nation-State in Central Europe......Page 37 Ethnic Conflict and Conciliation in Central Europe Today......Page 57 The Germans and Central Europe in the Pre-Modern Era......Page 81 Silesia and the Dawning of the Modern Era......Page 97 Upper Silesia 1918–45......Page 123 Polish and Czech Silesia under Communist Rule......Page 162 The Articulation of Identity in Silesia since 1989......Page 192 The Future of Silesia......Page 219 Conclusion......Page 235 Index......Page 239 This volume deals with the politics of ethnicity in East-Central Europe. The major part of the book focuses upon the nature of identity and inter-ethnic relations in the Central European region of Silesia. Although Silesia is terra incognita to most of the English-speaking world, for centuries it has been contested by German, Polish, Czech, Prussian, and Austrian elites. The author and contributors hope that, after having read this volume, the reader will be better informed of both the region in general and Silesia in particular.