The Concept of a Border as a Hermeneutic Key in Thinking about Polish History

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse the concept of a border as a useful mental reference in order to present the specificity of thinking about Polish history. The historical borders of Poland allow for a multifaceted reconstruction of influences, such as linguistic or cultural exchange – from art to customs, practiced at times in small communities, especially if we consider the organization of the Polish state, which was characterized by multi-ethnicity. In addition, for the people who think in Polish, the concept of a border has been encoded throughout history in the terms such as: “from the sea to the sea Poland”, “the bulwark of Christianity”, or “the Borderlands”, which is difficult to grasp for the minds which are accustomed to performing mental operations with a vocabulary assigned to other cultural codes. Let us add that all the above-mentioned notions refer not only to meanings closely related to a specific territory, but also have their emotional capacity, built on historical knowledge, transmitted primarily in the process of education, and supplemented by the baggage of ones own experiences acquired through communicating with environment. By citing the findings of historians, politicians and even liturgists, the author shows how much the concept of border is related to thinking in terms of the values characteristic of Polish culture. In the course of the analysis, the article also evokes reflections drawn from literary works of various nature: from the drama Contract by Sławomir Mrożek, to the essay Poland is located on the Mediterranean Sea by Jan Parandowski, to the poetry of Juliusz Słowacki. Of particular interest are also the texts related to war and military affairs, written in the circle of Christian literature. This made it possible to show a series of literary images which served for centuries to educate Polish soldiers, for whom famous royal preachers, such as Piotr Skarga, Mateusz Bembus and Szymon Starowolski wrote spiritual formation textbooks. Thanks to this, the connection between thinking about the borders and the chivalric culture, in which not only a territory but also certain values are defended, is captured. A special reference to this in Polish culture is the personal model, described as miles christianus, which is a perfect combination of the idea of spiritual warfare present in the monastic culture with a military combat in defense of Christianity. By comparing texts from various fields, the author arrives at significant conclusions about the nature of Polish religiousness. The idea of combat, and especially the defense of Christianity, has played a very important role in shaping it. Therefore, the current model of Christianity, proposed by Pope Francis, in which all wars and violence are rejected, is not met with acceptance and understanding by Polish Catholics. Accustomed to the vision of the militant Church, the Poles hardly identify themselves with the new ecclesiological model, which is dominated by the vision of a victorious Church, rejecting all barriers and divisions in the world.