Full Description
Does the fact that we dislike someone influence our perception of the world? If Poles consider Russians as "historical" enemies, does this affect how they interpret the present and the past? The author argues this is indeed the case. In his book, the author illustrates this through the example of the Caucasus, primarily in the context of the nineteenth century, when the modern Polish nation was being formed. How did the Polish independence emigration view the independence struggles of the Caucasian peoples? And how do contemporary Polish researchers and publicists approach the issue? Where does Russia fit into all of this? The author seeks to answer these and many other questions in his account about an imagined Polish-Caucasian comradery.
Contents
List of Figures and Tables
1 Introduction
1 A Few Remarks on the Ethnopolitical Myth, Myths, and Science
2 The Image of Russia as Poland's "Historical Enemy"
3 Purpose, Scope, and Work Methods
4 Characteristic of the Materials Used
2 The Caucasus - Ancestral Homeland of the Poles
3 Creation of the Image of the Caucasus in Nineteenth-Century Literature
1 In Polish-Language Literature Published in Western Europe
2 In the Polish Émigré Press
4 Plans of the Polish Émigré Community Concerning the Caucasus and Their Influence on the Image of the Region
5 The Image of the Caucasus in Works from the Period of the Polish People's Republic
6 Poles in Imam Shamil's Armed Forces
7 Desertions of Poles from the Tsarist Army and the Attitude of the Independent Caucasian Peoples towards Runways
8 Poles in Russian Service and Their Attitude towards Polishness
9 The Notion of Poles' Contributions to Developing the Caucasus
10 The Caucasus as a Site of Polish Martyrology
11 Applying Argumentum ad Rossicum to Explain Processes Underway in the Caucasus
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
