Stereotypes in Polish Culture

Authors

  • Aleksandra Brzana Carpathian State College
  • Paulina Szot Carpathian State College
  • Justyna Warchoł Carpathian State College

Abstract

Prejudices, stereotypes, hostile attitudes - they are all derived from a source. Some of them may ring true while some can make no sense. Still others are the result of historical or social events, not just part of someone’s imagination. In this article we will discuss these phenomena in terms of Poland’s relationships with some European countries. We will try to explain where the opinions come from, whether they can be regarded as true or not and how they have affected our cooperation with those countries. In addition to politics, we will also mention daily life, during which some prejudices can be damaging.

 

The main focus in this article is on the Polish-Russian, Polish-Czech and Polish-Hungarian relations and stereotypes which derive from them. The reasons for choosing those three countries were different. Many Poles hear about Hungary and their friendly attitude towards Poland thus we were curious to see where it derives from. We decided to write about Russia because our history seems rather complicated and we often hear similar opinions about them and Poles from foreigners. The Czech Republic was chosen for the opposite reasons – they are our neighboring country, although we do not know much about them. We will aim to explain political situations, social relationships and concentrate on certain historical events which changed or shaped the way we view these countries and affected their opinion about us - Poles. However, it is best to start with explaining what a stereotype is. A number of researchers have long been trying to account for it, although there is still a relative lack of a satisfactory definition. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it is “a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong” (Stereotype, 2020). According to Cardwell (cf. Walas, 1995), a stereotype is a fixed, overgeneralized belief about a particular group or class of people.

Author Biographies

Aleksandra Brzana, Carpathian State College

Aleksandra Brzana is a student of the second year of English Philology at the Carpathian State College in Poland. She lives in a small village in the South of Poland, but she has always been interested in other languages and cultures. Currently, she is learning English and Spanish. After completing her English studies, she plans to study Japanese, as she has been interested in Japanese culture for a long time. In her free time, she reads books and tries to write her own short stories.

Paulina Szot, Carpathian State College

Paulina Szot is in her second year of English philology at the Carpathian State College in Poland. Despite the fact that she has been living in Poland her whole life, she has always been interested in other cultures and languages. That was one of the reasons why she decided to study English. Beside English, she is also learning how to speak Spanish, German and Russian. Languages are Paulina’s passion. Her goal is to be fluent in as many languages as possible. Additionally, Paulina is interested in social matters, such as racism or traditional gender roles and many others.

Justyna Warchoł, Carpathian State College

Justyna Warchoł was born and raised in a small village in south-eastern Poland. Currently, she is attending the Carpathian State College and studying English Philology. Her love for this language increases every day. After completing her study, Justyna wants to be a teacher. She adores learning the history of Great Britain and her favorite period is the Wars of the Roses. She is also a great coffee and tea enthusiast. In her free time, she writes her own stories, which discuss issues related to feminism, politics and human emotions. Nowadays she is working on her first fantasy series and one day, with a little luck, she hopes to publish her works and will start a writing career.

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Published

2021-03-05

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2021): Proceedings of the 5th Global Issues Conference

Section

Global Issues Conference Proceedings

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