Chmelyk R. Modern Ukrainian-Polish Borderland: state border and identity of population

Object: modern Ukrainian-Polish Borderlands and identity of its population. Taking into account the theoretical foundations of modern ethnological science and on the basis of field source materials, first of all expeditionary records collected using an innovative method of joint Ukrainian-Polish ethnological research, the dissertation examines the problem of the formation and functioning of ethnic identity of the population at the modern Ukrainian-Polish Borderlands, and also highlight the influence of modern political and socio-economic changes on the transformation of the identity of the inhabitants the adjacent territories and the role of ethno-cultural factor in this process. The key focus has been laid on the issues that include judgments about past events – the social, ethnic, and religious processes as well as mutual stereotypes. Special attention is given to the dynamics of interethnic relations in the example transformation categories “our/other/alien” and change the type of the Ukrainian-Polish border area in the second half of the 20th – early 21st centuries. It is proved that religion remained an important factor in the search for ethnic identity in the borderland. This religious structure challenged the simplified stereotype, common in Poland, of Ukrainians as Orthodox. Moreover, the mutual perceptions of the Ukrainians representing different confessions did not always correlate with their ethnicity. It is shown that realities of the Ukrainian-Polish borderland require fostering a joint responsibility of the two nations for the diverse cultural heritage of this region. The experience and tradition of the borderland show that nations can find common ground on various aspects – political, economic, and cultural. The key to success is goodwill and joint efforts to overcome negative prejudices and stereotypes.