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Tomasz Kalniuk
Symbolic Migration to the Super-West in the
Polish Pomeranian Press of the 1930s
Most of the photographic material that gave the basis to this article comes from the
1930s and 1940s'. The pictures were selected from the Pomeranian daily press from
both electronic and traditional sources. The choice of period was determined by
the formal criteria of the research project. Furthermore, it was assumed, based on
general knowledge of the history of culture and literature, that a transitional period,
the Polish interwar period in this case, might be abundant in anthropologically
valid material. The period between 1935 and 1939 was treated as a ‘decadence’
period in the style of the periods of decline between succeeding epochs. During
such times, collective consciousness abounds in numerous images of Others. The
psychological condition of communities in a decadent era, according to Curtius,
fosters the creation of strange images (Curtius 1997: 89-113).
In Poland, this was a time of recently regained independence and fear of losing
it again. On the horizon increasingly more aggressive political actions by the nearest
neighbours, Germany and the Soviet Union, both under dictatorship, became
apparent. Ihe foreign policy of the Second Republic of Poland, led by minister
Joseph Beck, was formulated to maintain political balance with the Third Reich and
the USSR. This direction brought satisfactory results, as long as dictators fought
each other on political and ideological grounds (Dybowska, Zaryn & Zaryn 1998:
264—265). However, since Western countries, convinced of the effectiveness of the
appeasement tactics, began to accept numerous concessions to Hitler's demands,
the defence of Polish national interest required more decisive action (Gatezowski
2010: 89). Polish society understood these actions well and approved of them,
reacting to the anticipated threat with anti-German and anti-Soviet attitudes.
‘The press, especially of the nationalist shade, warned against the communist or
fascist dismantling of Poland, which after long captivity had entered the path of
rapid development. The media warned against the “communist epidemic” and
the dissolution of the Polish state. Concern about totalitarian neighbours was
expressed, inter alia, in satirical texts and caricatures’.
Considering the hostility of the neighbouring states and the geopolitical situ¬
ation at that time, Poland can be seen as a buffer. This buffer space, the concept
' Mainly from the journals Dziennik Pomorski (‘Pomeranian Today’), Stowo Pomorskie (‘Pomeranian
Word’), Kurier Bydgoski (“Bydgoszcz courier’) from 1935-1939.
? "This topic has been widely discussed and illustrated, among others, in: Demski & Baraniecka-Olszewska
2010.