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312 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 situation 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.
