The past viewed through the eyes of the inhabitants of the Belarusian-Lithuanian-Polish borderland (based on examples of chosen villages of the Myadzyel and Vałozhyn districts)

Abstract

The article is devoted to oral memories of the residents of the Polish–Belarusian-Lithuanian borderland of the Central and Western Belarus (Valozhyn and Miadziel districts), where the author has been conducting her research since 2010. The focus of the analysis is brought to the memories of representatives of the generation born in the 1920s and 1930s and living in the area since then. The oral history of the people native to these regions goes back several historical periods. This includes the inter-war period, the Second World War and the post-war years, all reconstructed on the basis of selected fragments of biographical narratives. The research shows that, in the communicative memory of the inhabitants of the area, the pre-war period evokes positive images associated with the Second Polish Republic, whereas negative memories are related to the advent of the Soviet government. The accounts from the period of the Second World War depict both the German soldiers and the partisans, and their interactions with the local population. Another difficult experience were the post-war years, which brought about exile, forced collectivization, repression of religious beliefs and the destruction of Polish documents. The analysis of the material gathered allows for a deeper understanding of the reality of life in conditions marked by shifting borders and state changes, and allows us to reconstruct the traditional world of the inhabitants of these villages. The preserved memories of the living witnesses constitute valuable research material, which often contradicts well-established historical facts.