Conclusions: Explaining Heterogeneity in National Identity by Means of Generational Change

Abstract

In Chapter 4, I have characterized this thesis as a generational study that puts forward the processual character of national identity. The matter in this research is not whether national identity differs between generations but how the process of identity negotiation comes to the fore between generations within the new democratic system. For this reason, Ukrainian migrants that came for work to Poland are not relevant for this study. Rather, the aim was to locate the study in the northern parts of Poland, which prove to be a more moderate environment for the Ukrainian minority when compared to the conflict-stricken southern regions. The absence of violent ethnic conflict in the northern region is a beneficial basis for the investigation of national identity processes that are not directly stirred by violence but rather by other factors, for example social change, family relationships and social integration. The previous chapters presented empirical research on the attitudes and worldviews of three generations.