The Geography of Religious and Confessional Structures in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century

The book minutely depicts the territorial organization of religions and confessions in the Crown part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the second half of the eighteenth century. It focuses on the spatial range and variety of the communities in the region, which was a melting pot of many different religions, confessions and denominations. The picture the book paints owes its depth and detail both to the characterization of the borderlands, and to the heterogeneous and homogeneous zones. Prof. Michael Müller: "The book represents a methodologically most innovative, and empirically very rich, contribution to at least three fields of study: historical geography, religious history and historical demography. For the first time, we get a full, and reliable, picture of the churches of all Christian denominations and of the synagogues (and of the religious institutions and organizations behind them) that existed in the lands of the Crown prior to the first partition of Poland.

The Geography of Religious and Confessional Structures in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century

The book minutely depicts the territorial organization of religions and confessions in the Crown part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the second half of the eighteenth century. It focuses on the spatial range and variety of the communities in the region, which was a melting pot of many different religions, confessions and denominations. The picture the book paints owes its depth and detail both to the characterization of the borderlands, and to the heterogeneous and homogeneous zones. Prof. Michael Müller: "The book represents a methodologically most innovative, and empirically very rich, contribution to at least three fields of study: historical geography, religious history and historical demography. For the first time, we get a full, and reliable, picture of the churches of all Christian denominations and of the synagogues (and of the religious institutions and organizations behind them) that existed in the lands of the Crown prior to the first partition of Poland.

Orthodox migrants in Poland in the light of spatial diffusion theory : a research concept

PURPOSE: Outline the theoretical concept of the study of the influx of Orthodox migrants to Poland in the light of the theory of spatial diffusion. Detailed considerations include a discussion of the adopted algorithm of the research procedure, including the purpose and significance of the research, the research design and plan, and the research methodology.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The observed process of spatial diffusion of Orthodox religious ideas to Poland requires reflection on how to research this phenomenon. It seems that social science methods, such as surveys and semantic profiles, are the most appropriate. But the study should also use materials and available statistical sources in order to be able to make comparisons between spatial units. The proposed research path is an attempt to develop general mathematical assumptions, which is important because the observed migration processes will increase not only in Poland, but also throughout Western Europe.FINDINGS: The proposed research path is a response to a relatively new phenomenon in Poland, which is the inflow of Orthodox migrants from Eastern Europe. Embedding the research in the theory of spatial diffusion seems justified.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Due to its universality, the proposed algorithm of procedures together with its theoretical justification can be widely used in migration research.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The influx of Orthodox migrants to Poland, explained by the theory of spatial diffusion, will allow us to designate places defined as primary places of residence and will enable us to identify current places of residence, which may be the result of previous experiences and local traditions, habits and local cultural patterns.peer-reviewe

Migration to the Self: Education, Political Economy, and Religious Authority in Polish Communities

"Migration to the Self: Education, Political Economy, and Religious Authority in Polish Communities" examines the experiences of peasant labor migrants from the Polish lands as they moved across Europe and the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and notably how migrants narrated the changing labor conditions associated with capitalism. Rooted in interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship, I argue that the larger process of labor migration involved new ways of thinking about one's obligations to self and society, as well as the potential for imagining new forms of relationships between laypeople and clergy. Utilizing archival sources like diaries, memoirs, and letters, along with school textbooks and disciplinary records, visa applications, and life insurance claims, I consider four separate spaces where individuals encountered and weighed ideas of modern subjectivity: the school, the border, the mutual aid society, and the church. In so doing, I demonstrate that peasant migrants were both shaped by and actively shaping global economic forces, and that such trends had an impact on how migrants fashioned themselves as self-sufficient, upwardly mobile, and autonomous actors. Far from being a source of universality, however, I maintain that these individuals were participants in developing the structures of differentiation—the division of migrants into worthy and unworthy categories—that define border politics in the modern world.PHDHistoryUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145814/1/mwroblew_1.pd

The Day of Judaism in the Catholic Church of Poland

This master’s thesis discusses “The Day of Judaism in the Catholic Church of Poland,” a special time in the Polish Church calendar to rediscover her roots in Judaism. Thus, the aim of this study is to present the changes taking place in the Catholic Church in Poland in the wake of the Second Vatican Council—changes that seek to present Judaism in an impartial and authentic way, and changes that seek to understand the Christian identity of Catholics. The scope of the current work covers the history of Polish-Jewish relations from Communist Poland to the present day (2015), in parallel with the history of the Catholic Church in the same time frame. The study also employs the method of comparative-historical analysis regarding Polish-Jewish relations and the plight of the Church in the Communist era and today, to indicate why the interfaith dialogue gained momentum in recent years. The First Chapter presents a historical analysis of Polish-Jewish relations from 1945-1989 and shortly after the fall of Communism. The description includes in particular the postwar difficulties in the coexistence of Poles and Jews, State-citizen relations, the brutal repressions of Jews and Poles by the Communist regime, and the problem of antisemitism. The Second Chapter covers the situation of the Church in Communist Poland along with a description of the first incentives that led her to the dialogue with Jews. This chapter is divided into the four subsections. Subsection 1 is devoted to the overall situation of the Church in Poland, including the relation on the level of Catholic Church-Communist state authorities, which touches upon persecutions of the priests and Church adherents. Subsection 2 addresses the reception of the Second Vatican Council by the Church in Poland. Subsection 3 presents the controversy around the Carmelite convent at Auschwitz. Finally, Subsection 4 focuses on the issue of the Church’s approach to Judaism. The Third Chapter raises, among other subjects, the origins of the Day of Judaism in the Catholic Church in Poland, an analysis of its documents, content of the brochures disseminated for the Day of Judaism, the evaluation of the initiative by Catholics and Jews, and in conclusion the fruits that this Day brings to the Church. Finally, the analysis of the Day of Judaism confirmed that the reforms of the Second Vatican Council have been applied in Poland. Another question that has been answered to a large extent in this master’s thesis was how the post-conciliar changes, in particular development of the Day of Judaism, are adopted in practice—in the parishes and in the public opinion

On Many Routes: Internal, European, and Transatlantic Migration in the Late Habsburg Empire

On Many Routes is about the history of human migration. With a focus on the Habsburg Empire, this innovative work presents an integrated and creative study of spatial mobilities: from short to long term, and intranational and inter-European to transatlantic. Migration was not just relegated to city folk, but likewise was the reality for rural dwellers, and we gain a better understanding of how sending and receiving states and shipping companies worked together to regulate migration and shape populations. Bringing historical census data, governmental statistics, and ship manifests into conversation with centuries-old migration patterns of servants, agricultural workers, seasonal laborers, peddlers, and artisans—both male and female—this research argues that Central Europeans have long been mobile, that this mobility has been driven by diverse motivations, and that post-1850 transatlantic migration was an obvious extension of earlier spatial mobility patterns. Demonstrating the complexity of human mobility via an exploration of the links between overseas, continental, and internal migrations, On Many Routes shows that migrations to the United States, to the nearest coalfield, and to the urban capitals are embedded within complicated patterns of movement. There is no good reason to study internal apart from transnational moves, and combining these fields brings ample possibility to make migration research more relevant for the much broader field of social and economic history. This work poses an invaluable resource to the understudied area of Habsburg Empire migration studies, which it relocates within its wider European context and provides a major methodological contribution to the history of human migration more broadly. The ubiquity and functionality of human movement sheds light on the relationship between human nature and society, and challenges simplistic notions of human mobility then and now.https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ces/1001/thumbnail.jp