Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism
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Elżbieta Hałas
Abstract
The chapter shows the complex symbolism associated with 3 May, wherein secular and religious elements interact. In 3 May, two holidays coincide: the state National Holiday of May Third and the church Feast of Our Lady, Queen of Poland. The National Holiday of May Third commemorates the anniversary of proclaiming the 3 May Constitution in 1791. This event is considered a cornerstone of Polish political symbolism, on which the entire construction of modern Polish national and state identity is founded. The analysis, done from a symbolic constructionist perspective, focuses on discursive symbolism and its use in symbolic politics after the fall of communism in Poland. Rhetorical categories such as genres and topoi, as well as Kenneth Burke’s dramatistic pentad are employed. In terms of Burke’s dramatistic pentad, it is pointed out that president Lech Wałęsa focused on the acting “agent,” with the nation as a collective subject; in President Aleksander Kwaśniewski’s rhetoric, the “act” became central, whereas in President Kaczyński’s rhetoric, the “purpose” moved to the foreground. The chapter presents how Polish presidents and church dignitaries used discursive symbolism to shape state and national identity. It shows the complex interaction of civic, national, and religious identities in the context of Poland’s most important holiday.
Abstract
The chapter shows the complex symbolism associated with 3 May, wherein secular and religious elements interact. In 3 May, two holidays coincide: the state National Holiday of May Third and the church Feast of Our Lady, Queen of Poland. The National Holiday of May Third commemorates the anniversary of proclaiming the 3 May Constitution in 1791. This event is considered a cornerstone of Polish political symbolism, on which the entire construction of modern Polish national and state identity is founded. The analysis, done from a symbolic constructionist perspective, focuses on discursive symbolism and its use in symbolic politics after the fall of communism in Poland. Rhetorical categories such as genres and topoi, as well as Kenneth Burke’s dramatistic pentad are employed. In terms of Burke’s dramatistic pentad, it is pointed out that president Lech Wałęsa focused on the acting “agent,” with the nation as a collective subject; in President Aleksander Kwaśniewski’s rhetoric, the “act” became central, whereas in President Kaczyński’s rhetoric, the “purpose” moved to the foreground. The chapter presents how Polish presidents and church dignitaries used discursive symbolism to shape state and national identity. It shows the complex interaction of civic, national, and religious identities in the context of Poland’s most important holiday.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Preface 1
- Discursive construction of national holidays in West and South Slavic countries after the fall of communism 5
-
Analyses
- Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres 35
- Chapter 2. The quest for a proper Bulgarian national holiday 57
- Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism 81
- Chapter 4. “Dan skuplji vijeka,” ‘A day more precious than a century’ 101
- Chapter 5. Croatia in search of a national day 125
- Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days 149
- Chapter 7. Commemorating the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944 171
- Chapter 8. Ilinden 191
- Chapter 9. Slovak national identity as articulated in the homilies of a religious holiday 213
- Chapter 10. The Czech and Czechoslovak 28 October 231
- Chapter 11. Disputes over national holidays 251
- Chapter 12. What Europe means for Poland 271
- References 297
- Appendix A. List of current laws on national holidays in West and South Slavic countries 311
- Index 313
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Preface 1
- Discursive construction of national holidays in West and South Slavic countries after the fall of communism 5
-
Analyses
- Chapter 1. Collective memory and media genres 35
- Chapter 2. The quest for a proper Bulgarian national holiday 57
- Chapter 3. The multiple symbolism of 3 May in Poland after the fall of communism 81
- Chapter 4. “Dan skuplji vijeka,” ‘A day more precious than a century’ 101
- Chapter 5. Croatia in search of a national day 125
- Chapter 6. Contested pasts, contested red-letter days 149
- Chapter 7. Commemorating the Warsaw Uprising of 1 August 1944 171
- Chapter 8. Ilinden 191
- Chapter 9. Slovak national identity as articulated in the homilies of a religious holiday 213
- Chapter 10. The Czech and Czechoslovak 28 October 231
- Chapter 11. Disputes over national holidays 251
- Chapter 12. What Europe means for Poland 271
- References 297
- Appendix A. List of current laws on national holidays in West and South Slavic countries 311
- Index 313
