National and ethnic structure in Poland in the light of censuses

elective courses

Completed course in methodology of social research.

Classroom

The aim of the seminar is to present and analyse the evolution of the methodology and techniques of conducting censuses in the field of questions about nationality, language and religious denomination in Poland in the period 1921-2021 (the questions about the country of birth and citizenship are often added). Together, they are often referred to in the literature or official census documents as 'ethnicity questions'. During the classes, I will focus, on the one hand, on their description and ways of formulating them, and on the other hand, on the socio-political situation during their conduct, which may have influenced the answers and shaped the results in terms of the ethnic (national) and linguistic structure of Polish society. I would like to focus here not so much on the description of ethnic census results in quantitative and/or spatial terms, but on the analysis of census policies in this area, i.e. the mechanisms

The aim of the seminar is to present and analyze the evolution of the methodology and techniques of conducting censuses in the field of questions about nationality, language and religious denomination in Poland in the period 1921-2021 (the questions about the country of birth and citizenship are often added). Together, they are often referred to in the literature or official census documents as 'ethnicity questions'. During the classes, I will focus, on the one hand, on their description and ways of formulating them, and on the other hand, on the socio-political situation during their conduct, which may have influenced the answers and shaped the results in terms of the ethnic (national) and linguistic structure of Polish society. I would like to focus here not so much on the description of ethnic census results in quantitative and/or spatial terms, but on the analysis of census policies in this area, i.e. the mechanisms for conducting censuses in the context of the political and social realities of the time.

Population censuses are considered one of the primary sources of information on a country's population and ethnic diversity. They are obtained by means of questions that concern the nationality and ethnic identity of the individual (ethnic origin, etc.), race, language used (mother tongue, home language, etc.), religious denomination and citizenship (or nationalities) held. The data obtained in this way often remains the basic and the only source of statistical information on the ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity of a given society. This is due not only to the universal nature of census research, but also because other methods of collecting data on this subject (such as sociological surveys) do not cover all ethnic groups due to their small numbers or their dispersion throughout the country, and official data (found in administrative registers) either do not contain such information or are inaccessible to researchers due to their political sensitivity.

Their presence in censuses is always a difficult challenge, both for the census administration and the people themselves. The fundamental issue is the assessment of the credibility of the data obtained on this subject. To what extent were the answers received consistent with people's individual and established beliefs regarding their nationality, language or religion. An important component of the assessment of this credibility is also the knowledge of whether the answers were given in a maximally freeway, to a small extent disturbed by external factors. Therefore, attention is drawn to the limitations that are related to methodological issues regarding the construction of questions about the national (ethnic) identity of an individual, the problems of including the entire surveyed population in the census and the social reception of the census. These issues are visible at every stage of the organization and course of the census, from its preparation through data collection to the final phase of elaboration and publication of data on this subject.

Differently formulated questions regarding the ethnic-linguistic and religious structure were taken into account in six censuses in Poland (in 1921, 1931, 1946, 2002, 2011 and 2021), but conducting them using different methods in different socio-political conditions could have had a more significant impact on "ethnic" results than broader demographic changes and the evolution of its citizens' sense of nationality. In a long, historical time perspective, the census and questions about national identity and the language used are always a kind of statistical picture of the cultural diversity of a society at a given historical moment.

Analyzing the method of introducing and functioning of ethnic questions in Polish censuses during the classes, we will want to show that in each of the cases presented here, they were not ordinary and "socially neutral" research questions. Their content and number, as well as the method of counting (especially questions about national and ethnic identity, but also about language) were the subject of reflection both on the part of the state census administration and national minority organizations, and they were often the subject of discussion and confrontation. They reflected the ethnic history of the society and the perception of its ethnic diversity by the state.

During the course, I would like to draw attention to the following methodological issues in the field of asking questions in Polish censuses, which can be seen in their hundred-year history. First, the legitimacy of the need to collect ethnic data has changed. It is not so much the knowledge and assessment of the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the entire census population as the need to study the ethnic identities and languages of the minority groups themselves due to the protection of their rights, especially in the perspective of bilingualism regulation (as provided for in the 2005 Act).

Secondly, the emphasis on the census of subjective ethnic identifications and their often complex (dual) character. It is not so much objective and substantial (linguistic) indicators as it is a matter of self-credit. Other questions, such as language, religious denomination, citizenship or country of birth, play an additional role (although, for example, the question about the home language is the most important thing for the Kashubian community).

Thirdly, the issue of the legitimacy of the presence of ethnic questions in the census form no longer raises public disputes or criticism of ethnic minority communities (they were expressed during the 2002 and 2011 censuses). These questions were considered useful for statistical knowledge about Polish society, as well as social practice related to the implementation of legal regulations contained in the Minorities Act of 2005. There was a change in the nature of the social atmosphere and the impact of census technology consisting in the transition from the classic face-to-face census interview face to the Internet self-inventory and the answer to the question to what extent such a solution is conducive to identifying the identity of minority groups. The self-list has become a useful way to present oneself numerically and prestige by striving to gain recognition both among "its" members and in the eyes of the state and the external environment.

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Has awareness of various forms of social organization existing in the past and in the present

Is aware of social differentiation and existing social inequalities, as well as their impact on the life of individuals and the functioning of social groups

Has basic knowledge about cultural diversity of Poland and the modern world

Has basic knowledge of methods used in research on cultural diversity

Has basic knowledge of problems stemming from the cultural diversity of modern society

Has basic knowledge of the criteria of inference correctness

Can use basic sociological terms and categories to analyze societies, particularly contemporary Polish society

Can form judgments on motives of human behaviour and predict its social consequences

K_U02 is able to interpret past and current social events (political, cultural, economic) using sociological concepts and theories

K_U04 is able to independently find information and materials necessary to conduct simple sociological analyses, using various sources (in the native and foreign language) and using modern technologies

K_U08 is able to prepare a simple, descriptive scenario predicting the course of social processes and phenomena

Preparation of one short presentation for class related to the topic covered in class on the basis of additional reading (which is to start a group discussion in class) and positive passing of the test (last class) consisting of closed questions and a short essay.