Toward Postcolonialism in Polish History: On Racial Positioning and Historical Specificity

Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis

Abstract

This article examines the historic racial positioning of Poland and the Polish lands. I argue that around the time of World War II, the Poles’ understanding of their own global condition underwent a shift from colonial to postcolonial. Specifically, rather than imagining Poland as a potential colonial power, many Poles began to perceive their own fate as postcolonial, shaped by racial and exploitative policies. In turn, the perceptions of Poland as a postcolonial state and nation generated a wide range of attitudes toward Africa during the Cold War, which should not be studied solely through the lens of socialist ideas imposed by Moscow. I further contend that while it is essential to remain critical of narratives about East-South solidarity, we must also consider Eastern European contacts with the Global South as historically contingent upon the specific time period, physical context, and local hierarchies of power.