The history of Poland since the 18th century has been the story of occupation and oppression. Events such as the partitioning of Poland, World War II, and the Soviet era have informed the creation of Polish identity and memory. Victimhood has been utilized by 21st-century political parties as an ideological force to place Poland's identity within the European sphere. I examine these factors as they present themselves in the literature on Polish memory and identity, further expanding the topic in my ethnographic investigations of interviews with Polish Americans and fieldwork conducted at the St. Stanislaus Kostka Polish Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Comparing this ethnographic research with the ongoing political situation in Poland, I establish how victimhood continues to appear within Polish politics and diasporic communities. Victimhood serves Poland as a method for political control and as a legitimizer of traumatic historical events, while simultaneously denying historical and ongoing narratives of Poland as a perpetrator of aggression. The teaching of victimhood persists within the diaspora; however, the addition of multiple perspectives aids Polish Americans in taking a more critical lens to Poland’s history. Nonetheless, victimhood serves as an essential build-block within 21st-century Polish identity, and the formation of collective memory both within and outside of Poland.

Weronika would like to thank her mentor, Dr. Bruce O’Neill, for his support during the process of researching and writing her capstone. Dr. O’Neill’s knowledge and expertise proved to be invaluable assets in the creation of this capstone. His open attitude towards her ideas and his encouragement in her pursuit of ethnographic research pushed Weronika towards the completion of this project. His work in post-Socialist Romania provided an essential background as Weronika sought to explore memory and identity in post-Communist Poland. This capstone would not be what it is today without his guidance.