Identity in Transition: The Case of Polish Karaites in the First Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

The article discusses the efforts of Karaite community elite to form a modern collective identity of Polish Karaites in the first half of the 20th century. The aim of this paper is to discuss the reasons why the need to transform the collective identity appeared and reconstruct the means and ways it was done. The special attention is paid to the communication among Karaite leaders and their ideas of Karaite origin, religion and language, which were considered to be the core elements of Karaite self-perception.

Keywords

• identity
• Poland
• Karaites
• Seraja Szapszal