The state historical policy and the default religious heritage in Poland: on introducing pagan heritage to the public sphere in Kraków

Abstract

This article discusses the role of the state historical policy in constructing national heritage in Poland. The author focuses mostly on the dominant place Roman Catholicism occupies in the Polish memory complex and in Roman-Catholic-related national identity projects, since these also affect the process of construing national heritage. Applying Pasieka’s notion of hierarchical religious pluralism, the author examines the construction of religious heritage according to the objectives of the contemporary conservative state historical policy. Assuming that Roman Catholicism constitutes the default element in the national heritage in Poland, the author examines how an alternative vision of religious heritage is created and what role minority religions play in the heritage-making processes in Poland. The case study is the Rękawka Celebration in Kraków – a historical reenactment of early medieval Slavic Pagan rites.

Keywords

• paganism
• heritage
• historical policy
• Roman Catholicism
• historical reenactment
• Cracow