In recent years; over one million Canadians have claimed Polish heritage - a significant population increase since the first group of Poles came from Prussian-occupied Poland and settled in Wilno; Ontario; west of Ottawa in 1858. For over a century; descendants from this community thought of themselves as Polish; but this began to change in the 1980s due to the work of a descendant priest who emphasized the community’s origins in Poland’s Kashubia region. What resulted was the reinvention of ethnicity concurrent with a similar movement in northern Poland. Creating Kashubia chronicles more than one hundred and fifty years of history; identity; and memory and challenges the historiography of migration and settlement in the region. For decades; authors from outside Wilno; as well as community insiders; have written histories without using the other’s stores of knowledge. Joshua Blank combines primary archival material and oral history with national narratives and a rich secondary literature to reimagine the period. He examines the socio-political and religious forces in Prussia; delves into the world of emigrant recruitment; and analyzes the trans-Atlantic voyage. In doing so; Blank challenges old narratives and traces the refashioning of the community’s ethnic identity from Polish to Kashubian. An illuminating study; Creating Kashubia shows how changing identities and the politics of ethnic memory are locally situated yet transnationally influenced.
#577218 in Books Broadway Books 2010-04-06 2010-04-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.56 x 1.00 x 6.39l; 1.13 #File Name: 0767931386304 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good but starts repeating itselfBy old school johnI read Hardberger's Freighter Captain a while back and thought it was excellent; so I was looking forward to Siezed. Unlike Freighter Captain; this book doesn't really seem to have a storyline. Each chapter follows the same basic plan: A ship is unfairly siezed in a third world port. Hardberger agrees to get it out. He travels to the country where the ship is located; he comes up with a clever plan to extract it; spends a night worrying about getting caught and spending the next 20 years in a backwater jail; then the extraction comes off without a hitch; and everyone is happy. There are a couple of variations on this; but not enough to make it worthwhile. When I was about 2/3 of the way through I was just waiting for the end. I respect Hardberger because he's a guy who can actually do something -- captain a freighter -- and he can write pretty well. That's rare combination. But this book ceased to be interesting about half way through. I guess there's something to be said for having a "plot" after all.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good Book; Not GreatBy Mike NThis book deals with a subject matter I am very unfamiliar with (ships/shipping; the high seas; etc.). It had the potential to get very confusing with the jargon (I couldn't tell the difference between aft and stern) but the author wrote simply and created suspenseful scenes; especially for the first half of the book. Overall; I learned a lot about a topic which I now find interesting but previously knew nothing about.The only con I would say (and the reason I say good and not great) is that despite there being several different methods of seizing ships; getting through customs; etc.; the book is fairly episodic; moving from story to story with little to tie them together. As this is a memoir of sorts; I guess that could be expected; but toward the end I certainly wasn't feeling the irrepressible urge to continue turning the pages.As I said; good book; interesting; a few times had me at the edge of my seat; but towards the end was just a little "meh."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Superb insiderBy CustomerSpeaks with the voice of experience. Great opportunity to see the industry from the inside.
