Description:
In the immediate aftermath of the First World War, Upper Silesia was the site of the largest formal exercise in self-determination in European history, the 1921 Plebiscite. This book explores a range of topics related to nationality issues in Upper Silesia, putting forward the results of extensive new research. It highlights the flaws at the heart of attempts to shape Europe as homogenously national polities and compares the fate of Upper Silesia with the many other European regions where similar problems occurred.
Review Quotes:
'Benefitting from deep research, essays in this collection introduce students and researchers alike to stakes surrounding national indifference in a key borderland. In conversation with each other, they will hopefully encourage continued scholarly discussion that transcends nationally partisan polemics and facilitates historical understanding about how human beings have adopted identities that transcend national categories'
Andrew Demshuk, American University, Slavic Review 2018.