The Multicultural Opole Silesia – politological perspective

Marek Mazurkiewicz

Silesian Institute in Opole
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5551-2626

Abstract

The article covers national and cultural heterogeneity of the Opole Silesia, which is a historical part of Upper Silesia, caused by the amalgamation of the Polish, German, Czech and Habsburg cultures. In the article, the territory of Opole Silesia corresponds with administrative boundaries of Opole Voivodeship. There are four fundamental elements to be described: ethnonational structure of the Opole region’s population (1), enforcement of rights of the ethnic and national minorities in Opole Voivodeship (2), political organisation and activity of German minority, and their competition with the Silesian Autonomy Movement (Ruch Autonomii Śląska) in local elections (3) and activity of organizations promoting the idea of ethnic or national distinctiveness of Silesians (4). The presented analysis could be a contribution to continuation and enlargement of studies about the political competition of German minority organisations’ with both the political organizations of Polish majority and the groups declaring distinctive, ethnically or nationally based, Silesian identity.

Keywords:

Opole Silesia, German minority, the rights of ethnic minorities