The identity of the borderland. What monuments of Opole Region tell about. A report on pilot studies

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to describe the methodology, range and conclusions of a pilot research project conducted in the area of Opole Province. The goal of the project was to make an analysis of monuments found in Opole Region in terms of the political functions they perform. The research problem which was to be solved by the project was legitimization of the political belonging of the given territory through building and interpreting social frameworks of memory by means of monuments. Due to the pilot character of the studies, the examination covered only a part of the monuments found in the area of the Province. The examined area covers 3.8% of the territory of the Province and is inhabited by 21.3% of the total number of its population. The selection of the sample was based on the assumption that it is areas of high density which are the most natural places to erect monuments. In the examined area, the existence of 71 monuments was documented.