Between Consuming and Preserving the Tradition – A Few Notes on Kitsch in Regional Culture Cover Image

Pomiędzy konsumpcją a ochroną tradycji – kilka uwag o kiczu w kulturze regionalnej
Between Consuming and Preserving the Tradition – A Few Notes on Kitsch in Regional Culture

Author(s): Ilona Copik
Subject(s): Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Culture and social structure
Published by: Instytut Śląski
Keywords: folklorism; primal kitsch; secondary kitsch; regional culture; cultural identity

Summary/Abstract: The goal of this article is to discuss the media image of regional culture in terms of stylized forms classified by modern anthropologists as so-called folklorism (pseudo-folklore). The analysis concerns such cultural and media phenomena as Silesian folk (“Silesian disco”), comedy series, and feasts (Oktoberfests). The research premise is to critically examine kitsch – although not so much in aesthetic terms, but rather in anthropological ones – as a cultural artifact and at the same time an attitude, which is a recognizable sign of regional identity. The paper asks questions about the social functions of kitsch (integrating the community), as well as the effects of identifying kitsch as a symbol of Silesianness, while tracing the “kitsch-making” mechanisms – i.e. the operation of various ideologies

  • Issue Year: 2025
  • Issue No: 97
  • Page Range: 197-211
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Polish
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