Czarna flaga nad „Wujkiem” – żałobna czy piracka? Subaltern studies w kontekście górnośląskiej klasy robotniczej
Was the black flag waving on the ‘Wujek’ coal mine a mourning flag or a pirate flag? Subaltern Studies in the Context of the Upper Silesian Working Classes

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to determine the extent to which contemporary researchmethods, such as the history from below approach, effectively describe theactivities of subaltern communities. This analysis is based on the case ofthe strike by miners at the Wujek coal mine in Katowice during the GreatDepression, between November 28 1936, and December 5 1936. A uniqueoral history source collected from miners employed during the strike allowsus to verify the romantic myth of workers’ rebellions. The false hungerstrike turned out to be part of a ‘culture of resistance’ characterised byorderliness and a lack of spontaneity.This article aims to determine the extent to which contemporary research methods, such as the history from below approach, effectively describe the activities of subaltern communities. This analysis is based on the case of the strike by miners at the Wujek coal mine in Katowice during the Great Depression, between November 28 1936, and December 5 1936. A unique oral history source collected from miners employed during the strike allows us to verify the romantic myth of workers’ rebellions. The false hunger strike turned out to be part of a ‘culture of resistance’ characterised by orderliness and a lack of spontaneity.

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