Is this still the stereotype? The image of the English in Polish society – tradition and new knowledge
Is this still the stereotype? The image of the English in Polish society – tradition and new knowledge

Summary/Abstract: The article analyzes the results of the “Poles and Others” survey, devoted to Poles’ attitudes towards other nations and races which was conducted in June 2018. It refers to almost identical surveys from 1988 and 1998 which were prepared by the authors of this article and carried out according to the same methodological and technical rules. In the article, we focus on the image of the English in contemporary Polish society. Its striking feature is the richness and diversity of wording. The interpretation of this complexity is a major part of our considerations. Individual elements of the image are treated as the result of inter-ethnic direct and indirect contact resulting from migration phenomena, as well as progress in the field of technical possibilities of interpersonal contacts. On the one hand, this is due to increasing mobility and more personal contacts, but also to widely available media coverage and the use of massive forms of effective communication (Skype and WhatsApp connections, development of cellular technologies and the Internet). On the other hand, it comes from contacts with families in Poland of persons who remained in the United Kingdom as emigrants, and through them with a wider group of their relatives, friends and acquaintances. Despite these changes in perception, the distance towards the English has not altered; – they are still seen by Poles as one of the nations that is closest to us in Europe. In the article, we want to question the legitimacy of using the classic concept of the “stereotype” less commonly used by sociologists, but remaining in use among psychologists (who see in them sources of prejudice and discrimination, and problems of intergroup contacts) and experts in cultural studies. We will try to prove that the conceptual category of the stereotype should be replaced with the concept of a more complex “ethnic image” and our collected research experience confirms this thesis.

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