How the “Smolensk myth” was born... Cover Image

Narodziny „mitu smoleńskiego”
How the “Smolensk myth” was born...

Author(s): Paweł Sendyka
Subject(s): Anthropology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: myth; Smolensk crash; hero; president; mythologizing

Summary/Abstract: After the presidential air plane crash near Smolensk, in Russia, on April 10th 2010, we had all witnessed a transformation of this historical event into a myth. The aim of this article is to document this transformation, by following the different types of narratives after the crash (news articles, blogs, films), especially in its immediate aftermath. The analysis of these sources shows that the “Smolensk myth” has been born, fully formed (with all the ideas and motifs we can see today), almost immediately after the crash.

  • Issue Year: 41/2013
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 43 -50
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Polish