| Author | Nina Pielacińska |
|---|---|
| Title | (Auto)biography as a medium for regaining identity – the experience of Argentinian Polonia in the light of emigrants’ memories |
| Keywords | autobiography, emigration, Polish Argentinean community, identity |
| Pages | 401-415 |
| Full text | |
| Volume | 34 |
From the end of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century, tens of thousands of Poles emigrated to Argentina. The social status of emigrants and their motivations varied and depended largely on economic and historical factors. The aim of this article is to consider the function of the anthology of (auto)biographical texts Cuéntame tu Historia. The publication contains memories of Polish emigrants and their descendants who settled in the province of Misiones and constitute one of the largest Polish diasporas in Argentina. (Auto)biographies will be discussed in the context of broadly understood collective memory and the formation of the identity of a particular group. The point of reference for the discussion will be Astrid Erll’s theory of literature as a medium of cultural memory.