Identification of the Gorals in the Slovak-Polish borderland

Abstract

In this paper I will discuss the issue of identification of the inhabitants of the Slovak-Polish border region with the Goral culture. The representations that are present in these societies are called essential and constructivist in the social sciences. In this study I will analyze these representations and the presence of the Goral autostereotype in this area from the perspective of cultural anthropology and contemporary theoretical frameworks that relate to this issue. At the same time, I will connect the emic and ethical perspective on these social representations, thereby trying to create the most comprehensive view possible of the ways in which Gorals identify with their own social and regional group.