Galicia : An Eastern or a Western Land? Remarks on Locating the Province in the Framework of the East-West Opposition

The article discusses the phenomenon of locating Galicia within dialectical tension between ‘East’ and ‘West’, that is, the categories of heavily ideologized cultural geography, which respectively symbolize ‘backwardness’ and ‘development’, ‘barbarism’ and ‘civilization,’ ‘chaos’ and ‘order.’ The categories in question go back to the Enlightenment. Since the creation of the province in question in 1772, Austrians justified the annexation of Polish lands by their civilizing mission, presenting Austria’s rule as a remedy for alleged backwardness of that ‘Eastern’ land. Such a strategy for decades has made newcomers and the Galicians themselves perceive the land in terms of notions imposed upon Galicia in order to adjust the region to the imperial policies and socio-political and cultural visions of the Habsburgs. Interestingly, these notions turned out to be susceptible to divergence interpretations and, over time, began to serve not only as a proof of ‘Easterness’ of Galicia and the necessity of civilizing mission in the province, but also as an evidence of Galicia’s ‘Westerness’ and its belonging to the same cultural circle as Vienna. The article delivers analysis of several examples of inscribing Galicia into the dichotomous system of meanings connected with ‘East’ and ‘West,’ from Josephinism fostered by Germanophone literature, to contemporary ideas of Polish and Ukrainian intellectuals treating Galician legacy as an entry-card to Europe.