THE UKRAINIAN PROBLEMS IN PARIS' 'KULTURA' (1989-2000)

The article discusses the coverage of Polish-Ukrainian relations in the Polish language periodical 'Kultura' (Culture), edited by Jerzy Giedroyc and his associates, and published in Paris. The opinions expressed in 'Kultura' are important because of the periodical's great impact on the political opinions of Poles after 1989 when, as an effect of the fall of Communism, 'Kultura' became readily available in Poland. The author points out that Jerzy Giedroyc, the editor, can be seen as an adherent of a rapprochement between Poland and Ukraine and accepts as fully justified the view of sociologist Zbigniew Kurcz of Wroclaw that an 'eastern myth of Jerzy Giedroyc' has evolved. This myth brings with it a tendency to keep silent about the genocide of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II, and is harmful for Poles who still live in the former eastern 'Kresy'. The article points to bias and prejudice of many texts published in 'Kultura', selectivity in the choice of its contributors, and one-sidedness of interpretations in terms of the Russian threat, which leads to a deformed image of the situation at the turn of the 21st century, as well as chronic blindness to the potential dangers that could arise should Ukraine be overcome by a nationalist ideology based on the ideologies of the 'Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists' and their main ideologue, Dmytro Doncov.