Polonia i polskie emigracje od doby zaborów – wyzwaniem badawczym nad wychodźstwem i nad stanem cywilizacji Zachodu

The author discusses the unique nature of Polish emigrations in the multifarious migratory history of the European West, and the presence of the Polish diaspora in Western societies. He sees the key to understanding that uniqueness in the extension of research into the ethnic traits and the shaping of Poland, and its present form, so distinct from other, essentially Germanic, states of Western Europe. He finds also that studies on the Poles abroad and the Polish diaspora in the communities of the European West enhance our knowledge of the present state of Western civilisation