Kolekcja „Polacy na Wschodzie” w Archiwum Historii Mówionej Ośrodka KARTA

Abstract

The collection „Poles on the East” in Oral History Archive of KARTA Center in Warsaw

In this article author presents oral history project „Poles on the East” („Polacy na Wschodzie”) of Warsaw based KARTA Center. Since 2006 KARTA has recorded more than 500 biographical interviews with the oldest generation of Poles who after 1945 did not „repatriate” to Poland and remained in the Soviet Union. The interviews were conducted in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Russia and – besides postsoviet states – in Romania. The author summarizes main themes and plots that appear in three main groups of the recordings: 1) interviews recorded in territories which belonged to Poland before the war; 2) interviews recorded in prewar Lithuania, Latvia, Soviet Ukraine and Belarus; 3) interviews recorded in Siberia and Kazakhstan – places where Poles were deported during Stalin’s repressions in the 30s and during the war. The article also includes information about availability of the collection for researchers and students.