Transformation of Ethnicity Determinants and Redefinition of Identity in the Wiślanie Ethnic Group from Ostojićevo (Banat, Serbia)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to show the contemporary transformations of identity of minority ethnic group whose ancestors came from Wisła (Silesia, Poland) to Ostojićevo (Banat, Serbia) in the 19th century. Those changes of identity are directly related to the organizational changes taking place in this ethnic group today. I show the aspects of the cultural and artistic associations, whose activities affect the redefinition of the identity of this minority community in a multiethnic environment. The village of Ostojićevo lies an area which has a diverse ethnic structure, so the boundaries between groups of people are constantly negotiated. Interactions between them lead in effect to changes both in the organizational group and, in the symbolic dimension, at the level of identification. The article is based on field research conducted in Ostojićevo in November 2016.