Górale and Farming – It Goes Hand in Hand. Agricultural Work as Part of Cultural Heritage in Podhale

Abstract

Contrary to common associations linking Podhale with recreation and tourism, this region still retains its rural character. Rurality, thus, is a category inextricably connected with agriculture and largely shaped by work. That is why progressive changes in agriculture and general de-agrarianisation affect rural areas much more strongly than a simple change in occupational structure would suggest. The article concerns selected narratives and activities of Podhale farmers, showing agriculture as part of the cultural heritage of the countryside. Reffering to the specific agrarian structure, I argue that farmers in this regions use mountain conditions and the presence of the tourist business to undertake activities that go beyond economic aspects of work. The specific nature of agriculture makes it a space for realising individual ambitions that reach beyond earning a living and touch upon aspects of indentity. Even though the agricultural past is common to most inhabitants of Podhale, farmers, consciously referring to it, use techniques available only to them as specific continuators of highland farming methods.