Best regards, Andrew Stewart
Begin forwarded message: > From: H-Net Staff via H-REVIEW <[email protected]> > Date: May 25, 2021 at 8:35:28 AM EDT > To: [email protected] > Cc: H-Net Staff <[email protected]> > Subject: H-Net Review [H-Midwest]: Misiarz on Radzilowski and Gunkel, > 'Poles in Illinois' > Reply-To: [email protected] > > John Radzilowski, Ann Hetzel Gunkel. Poles in Illinois. Carbondale > Southern Illinois University Press, 2020. Illustrations, tables. 244 > pp. $24.50 (paper), ISBN 978-0-8093-3723-1. > > Reviewed by Radoslaw Misiarz (Independent Scholar) > Published on H-Midwest (May, 2021) > Commissioned by Dustin McLochlin > > It is astonishing that until now we have not had a comprehensive > study concerning the history of Polish communities in Illinois. > Luckily, John Radzilowski and Ann Hetzel Gunkel's book, _Poles in > Illinois_, fills that void. Poles in Illinois constitutes a > fascinating story of how the state of Illinois has gradually become a > second home to "generations of Polish immigrants and their > descendants." Statistics attest to the fact that this land has been > chosen as one of Polish immigrants' favorite destinations; according > to the authors, "in 2010, an estimated 1 million Polish Americans > lived in Illinois, making up 8 percent of all state residents" (p. > 1). Since the nineteenth century, the moment when Poles first started > to populate the Prairie State, their unique experiences have been > incorporated, as an essential and inseparable component, into the > history of Illinois. > > The Polish exodus to the United States progressed in several waves. > It began in the second half of the nineteenth century when many > Poles, suffering under the yoke of the three partitioning powers, > Russia, Germany, and Austria, decided to leave their occupied country > to seek new opportunities and a better life across the Atlantic. > Polish immigration to the new mythical land reached its apogee at the > turn of the twentieth century when masses of newcomers began to flock > to its shores in search of their American dream. Leaving their > homeland "za chlebem" (for bread), Poles settled all over the United > States, including Illinois, and were rapidly absorbed by an > insatiable industrial market of the newly emerging world power. > Encountering an unknown reality, however, bred fear and uncertainty > for the immigrants. They understood that being immersed in an often > hostile environment meant that they had to rely on certain survival > mechanisms to assuage their anxieties. > > One of those strategies was relying on family ties ("rodzina"). > Polish newcomers in the Prairie State attempted, as other immigrant > groups, to recreate, to some extent, their previous pre-migrant world > in terms of familial bonds, values, and rituals. Sometimes, as the > authors indicate, such efforts proved to be fruitless since > "immigrants lacked a support network of older relatives and neighbors > who oversaw social relations and helped mitigate problems" (p. 34). > Facing many challenges, like separation, broken family ties, unstable > relationships, substance abuse, and nostalgia, Poles who settled in > Illinois were forced to define the role of the Polish family anew. A > lot of them were determined to succeed, as shown in the case of the > Kozik and Mischke families who managed to overcome these obstacles > and built stable homes in a new and unknown country. > > Lacking extended kin networks, to survive in a new socioeconomic > environment, Polish immigrants in Illinois frequently turned to > Polish organizations and fraternal societies. These institutions, > including the Polish National Alliance, Polish Roman Catholic Union, > Polish Women Alliance, and Polish Falcons, to name only a few, served > as mediators between Polish newcomers and the dominant society. They > "proved to be ideal organizations for immigrants to get involved in > cultural, social, and political activity" (p. 90). Participating in > community life also enabled Poles to identify with their compatriots > and ease feelings of nostalgia for the abandoned homeland. > > In a similar vein, faith ("wiara") was another survival mechanism for > Poles. National-religious identity of newcomers constituted the > fusion of Polishness and Roman Catholicism. However, adhering to > Catholicism was even more important for Polish immigrants than their > sense of national belonging. It is not surprising then that the life > of Poles in Illinois revolved around parishes, which not only met the > spiritual needs of the immigrants but also served as "centers of > community organization and social, cultural, political, and even > economic activity" (p. 64). The parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka, > founded in 1869 in Chicago, was one of the largest parishes in the > entire country. "Clergy played a critical role, serving as the most > important leaders of the new immigrant communities" (p. 69). Many > Polish priests, for example, Father Wincenty Barzynski, often acted > as cultural mediators or cultural brokers introducing uneducated > immigrants to American society. > > Finally, work ("praca") may be perceived in terms of an adaptation > strategy for Poles who decided to leave their old country in search > of a better life. Finding employment opportunities was the major > incentive for immigration, for both Poles and other ethnic groups > coming to America from the nineteenth century until now. Especially > during the years 1870-1914, when the Polish exodus to the New World > reached its apogee, Poles eagerly headed to Illinois where demand for > cheap labor seemed unlimited. Similar to other ethnic newcomers, > Polish immigrants found employment in "garment making, meatpacking, > metalworking (mainly steel), and coal mining" (p. 44). Working > conditions were brutal and dangerous with long hours and low wages, > but such harsh realities and the daily struggle for survival did not > discourage Poles from settling in Illinois, the land in which they > could fulfill their American dream. > > _Poles in Illinois _is written in lively, clear, and understandable > language. Although aimed at a broad audience, the book maintains its > scholarly focus through its extensive endnotes and bibliography. As > befits scrupulous researchers, the authors used a wide range of > primary sources, including census manuscripts, oral interviews, > newspapers, and letters. Interesting photographs, statistical tables, > and three appendices on Polish parishes, schools, and newspapers in > Illinois increase the value of the book. > > Citation: Radoslaw Misiarz. Review of Radzilowski, John; Gunkel, Ann > Hetzel, _Poles in Illinois_. H-Midwest, H-Net Reviews. May, 2021. > URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=55966 > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States > License. > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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