UKRAINE AND THE UKRAINIANS IN OFFICIAL AND MASS MEDIA DISCOURSES OF CONTEMPORARY POLAND (THE FIRST HALF OF 1990S)

Abstract

The article examines historical stereotypes of Ukraine and the Ukrainians in present Poland (the first half of 1990s). The author focuses on the Polish state and mass media discourses, as social institutions which create and spread social stereotypes. It is shown that in Polish official documents, concerning Ukrainian questions, affirmative images of the Ukrainians as “equal and close” to the Poles predominated, but in the popular Polish papers (“Rzeczpospolita”, “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Polityka”, “Życie Przemyskie”) Ukraine and the Ukrainians were presented not only in positive, but also in neutral or negative tones.