“I AM A DIDUKH!”: ON THE QUESTION OF WŁODZIMIERZ DZIEDUSZYCKI’S NATIONAL SELF-IDENTIFICATION

Abstract

The article analyzes the features of the national and cultural self-identification of Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki (ukr. Volodymyr Didushytskyi; 1825–1899), a representative of the Polish aristocratic milieu of Galicia whose identity was shaped at the intersection of the Polish cultural tradition, the status of a major landowner, and an awareness of the Ruthenian– Ukrainian origins of his family, which became particularly pronounced under the influence of the revolutionary events of 1848. Despite his consistent self-understanding as a Pole, Dzieduszycki clearly felt a territorial belonging to the Ruthenian space, although he did not call himself a “Ruthenian”. It has been established that his interaction with the Ruthenian–Ukrainian environment took place primarily in the forms of social solidarism and ethnographic interest, which became key components of his cultural and intellectual stance. The study shows that the internalization of elements of Ruthenian identity manifested itself chiefly in the social sphere and was grounded in the idea of a “whole people”, characteristic of the “Ruthenians of the Polish Nationality”. At the same time, Dzieduszycki distanced himself from the political interpretation of national consciousness, viewing the national movement rather as a form of patriotic service than as a tool of political mobilization. His views remained anchored in traditional culture, within which interethnic relations did not acquire political overtones. He devoted considerable attention to ethnographic groups, conceptualizing Galicia as a space of supra-ethnic integration capable of uniting diverse communities on the basis of the development of a “regional culture”, particularly through education and economic well-being. It is noted that in his speeches in the Galician Sejm in 1876, Dzieduszycki emphasized the importance of unity grounded in shared historical memory and a collective responsibility for the region’s future. This position contrasted with the growing tendencies toward nationalism, yet it also enabled him to maintain a certain “neutrality” in the increasingly tense conflict between Poles and Ukrainians.