Identity dramas written into the cultural borderland. Educational implications

In addition to the positive borderline effect, which is often presented in the literature, this text presents the dilemmas and tragedies of the individual, family and community, taking place on the border of cultures, religions and ethnicities. The methodological basis is the concept of the interpretation of the borderland and multi-range identity, through which I read and describe the fate of Emilia Moszczańska Kosiur Niewęgłowska presented by Grzegorz Dżus in the book “Banderowka”, published in 2020. The narration of the book’s main character allowed for presenting the process of shaping the family, individual and social identity. In this process, in the face of experiencing suspicion, helplessness, fear and humiliation, such questions dominate as: Who am I? Who am I to be? How am I to be? The author draws attention to the problem of the narrator’s internal dialogue, points to its value in the educational and humanistic context. He emphasizes how difficult but important, in the process of shaping identity, is the mediation of three areas of identity and the liberating oneself from the stigma of alienation experienced from all sides.

Significance of regional education in shaping regional identity before and in the pandemic times

The undertaken considerations concern the role of regional education in shaping the regional identity of children between 5–12 years old before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The basis of scientific analysis is the experience of children and their mothers. Regional education should lead to the development of the individual and collective identity of an individual, root a young person in his own cultural heritage and enable him to function creatively in a multicultural society. An outcome of the conducted research indicates minor impact of regional education in the range of shaping a regional identity of examined children during the period before the pandemic and its exacerbating ineffectiveness in the Times of isolation and distance learning. Mothers propound the need of action in the area of regional education in order to make children aware of their responsibility for their place of residence, the local community, the protection and multiplication of the cultural heritage of the region. The research indicates the need of consideration both: the current condition of regional education in kindergarten and school space and its actual role in the process of shaping children’s and youth’s regional identity.