Thou shalt not kill: The impact of the Jedwabne affair on Polish perceptions of history and concepts of responsibility and redemption

This thesis examines the impact of the Jedwabne Affair on Polish perceptions of mythology, responsibility, and redemption within public opinion. The Jedwabne Affair was a national controversy sparked by the publication of Neighbours. In it, author Jan Tomasz Gross describes a massacre of Jews in the town of Jedwabne by their Polish compatriots on July 10, 1941. This reality did not conform to Polish perceptions of history or mythology, which largely presented a victimized, honourable, noble, righteous, and innocent Pole incapable of committing such atrocities. The Jedwabne revelation debased Polish identity and precipitated a national debate that strove to reinstate a coherent narrative back into its mythology. The public's response varied and over time became increasingly polarized. The State and the Church were also involved vying for control of the fallout from the controversy. The result contributed to a stronger division between two ancient forms of Polish identity.