Forms in which Podkarpacie Residents Manifest Their Local Identity in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of the presented text is to analyze the forms of manifestation of local identity of migrants from the Podkarpacie region in the United States, using selected localities of the region as an example. The research was based on existing data (mainly censuses, personal documents, newspapers, passenger arrival records from the Ellis Island Archives) and elicited data (in-depth interviews). The exploration covered two neighboring counties: Strzyzow (nineteen villages) and Rzeszow (primarily Rzeszow and Harta). Examples of different ways of demonstrating local identity in the context of migration, presented in this text, clearly confirm how important an aspect it remains for the immigrant, and how crucial role it plays in the process of reconstructing identification in the destination country.