Abstract:
The article presents the results of fi eld research among young Kashubs in 2012, which
consisted of participant observation and interviews with young Kashubs (16–25 years
old) involved in activities concerning the protection of the minority language and culture.
the objective was the study of young people's views of the Kashubian world, to
what extent their knowledge of the minority language is related to attitudes supporting
identifi cation with the minority, how they perceive their culture and what they would
like it to be in the future.
Due to the weak intergenerational transmission of the language in the 20th century,
many young Kashubs did not learn Kashubian at home. Some of the author’s interlocutors
learned Kashubian at school, some learned it on their own, and others cannot
speak Kashubian, but make it a symbol of their Kashubian identity. When the pressure
of assimilation is strong, then choice of whether or not to declare themselves as Kashub
is each young person’s individual decision. Whether a person decides to identify with
the minority culture depends on the image of this culture. In the case of Kashubian, it is
still strongly related to a folkloristic image which does not fi t into the everyday life of
the younger generation. Young Kashubs rebel against this stereotypical image of their
culture. Being teenagers, just like any others, they do not want to be perceived as relics of
the past. Nevertheless, being critical of the folkloric aspect does not mean a revolt against
tradition, as it, next to the language, can be seen as a factor determining the boundaries
of being Kashub in the modern world.
