AsaresurgentPolandemergedattheendofWorldWarI,aneclecticgroupofPolishborderguards,stateofficials,militarysettlers,teachers,academics,urbanplanners,andhealthworkersdescendeduponVolhynia,aneasternborderlandprovincethatwashometoUkrainians,Poles,andJews.ItsaimwasnotsimplytoshoreupstatepowerinaplacewherePolesconstitutedanethnicminority,butalsotolaunchanambitiouscivilizingmissionthatwouldtransformapoorRussianimperialbackwaterintoaregionthatwasatoncecivilized,modern,andPolish.Overthenexttwodecades,thesemenandwomenrecastimperialhierarchiesofglobalcivilization-inwhichPolesthemselveswereoftenviewedasuncivilized-withinthebordersoftheirsupposedlyanti-imperialnation-state.Asstateinstitutionsremainedfragile,long-debatedquestionsofwhoshouldbeincludedinthenationre-emergedwithnewurgency,turningVolhynia’smainlyYiddish-speakingtownsandUkrainian-speakingvillagesintovitaltestinggroundsforcompetingPolishnationalvisions.BytheeveofWorldWarII,withNaziGermanyandtheSovietUniongrowinginstrength,schemestoensuretheloyaltyofJewsandUkrainiansbyofferingthemaconditionalplaceinthenationwerereplacedbyincreasinglyaggressivecallsforJewishemigrationandtheassimilationofnon-PolishSlavs.DrawingonresearchinlocalandnationalarchivesacrossfourcountriesandutilizingavastrangeofwrittenandvisualsourcesthatbringVolhyniatolife,OnCivilization’sEdgeoffersahighlyintimatestoryofnation-buildingfromthegroundup.WeeavesdroponpeasantrumorsatthePolish-Sovietborder,readethnographicdescriptionsofisolatedmarshlands,andscrutinizestagedphotographsofeverydaylife.Butthebook’scentralquestionstranscendthePolishcase,invitingustoconsiderhowfearsofnationalweaknessandcompetitionsforlocalpoweraffectthetreatmentofnationalminorities,howmoreinclusivedefinitionsofthenationarethemselvesbasedonexclusions,andhowtheverydistinctionbetweenempiresandnation-statesisnotalwaysclear-cut.
EDGE CIVILIZATION teachers CUT STATE LONG
