Transformation of Symbolic Communication Barriers
in the Narratives of Young, Educated Residents of Podlasie
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University of Bialystok
Submission date: 2025-03-31
Final revision date: 2025-07-23
Acceptance date: 2025-12-15
Publication date: 2026-03-17
Polish Sociological Review 2026;233(1):121-146
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The aim of this article is to describe the impact of secularization processes in Poland on the
transformation of symbolic religious boundaries in small local communities, as well as to offer an in-depth
scholarly reflection on the mechanisms and consequences of these changes. The analysis focuses on a specific
region in the eastern borderland, characterised by a high level of religious and ethnic diversity and a low level
of urbanisation, which limits the influence of secularization processes. To verify the hypotheses, an analysis
was conducted on research material obtained from semi-structured qualitative interviews with young, educated
residents of Podlasie who grew up in villages and small towns but currently live in Białystok. The collected
material revealed that respondents experienced a significant decline in religiosity, which began during adolescence
and had a crucial impact on the redefinition of symbolic religious boundaries between believers and non-believers
in their traditional hometowns. While the distinction between Orthodox Christians and Catholics was accepted,
atheists often faced exclusion or social isolation.
FUNDING
Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021 (Project number 2019/34/H/HS1/00654)