Ethnic Polarisation in an Ethnically Homogenous Town

Abstract

The study analyzes ethnic relations & ethnic identity based on the example of Bratislava in the 20th century. The obtained ethnological material allows the author to conclude that the change in political system had affected the ethnic structure of the studied town. This was due to the migration of population as well as to elements of social engineering, which accompanied practically any change of the regime, but also due to so-called 'migration on the spot,' ie, a declared adjustment to political winners. In the first half of the past century, Bratislava was a trilingual city located at the borders of (Czecho)Slovakia, Hungary, & Austria. After WWII, the city changed (at least statistically) into an ethnically homogeneous environment, in which the Slovak ethnic group made up more than 90% of the whole population. In spite of this, the individual's identity & relations among citizens continued to be influenced by their ethnic affiliation. Its significance was already manifested during the first days of November 1989, but particularly in the following years. The identification with an ethnic group again became a differentiating factor (or even a polarizing one) in urban population. It seems that ethnicity is likely to affect the character of the studied town in the nearest future too.