Etnogeneza i polityka. O politycznym znaczeniu początków narodu

It is well known, that the past is used to shape the present. After the World War I, when many nations achieved sovereignty, archaeological studies were directed toward issues of ethnicity. Scholars were searching for roots of nations, but it always engaged political statement about the present. It is impossible to write history without being involved in current debates about politics and economy. My aim is to reconsider some images of the past of European nations with the notion of their political significance. Only by doing so we are able to prevent future difficulties in writing more objective history and – more or less – prevent inappropriate use of history by supporters of so-called „new nationalism”.