Konflikt pamięci czy konflikt władzy? Strategie językowe w dyskusji nad zmianą nazwy ulicy w Poznaniu

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the public debate about the renaming of 23rd of February Street to Lt. J. Lewandowska Street in Poznań in 2017. Newspaper articles from the regional press and social media posts have been analysed with the use of Critical Discourse Analytic tools. The focus is on the question of whether the renaming of the street was a conflict of memory or a conflict of power. This case study is inspired by research on the ideologically motivated changes in the linguistic landscape of the city and shows that the change in political regimes is followed by attempts to harmonize the symbolic indicators of values and collective memory. Our results demonstrate that these changes may be contested by both the opposition and the city inhabitants and may lead to a broader political debate.