Abstract
The presence of over a million Ukrainian immigrants in Poland has inspired various analyses and studies. They seek to answer the question of how this largest group of immigrants, living in Poland mainly for economic and educational purposes,will influence the course of discussions on the social, political, cultural and, finally, economic consequences of migration.
 Yet another question, which the author of this article is attempting to answer, concerns how historical events such as the “Volhynia slaughter” and the forced displacement of Polish and Ukrainian people from 1939 to 1952 will affect the content and intensity of Polish-Ukrainian political dialogue and the content of political history. The author formulates the thesis that both Poles and Ukrainians can use these events to achieve short-term political goals.
 Overcoming historical burdens is a process that will take many years and last for generations. Politics, however, is more short-term and its vectors frequently change. This observation should encourage taking up the challenges related to Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation, which is a necessary condition for good neighbourly relations between the Republic of Poland and Ukraine, and more broadly, between Poles and Ukrainians, both in Poland and in Ukraine.
Highlights
The presence of over a million Ukrainian immigrants in Poland has inspired various analyses and studies
From the very beginning, when economic immigrants began to arrive in Poland in great numbers, there emerged the opinion that the authorities should take into account the criterion of cultural affinity in their immigration policy
This article was inspired by work on a publication by the Institute for Western Affairs which was put together to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the Western and Northern Territories into Poland (Bukiel, Sakson, Trosiak, 2020)
Summary
The presence of over a million Ukrainian immigrants in Poland has inspired various analyses and studies. Another interesting property of Kwilecki’s study is that its title announces an analysis of the influence of migration processes on the formation of social identity using the example of the Lemkos, but the results of his research can be extended to all displaced persons who found themselves in the Western and Northern Territories as part of Operation Vistula.
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