Phantom borders and electoral behaviour in Poland. Historical legacies, political culture and their influence on contemporary politics

Abstract

The article deals with phantom borders in electoral behavior in Poland. Being aware of the already wide literature in this field, the author tries to fill a gap existing in the research by investigating scale as a factor determining phantom borders’ construction. Two historical-administrative regions, Wielkopolska and Pomorze (crossed by relict boundaries) were tested quantitatively and qualitatively. By employing double de-scaling (territorial and electoral) the author discovered that in both the macro and micro scales phantom borders are present, however, their construction and manifestation differs significantly. Consequently, this finding brings a new perspective to phantom border studies, widening the currently dominating historical perspective (with its structural and normative dimensions) by adding a new element: scale. It seems to bring a new perspective in understanding the investigated processes.