Attitudes Towards Places Associated With Communism: The Role of Place Attachment and Interest in Place History
Open Access
- 16 August 2019
- journal article
- Published by Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) in Social Psychological Bulletin
- Vol. 14 (2)
- https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.v14i2.33906
Abstract
The aim of the study was to identify attitudes towards places commonly associated with the communist period of the Polish People’s Republic (PPR), and to investigate the role of the relationship between these attitudes and place attachment, interest in a city’s history and political orientation. This online study used a convenience sample of residents of the cities of Warsaw, Toruń and Poznań, N = 199. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that attitudes towards PPR places fall into two groups: those for the preservation of PPR places, and those for their removal. Moreover, this distinction was associated with, on the one hand, the preservation of ideologically free places (IFPs) such as cafes, milky bars, cinemas, and places that serve cultural functions. On the other, it was associated with the removal of ideologically contaminated places (ICPs) such as, e.g., monuments or street names reminiscent of awkward historical and political events. The inclination to remove ICPs was not related to place attachment but was positively related to interest in a city’s history; willingness to preserve IFPs, on the other hand, was correlated with higher traditional and active place attachment and with higher interest in a city’s history. Interest in a city’s history played a significant mediating role in this relationship. On a more general level, right-wing preferences coincided with being in favor of removing ICPs. Overall, the study adds to the literature by showing how place attachment is related to attitudes towards controversial historic places.Keywords
This publication has 32 references indexed in Scilit:
- Basic Personal Values and the Meaning of Left‐Right Political Orientations in 20 CountriesPolitical Psychology, 2011
- Pro-environmental behaviours and park visitors: The effect of place attachmentJournal of Environmental Psychology, 2010
- Disruption to place attachment and the protection of restorative environments: A wind energy case studyJournal of Environmental Psychology, 2010
- On the Varieties of People’s Relationships With PlacesEnvironment and Behavior, 2010
- Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation AnalysisJournal of Consumer Research, 2010
- Place attachment, place identity, and place memory: Restoring the forgotten city pastJournal of Environmental Psychology, 2008
- Social Ties, Environmental Perception, And Local AttachmentEnvironment and Behavior, 1998
- A Place to Call Home: Identification With Dwelling, Community, and RegionThe Sociological Quarterly, 1993
- The Evaluative Image of the CityJournal of the American Planning Association, 1990
- Generations and Collective MemoriesAmerican Sociological Review, 1989