(Un)Usable Past: Post-Imperial Russian Heritage in the Narratives of Multiculturality in Polish Cities

The paper examines how local heritage practitioners in two Polish towns, Białystok and Łódź, recount the nineteenth-century history of Tsarist rule, with a particular focus on two interconnected aspects of life in the Russian empire: modernization and cultural diversity. Both cities experienced tremendous economic development during Russian rule and became multicultural local metropolises. The authors analyze how these facets are remembered, forgotten, or strategically utilized in contemporary memory practices to determine if Russianness constitutes a “usable past.” The paper addresses the question of whether narratives of the multicultural past can offer a stable, widely accepted framework for the positive mobilization of identity and the creation of the city’s image, especially during the war in Ukraine. It analyzes diverse dimensions of the Russian past's presence in the memory narratives created in both cities, as well as their (un)usefulness in attracting visitors and residents.