Jan Baudouin de Courtenay o kwestii narodowości

Jan Baudouin de Courtenay on the Problem of NationalityThe great Polish linguist Jan Baudouin de Courtenay spoke many times of the issue of nationality and problems related to it. He stated concisely: “If one strictly abides by the freedom of conscience and respect for human dignity, one may consciously not include oneself in any nationality, as well as one may consciously include oneself in and emotionally belong to two or more nationalities.” In tsarist times he promoted the idea of federalization of the Russian empire and granting autonomy to other nationalities; in independent Poland he defended the rights of national minorities. Thanks to his bold and consistent attitude, de Courtenay gained great respect among people. In 1922 he was nominated by members of national minorities as a candidate for the president of Poland. De Courtenay was particularly sensitive to confusing the concepts of nationality and citizenship.