This paper aims to illustrate the evolution of the name ‘Chominowa’ within Polish collective consciousness. Initially mentioned in a poem by Zuzanna Ginczanka as the woman who reported the poetess to the Nazi authorities in 1942, this name gradually came to symbolize all Poles who collaborated with the German occupiers. Its evolution into an antonomasia reached its zenith in 2020 with the unveiling of Adam Rzepecki’s art installation – a yellow neon composition featuring the name ‘Chominowa’. The controversies surrounding this installation can be attributed to the tabooization of Polish collective memory, which often glosses over the darker aspects of history such as collaborationism, in an attempt to portray a purified national identity free from culpability.
Amenta, A. (2024). Il nome della vergogna: la signora Chominowa. IL NOME NEL TESTO, XXVI, 21-31 [10.4454/iNnt.innt.v26.920].
Il nome della vergogna: la signora Chominowa
Amenta A.
2024-01-01
Abstract
This paper aims to illustrate the evolution of the name ‘Chominowa’ within Polish collective consciousness. Initially mentioned in a poem by Zuzanna Ginczanka as the woman who reported the poetess to the Nazi authorities in 1942, this name gradually came to symbolize all Poles who collaborated with the German occupiers. Its evolution into an antonomasia reached its zenith in 2020 with the unveiling of Adam Rzepecki’s art installation – a yellow neon composition featuring the name ‘Chominowa’. The controversies surrounding this installation can be attributed to the tabooization of Polish collective memory, which often glosses over the darker aspects of history such as collaborationism, in an attempt to portray a purified national identity free from culpability.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
