ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of the ways in which Ruch Autonomii Slaska (RAS) has managed to construct its ethno-regionalist claims under the given circumstances and the mobilizing strategies it uses. The activities of this ethno-regionalist force are fueled by the evident discrepancy between the Silesians’ officially declared self-identification in terms of nationality and language and their lack of recognition by the state authorities. The ethno-regionalist claims advanced by RAs and Slaska Partia Regionalna are centered around a demand for territorial autonomy that is presented not only as a solution for at least some of the problems of the Silesian region but also as a remedy for the weaknesses of Polish democracy. The Silesian Autonomy Movement was founded in 1990, becoming the first and only ethno-regionalist party in Poland. The case of RAS is relevant because it illustrates the emergence of a center-periphery cleavage within the Polish state.
