Martyrdom and national heroism: discursive strategies in Polish history textbooks

This study analyses how Polish school history textbooks published between 1991 and 2022 construct Jerzy Popiełuszko, a Catholic priest associated with the Solidarity movement, as a national hero. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis, it examines the values, ideologies and narrative strategies embedded in textbook accounts of his biography. The findings show that martyrdom remains the dominant strategy: Popiełuszko is most often presented as a victim whose death symbolizes national suffering under communism. Since around 2012, however, textbooks have increasingly portrayed him as a social and political actor, emphasizing his pastoral work, civic engagement and defence of human rights. This shift moves the narrative beyond moralized martyrdom towards a more agency-oriented model of national heroism. The article argues that such changes may shape students’ understandings of democratic role models, civic responsibility and national identity.