Kashubian diaspora

The Kashubian diaspora resulted from the emigration of Kashubians, with significant waves having occurred in the second half of the 19th century. The majority of Kashubian emigrants settled in the United States, Although have also seem to have emigrated to Brazil, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Their reasons for emigration varied. Until the Franco-Prussian War, Kashubians emigrated primarily for economic reasons. After the Franco-Prussian War and especially due to the Kulturkampf, Kaszubian emigration accelerated as socio-political factors came into play.

The Kashubian diaspora is of note in American history because it predated the Polish American diaspora, which is regarded as having peaked at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, Kashubian immigrants to the United States preferred to live on farms and in smaller cities, as opposed to the Polish immigrants' preference for large cities like Chicago, Buffalo, and Detroit.

The Kashubians have always been primarily an agrarian people, making a living by either farming or fishing. As such, they have traditionally considered themselves an entirely separate entity from both the Polish and German peoples. The question of Kashubian origins, with particular reference to Polish origins, remains vexed. Yet the Kashubian people have managed to retain their distinctive ethnic identity despite centuries of attempted Germanization and Polonization. Due to historical necessities, Kashubians have traditionally been able to understand and make themselves understood in both Polish and German; however, they never lost their own Kashubian language. Despite their shared Slavic heritage and their common devotion to Roman Catholicism, Kashubians and Poles have not always lived comfortably with each other; siding with ethnic Poles against ethnic Germans was not a foregone conclusion. Fortunately, modern Kashubians are comfortable in their status as citizens of the modern Polish Republic.

The primary reason for emigration was economic. Kaszubian farmers were not targeted by Prussian laws immediately after 1850. As the eminent Kaszubian scholar, Professor Józef Borzyszkowski of Gdańsk University has observed, Kaszubians were more or less comfortable with Prussian governance at the time. Rather, smallholders of all ethnicities were disadvantaged because the greater part of arable Pomeranian land already belonged to estate owners, and what remained was not particularly fertile. Another problem was the population boom among the Kaszubians and Poles. Large families were typical of devout Roman Catholics, and in this particular case children were welcomed as additional workers. Once grown to maturity, however, the surfeit of young people were a further drain upon Pomerania's already strained fortunes. Recognizing this situation, the Prussian government tried to free up land by encouraging (but not forcing) Kaszubians and Poles to emigrate. One very early incentive was inexpensive or even free travel to North America.

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