Arch Sc soc des Rel. 1988 65/1 janvier-mars) 7-23 Stefan CZARNOWSKI LA CULTURE RELIGIEUSE DES PAYSANS POLONAIS Stefan Czarnowski mort en 1937 est sans doute moins connu Ouest que Florian Znaniecki Il en est pas moins considéré égal de celui-ci comme un des pères fonda teurs de la sociologie polonaise Formé Paris école de Durkheim dont influence apparaît clairement dans son uvre il apporté au début de notre siècle une eminente contribution la sociologie de la religion grâce une série observations sur la religiosité paysanne regroupées dans un texte intitulé Kultura religijna wiejskiego ludu polskiego La culture religieuse du paysan polonais Ce texte classique en Pologne jamais été publié en fran ais While religion shapes society society in turn also shapes religion/or its own purposes and in its own likeness An analysis of the religious culture of Polish peasants illustrates this interactivity and the intricate mechanisms involved in the adaptations of one to the other In the eyes of the Polish peasant nation is totally identified with Catholicism It is through his expression of piety that the individual affirms his belonging to the highly ritualized life of his local commu nity whose representative he remains even if he should set out to go on pilgrimage on his own The peasant is organically tied to the regional grouping and the nation through these pilgrimages The national tie is first and foremost an expression of cult The cult of saints has lost ground in favor of the cults of Jesus and Mary distributors of grace and justice on Earth The mystic fervor of the community is concentrated on objects e.g the Virgin usually appears as depicted in paintings The mystery is materialized as presence for the peasant incapable of distinguishing between sign and symbol The rites have no substantial meaning other than that given them by the daily life Which is why despite the considerable importance of religious practise in the lives of the Polish people their grasp of religion is incredibly weak in terms of doc trine