How is the culture of an immigrant group kept alive in a new country? Voluntary organizations play a significant role, according to the author, in preserving the cultural heritage of Poland for Polish immigrants and their descendants in Canada. However, participation in these organizations is declining. The author explains why in this sociological study. The first part of the study describes Polish organizations in Canada between 1860 and 1973. The second part describes field research carried out in Metropolitan Toronto in 1974. Results of the research indicate that Polish organizations continue to contribute to the maintenance of a distinctive Polish culture, but that the long-term survival of these organizations is not assured.

The study will be useful to sociologists, students of Polish culture, and those interested in ethnic organizations in general.

Henry Radecki is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Laurentian University. A native of Poland, he is the major author of A Member of a Distinguished Family: The Polish Group in Canada and has contributed sociological studies of the Polish population in Canada to various books and journals. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from York University, Toronto.

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