Civic and Uncivic Values in Poland: Value Transformation, Education, and Culture

Sabrina P. Ramet · Kristen Ringdal · Katarzyna Dośpiał-Borysiak

Jul 2019 · Central European University Press

About this ebook

Poland, like many societies across the world, is becoming more polarized in diverse areas of life, as contending forces seek to advance incompatible agendas. The polarization over values in Polish politics was evident already before communism collapsed but became more obvious in the following years and reached a crescendo after the October 2015 parliamentary elections, which brought a right-wing party into power. This volume focuses on the years since 1989, looking at the clash between civic values (the rule of law, individual rights, tolerance, respect for the harm principle, equality, and neutrality of the state in matters of religion) and uncivic values (the rule of a dictator or dictatorial party, contempt for individual rights, bigotry, disrespect for the harm principle, unequal treatment of people whether through discrimination or through exploitation, and state favoritism of one religion over others). The authors address voting behavior, political parties, anti-Semitism, homophobia, the role of the Catholic Church, and reflections in history textbooks, fi lm, and even rock music. This volume makes clear that for the foreseeable future the conflict in Poland between traditional, conservative values and liberal, civic values is likely to continue, provoking tensions and protests.

About the author

Sabrina P. Ramet is a Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. She is also a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and a Research Associate of the Science and Research Center of the Republic of Slovenia, Koper. She is the author of 13 scholarly books.

Kristen Ringdal is a professor of sociology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. He is the Norwegian National Coordinator for the European Social Survey, and is an elected member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.

Katarzyna Dośpiał-Borysiak is an assistant professor at the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the University of Łódź. She received her Master’s Degree in international relations (2000) from the University of Łódź and a Ph.D. in political science (2004) from University of Warsaw. Her main research covers politics of climate change, the Nordic region, the Arctic, and European integration.