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

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.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Civic and Uncivic Values: An Introduction Sabrina P. Ramet Part One – The System 2. Polish Politics, April 1989–October 2015 Aleksander Zdravkovski 3. Party System and Voting Behavior in Poland Michał Słowikowski and Michał Pierzgalski 4. European Values in Poland: The Special Case of Ethnic and National Minorities Katarzyna Dośpiał-Borysiak, Michał Klonowski, and Agata Włodarska-Frykowska Part Two – Values in Poland 5. Polish Civic Values in a European Context Kristen Ringdal 6. Religion in Public Life Maciej Potz 7. Religiosity, Tolerance of Homosexuality, and Support for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Poland: The Present and Likely Future(s) Ewa Golebiowska 8. National Catholic Impact on Anti-Semitism in Poland: Report of the Significant Results of Empirical Research Ireneusz Krzemiński Part Three – Vehicles of Socialization 9. Civic Education: Controversies Surrounding Socialization Factors and Mechanisms Renata Siemieńska 10. History Textbooks in Poland since 1989: A Dialogue between the Past and the Present Sylwia Bobryk and Thomas Strobel 11. Rock music and politics in Poland: Lyrics of Protest and Resistance Sabrina P. Ramet 12. Film and Values: Polish Cinema of National Remembrance Elżbieta Durys 13. Poland’s Media: Learning from the Past and Fitting a New Mold Jane Leftwich Curry 14 Past and Present in the Struggle for Polish Democracy: A Postscript Sabrina P. Ramet About the Editors and Contributors Index

About the Author :
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.  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. Katarzyna Dospial-Borysiak is an assistant professor at the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the University of Lódz. She received her Master’s Degree in international relations (2000) from the University of Lódz 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. 

Review :
"Civic and Uncivic Values in Poland is a collection, in one volume, of a host of articles that give us the basic “lay of the land” of contemporary Polish society. As its chapters are full of vital information on the most basic aspects of Polish society—including political parties, religion, minorities, attitudes, education, textbooks, music, cinema, media—this book will be of considerable use to scholars looking for one source on contemporary Poland."