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Reshaping Poland’s Community after Communism

Ordinary Celebrations

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Offers insights into the democratic transformation of Poland through examinations of the day-to-day lives of "ordinary people"
  • Contextualizes Polish examples with ‘Western’ cases to analyze the influence of the West on Polish cultural development since 1989
  • Holds value for scholars working in a range of disciplines including cultural sociology, political sociology, political science, social anthropology, transformation studies, religion, and culture and media studies, among other areas

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
  2. Introduction

    • Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer
    Pages 1-15
  3. Woodstock Station Festival: Practicing Recognition

    • Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer
    Pages 79-123
  4. Conclusion: Ordinary Celebrations in a “Pluralistic Situation”

    • Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer
    Pages 181-185
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 187-191

About this book

Harnessing a cultural sociological approach to explore transformations in key social spheres in post-1989 Poland, Chmielewska-Szlajfer illuminates shifts in religiosity, sympathy towards others, and civic activity in post-Communist Poland in the light of Western influence over elements of Polish life.

Reshaping Poland’s Community after Communism focuses on three major cases, largely ignored in Polish scholarship: (1) a hugely popular, faux-baroque Catholic shrine, which illustrates new strategies adopted by the Polish Catholic Church to attract believers; (2) Woodstock Station, a widely known free charity music festival, demonstrating new practices of sympathy towards strangers; and (3) the emergence of national internet pro-voting campaigns and small-town watchdog websites, which uncover changes in practical uses of civic engagement. 

In exploring grass-roots, everyday negotiations of religiosity, charity, and civic engagement in contemporary Poland, Chmielewska-Szlajfer demonstrates how a country’s cultural changes can suggest wider, dramatic democratic transformation. 

 

Authors and Affiliations

  • Koźmiński University, Warsaw, Poland

    Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer

About the author

Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer is Assistant Professor at Kozminski University, Poland.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Reshaping Poland’s Community after Communism

  • Book Subtitle: Ordinary Celebrations

  • Authors: Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78735-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-78734-3Published: 05 July 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-08774-6Published: 15 January 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-78735-0Published: 14 June 2018

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XV, 191

  • Number of Illustrations: 15 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Cultural Studies, Sociology of Culture, Political Sociology, Russian and Post-Soviet Politics, Democracy, Citizenship

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access