Overview

In much social scientific literature, Polish civil society has been portrayed as weak and passive. This volume offers a much-needed corrective, challenging this characterization on both theoretical and empirical grounds and suggesting new ways of conceptualizing civil society to better account for events on the ground as well as global trends such as neoliberalism, migration, and the renewal of nationalist ideologies. Focusing on forms of collective action that researchers have tended to overlook, the studies gathered here show how public discourse legitimizes certain claims and political actions as true civil society, while others are too often dismissed. Taken together, they critique a model of civil society that is 'made from above'.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kerstin Jacobsson ,  Elzbieta Korolczuk
Publisher:   Berghahn Books
Imprint:   Berghahn Books
ISBN:  

9781800732063

ISBN 10:   1800732066
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   15 October 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures Preface Introduction: Rethinking Polish Civil Society Kerstin Jacobsson and Elzbieta Korolczuk PART I: CIVIL SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY POLAND: MYTHS AND REALITIES Chapter 1. Civil Society in Post-communist Europe - Poland in a Comparative Perspective Grzegorz Ekiert and Jan Kubik Chapter 2. (Mis)understanding Social Activism in Poland Anna Giza-Poleszczuk Chapter 3. Rethinking Civic Privatism in a Postsocialist Context: Individualism and Personalization in Polish Civil Society Organizations Kerstin Jacobsson Chapter 4. Defining In/Defining Out. Civil Society through the Lens of Elite NGOs Katarzyna Jezierska PART II: (DE)LEGITIMIZATION OF CIVIC ACTIVISM: NEW ACTORS AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS Chapter 5. When Parents Become Activists. Exploring the Intersection of Civil Society and Family Elzbieta Korolczuk Chapter 6. On the Disappearing Mother. Political Motherhood, Citizenship and Neoliberalism in Poland Renata Ewa Hryciuk Chapter 7. Marginalizing Discourses and Activists' Strategies in Collective Identity Formation: The Case of the Polish Tenants' Movement Dominika V. Polanska Chapter 8. Voice and Insecurity. Political Participation Among Members of the Precariat Anna Kiersztyn PART III: CIVIL SOCIETY MAKING: BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT Chapter 9. Between Tradition and Modernity: The Case of Rural Women's Organizations in Poland Ilona Matysiak Chapter 10. Ethnic Bonding and Homing Desires: The Polish Diaspora and Civil Society Making Gabriella Elgenius Chapter 11. Mobilizing on the Extreme Right in Poland: Marginalization, Institutionalization and Radicalization Daniel Platek and Piotr Plucienniczak Conclusion: Empirical and Theoretical Lessons from the Volume Kerstin Jacobsson and Elzbieta Korolczuk Index

Reviews

The book Civil Society Revisited is relevant not only for Polish readers, but for all scholars of civil society and social movements in the region. This is a collection of interesting texts with a strong methodological thesis and equally strong message .... The authors of the chapters challenge a common view that civil society in Poland and other post-socialist countries is underdeveloped: they question the biased image of passive societies, lacking in social capital and 'intermediary bodies', in which citizens are poorly educated, unaware of their own rights, deprived of the culture of participation and the necessary resources needed for social activity. * Przeglad Socjologiczny Empirically grounded, methodologically plural, gender aware, theoretically rich, and sufficiently provocative, the editors of this volume have assembled interpretations of Polish civil society that ought not only draw in those dedicated to Polish scholarship. This volume needs to be engaged by everyone who wants to appreciate how social science matters in figuring social change. * Slavic Review

Author Information

Kerstin Jacobsson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg. Recent publications include Animal Rights Activism: A Moral-Sociological Perspective on Social Movements (co-authored with Jonas Lindblom, 2016) and the edited volume Urban Grassroots Movements in Central and Eastern Europe (2015).

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