Activism is typically associated with work within charities/NGOs or participation in social movements. This essay highlights activism different from these forms in that it happens without funding or mass mobilisation. Instead, it is powered byContinue reading
Visualising Invisible (Migrant) Activism
Migrant activism is usually assumed to happen within migrant organisations. This récit tells the story of how I came to rethink this concept in the course of producing an ethnographic documentary about someone who cannotContinue reading
Young Poles in Times of Dramatic Change: Refugees, Identity and Social Engagement
Young people have experienced profound changes in the way Polish national identity is expressed in public since the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) gained far-reaching control of Polish politics in 2015. This report examinesContinue reading
War in Ukraine: What Do Young Poles Think?
As Ukraine’s large neighbour, Poland has so far taken in the most Ukrainian refugees. A new ZOiS survey shows that many young Poles are in favour of protecting them. An overwhelming majority is, however, againstContinue reading
Three keywords to better understand the Polish abortion protests
When Poland’s new Constitutional Tribunal banned nearly all abortions on 22 October 2020, the move immediately sparked demonstrations and strikes across the country. The words Wypierdalać, apostasy, and Berlin help provide an understanding of theContinue reading
Poland’s creative civil society in times of Covid-19
It has often been argued that Poland, like other Central and East European countries, lacks civil society and civic commitment. A closer look shows that while Polish activism can be hard to quantify, it takesContinue reading
Aktywizm dyskretny, czyli kawiarnio-księgarnie i inne szalone pomysły
Napisano szereg książek i artykułów, w których, czerpiąc ze statystyk, porównywano ilość stowarzyszeń w Europe Zachodniej oraz Środkowej i Wschodniej. Okazało się, że jest ich u nas dużo mniej i zapewne dlatego demokracja nie działa,Continue reading
The Image of Women in the Philosophy of Plato
Plato, one of the world’s most important philosophers, is notable for asserting, in the 4th century BCE, that there is no reason why women should be treated differently than men by law, that they shouldContinue reading
Everyday Active Citizenship the Balkan Way
This essay presents a range of better- and lesser-known forms of civil society in the contemporary post-Yugoslav space. It shows how interest associations, student unions, religious groups and online communities can all contribute to vibrantContinue reading
Narratives and Practices of Diversity
This essay demonstrates how NGOs, as well as other civil society actors, in two post-Yugoslav cities create and/or make (or do not make) use of narratives of diversity: that is, how they position diversity withinContinue reading