For decades, I’ve learned about America by studying Poland, and used my American experience to understand Poland, and worked to contribute to sociological and political theory along the way. By studying Polish alternative theater in the 1970s, I came to appreciate the importance of constituting alternative spaces of free public life, what I later called “the politics of small things.” When I examined the culture and language of …
A Symposium on The End of the Liberal Mind: Poland’s New Politics, edited by Jarosław Kuisz and Karolina Wigura (Kultura Liberalna Foundation: Warsaw, 2020) Symposium Introduction by Jeffrey C. Isaac Introduction to The End of the Liberal Mind by Karolina Wigura Critical commentaries by Szabolcs László, Six Appraisals of the Illiberal Mind Dagmar Kusá, The Hyperdemocracy of “Our People” Oana Băluță, The Resurgence of Illiberalism: Dark Times, But …
Resistance to these Republican assaults can and should take a number of forms. The Republican Party’s assault on constitutional democracy continues unabated. Over 20 restrictive voting laws have already been enacted this year (the Brennan Center’s Voting Rights Roundup is an indispensable resource for monitoring ongoing developments). And in the past two weeks two further Republican body blows were delivered to democratic equality. First, on June 22 Senate Republicans exploited archaic …
The authorities hadn’t expected an American to be at this obscure performance _____ “At the time the circumstances of my arrest in Poland seemed trivial. I hardly thought about them afterward. But now, when I consider the fall of 1989, and the fall of communism, my little run in with the Polish authorities seems highly suggestive of how things were then and what has since come to be.” …
Democracy in action or democracy in turmoil? A conversation with Yevhenii Monastyrskyi, a Luhansk native, historian, and sociologist. Interviewer: Simona Merkinaite, Vilnius University, Open Lithuania Foundation. SIMONA MERKINAITE: With the people taking over public squares in Belarus, we can see a very unique moment to reflect on the politics of revolution. There are basically two ways to look at the street protests and civil disobedience erupting around Europe …
It is hard to see how our current injustices can be repaired without working through and then “democratizing” these liberal democratic institutions. Photo: from original article: “Republicans understand this. They understand that liberal democracy is a potential means of serious challenges to the privileges and inequalities they seek to defend. (Photo: Getty Images/Stock Photo). During the four years of the Trump administration, I was one of those people, …
Further reflections on democracy and social justice Photo: Berlin, Germany – June 2, 2020: George Floyd mural at Mauerpark park at the site of the former death strip of the Berlin wall by street art artist Eme Freethinker. © Sybille Reuter | Dreamstime.com. I am relieved by the verdict and, of course, I’m not alone. We knew that Chauvin was guilty as sin: the racist, apparently remorseless, cold …
The limits of monuments in public remembrance Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument unveiling in Central Park, New York, August 26, 2020 (Photo: Lala Pop) The tensions between public monuments and history frequently orbit the question of “historical faithfulness” or “accuracy.” The controversy surrounding the new women’s rights monument in Central Park is an example of these tensions. Sculpted by Meredith Bergmann, the monument represents suffragettes Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth …
Land of despair Photo: Isac Nóbrega Brazil faces two threats, both lethal. On top of COVID-19, the country faces another virus, lethal to democracy: the virus of autocracy. The pandemic is brutally sweeping Brazil. Almost 4000 deaths per day, according to official data. There is no reason to doubt that we will reach more than 500,000 deaths, that we will be the country with the highest death toll …
We should support them On February 1 there was a military coup in Myanmar. As citizens have protested the abrogation of their country’s recent democratic election–through peaceful mass demonstrations, a civil disobedience campaign, and a general strike–the military has consistently escalated its violence and repression. NBC reports that over 100 civilians were killed on March 27, in what has been described as the deadliest day since the coup …
