Background Article Dreams Beyond the Cow Pasture The People's Republic of Poland brought radical change to the lives of children and young people living in the Polish countryside. Though many still had the task of herding cows, their expectations and visions for the future were now very different. In texts written and submitted as part of so-called “memoir competitions”, young people wrote about these future prospects and their own upbringing.
Background Article How Jazz Came to Poland Freedom, independence, modernity, an alternative cultural lifestyle, and musical resistance to the communist regime — these were the qualities attributed to the jazz scene in the Polish People’s Republic, a scene that would become a pioneering force in the development of jazz cultures throughout the Eastern Bloc. But how did jazz manage to take root in Poland in the first place?
Background Article Jews in Poland immediately after the Holocaust Self-determination and violence, mourning and new beginnings, reconstruction and emigration – photographs illustrate the ambivalence of Jewish lives in post-war Poland. How were these pictures created and distributed, and what is it that they fail to show us?
Background Article Looting Fever In "Entangled in Fear, Everyday Terror in Poland, 1944–1947" historian Marcin Zaremba describes a shaken society. As the following excerpt from the book shows, in many places looting was met with acceptance rather than ostracism.
Background Article The Białystok Ghetto Cemetery as a Setting of Historical-Political Disputes The history of the necropolis in eastern Poland acts like a burning glass, a focal point of the upheavals of the 20th century and Polish-Jewish relations after the Shoa. Today, remembrance of this historically significant site alternates between disinterest, urban image cultivation, and a ritualized sense of duty.
Background Article The Changing Landscape of Place Names The Republic of Poland has a turbulent history – as do its many place names. Hardly any town or village has only one, which makes the matter very complicated, especially for historical research.
Background Article The Copernicus anniversary year of 1973 in the Polish People’s Republic The Polish celebrations to mark the anniversary of Copernicus’ birth in 1973 were widespread and impacted science, the general public, and international relations. An expensive feature movie about the life of Copernicus was one of the main features of the celebrations.
Background Article “Feminine Virtues” and “Untamable Masculinity” Historically, Sex Education has primarily been a subject that teaches important basic knowledge about human reproduction and health. However, by making both indirect and direct statements on gender roles, it also acts as a lens through which we can examine underlying societal values and images that have shaped way young people are brought up and educated.
