Civil Society Revisited

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).Elżbieta Korolczuk is a senior researcher in sociology at Södertörn University, Sweden, and a lecturer in gender studies at the University of Warsaw. Recent publications include the volumes Dangerous Liaisons: Motherhood, Fatherhood and Politics (co-edited with Renata E. Hryciuk, 2015) and Rebellious Parents: Parental Movements in Central-Eastern Europe and Russia (co-edited with Katalin Fábián, 2017).

“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.” Przegląd 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

• List of Tables and FiguresPrefaceIntroduction: Rethinking Polish Civil SocietyKerstin Jacobsson and Elżbieta KorolczukPART I: CIVIL SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY POLAND: MYTHS AND REALITIESChapter 1. Civil Society in Post-communist Europe – Poland in a Comparative PerspectiveGrzegorz Ekiert and Jan KubikChapter 2. (Mis)understanding Social Activism in PolandAnna Giza-PoleszczukChapter 3. Rethinking Civic Privatism in a Postsocialist Context: Individualism and Personalization in Polish Civil Society OrganizationsKerstin JacobssonChapter 4. Defining In/Defining Out. Civil Society through the Lens of Elite NGOsKatarzyna JezierskaPART II: (DE)LEGITIMIZATION OF CIVIC ACTIVISM: NEW ACTORS AND MARGINALIZED GROUPSChapter 5. When Parents Become Activists. Exploring the Intersection of Civil Society and FamilyElżbieta KorolczukChapter 6. On the Disappearing Mother. Political Motherhood, Citizenship and Neoliberalism in PolandRenata Ewa HryciukChapter 7. Marginalizing Discourses and Activists' Strategies in Collective Identity Formation: The Case of the Polish Tenants' MovementDominika V. PolanskaChapter 8. Voice and Insecurity. Political Participation Among Members of the PrecariatAnna KiersztynPART III: CIVIL SOCIETY MAKING: BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENTChapter 9. Between Tradition and Modernity: The Case of Rural Women's Organizations in PolandIlona MatysiakChapter 10. Ethnic Bonding and Homing Desires: The Polish Diaspora and Civil Society MakingGabriella ElgeniusChapter 11. Mobilizing on the Extreme Right in Poland: Marginalization, Institutionalization and RadicalizationDaniel Platek and Piotr PlucienniczakConclusion: Empirical and Theoretical Lessons from the VolumeKerstin Jacobsson and Elżbieta KorolczukIndex