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This paper presents academic reviews as a special sort of research material, with unique value for the sociology of scientific knowledge. They are relatively easily available and conventionalized to large extent, which makes them a very effective source of data in terms of their use. Of course the strategy of interpretation of the data included in reviews depends on the structure of the research problem. The material may be usefully analyzed in terms of micro processes that regulate the access to academic degrees; it may be interpreted in terms of cultural and institutional mezzo processes, such as, e.g., scientific educational institutions; and last but not least, it may be used as data for studying macro processes that affect shifting research priorities or blurred boundaries among disciplines. My aim is to illustrate a ‘density’ of texts of reviews, mainly for phenomenological and ethnomethodological analysis. Such a direction makes it possible to explore empirically not only practical relations between scientific (here: sociological) perspectives and structures of everyday reasoning, but their connections with ideological contexts, other professional perspectives and scientific disciplines as well.
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There is a great difference between Poland and the Nordic countries with respect to their level of socio-economic development. In this article the “civilizational asymmetry” between them is documented with reference to the huge gap between them in different rankings of economic growth or social development. Having this as a point of departure, it is easy to observe an endorsement/approval of the Scandinavian development model in the Polish public debate, accompanied by a certain intellectual and political detachment, which can be witnessed in both the academic literature as well as in the more popular media. While leaving a more detailed analysis of their socio-economic development ranking to other researchers, the authors of this paper apply a broader perspective to investigate the non-material reasons and the discursive background behind the development gap existing between these countries. By applying the comparative research method, the text offers an analysis of the discourse about modernization discourses which are present in the public debate of the countries in question. We propose a reconstruction of the discursively observable (and discursively constructed) conditions of the socio-economic development model of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland and Sweden) and Poland. Analysis of the modernization discourses present in the Polish and Nordic public debates has allowed us to put forward our main thesis: that civilizational success is contingent on the presence of development metanarratives. The main goal of the article is to analyze modernization discourses concentrated around a number of issues which the authors have identified as nodal points within the development narratives. Among the key issues identified in the modernization discourse we mention the presence of the development metanarrative, perception of time, adopted resolution of the state vs. market dilemma, advancement in strategic planning, and the existence of strategic development objectives. Analyzing these parameters allows one to note the differences in modernization discourses between the Nordic countries and Poland, and enables critical reflection upon possible consequences of this situation for Poland.
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This article attempts to develop a critical view of a wide spectrum of modern media and academic discourses in Poland, which are characterized by their common assumption of the crucial role of “cultural”, “mental”, “historical”, and “psychological barriers”, seen as key impediments on the way towards the acceleration of Poland’s development. Alternatively, one can speak in this context about visions which are characterized by a belief that these are the spheres of culture and psychology which are the most likely platforms on which radical acceleration of country’s development can be take place. These visions are related to a wider set of tendencies characteristic of a considerable part of Polish social sciences, which can be seen as the “culturalization” and “psychologization” of images of social processes. These tendencies are coupled with marginalization of interpretations of social changes in terms of their political and economic dimensions. The growing popularity of the above-mentioned visions, which even refer to psychoanalysis, may be linked in a global dimension to the evolution of mechanisms of legitimization in the modern Western world, in particular to the rising importance of discourses individualizing images of the social world and naturalizing power relations through the ethics of private interest and choice. The active adaptation of these visions in Poland is interpreted in this article as an aspect of the process of the intelligentsia’s adaptation to changing structures and power relations on the global scale, whereas intelligentsia is understood here as a kind of peripheral elite and a substitute for an absent bourgeoisie, relying on the key role of cultural capital. The above-mentioned visions of cultural and mental barriers seem to fit very well into both the mechanisms of naturalization and legitimization of Poland’s dependence on the Western core, and at the same time into the mechanism of domination of the intelligentsia elite and its persistent influence on the key dimensions of social life in Poland.
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The aim of this article is to provide an analysis of the symptoms and genesis of neoliberal economism, which plays a key role in the public discourse in contemporary Poland. The author examines its significance in many areas of social life and in public policies, which are often reduced to just their economic dimensions. In particular, the main focus is placed on appearance of this narrative in Poland at the critical juncture of the systemic transformation following the fall of communism in 1989, i.e. in the period of the preparation and implementation of the economic “shock therapy” in the years 1989-1991. Several external and domestic reasons underlying adoption of the concept of rapid and radical market reforms (known as the ‘Balcerowicz Plan’) at that time are discussed. By presenting some consequences of the expansion of a purely economic perspective into noneconomic domains such as social services, the article draws attention to importance of institutional inertia and path dependence in Poland’s developmental trajectory. The reflections are inspired by the constructivist approach and sociological institutionalism, which place stress on the large impact of public discourses, narratives, and language on social change.
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This paper addresses the socially relevant problem of inscribing culture into the new valid development discourse, in which the idea of culture taking a subservient role in relation to the economy and the abandonment of thinking about it as a source of social criticism became sanctioned as a new apparent obvious. As part of this discourse, various societal actors argue that “culture matters”, that culture is a driver of change and economic growth, a chance to modify the structure of employment and a source of personal reward for all those who help build the modern economy. This stance stems from the belief that social studies and humanities have to date shown little interest in culture as an important component of the modernization discourse and its elements, as well as the fact that implicit and ambiguous ideological references are rarely subjected to critical analysis. This applies to both the overall transformation of that discourse as well as the process of its placement within the social reality. The author argues that the instrumentalization present in the contemporary discourse concerning the modernization of culture may be viewed as an element of a relatively new and subtle form of domination, and an important research task is to recognize and attempt to describe these less obvious forms of power.
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This article aims to present practices of internalization, naturalization and universalization surrounding different images of the Polish Round Table in the press discourse published on the twentieth anniversary of the talks in Magdalenka, using examples of such newspapers and weeklies as: “Gazeta Wyborcza” (9 articles), “Nasz Dziennik” (6 articles), “Trybuna” (11 articles), “Polityka” (12 articles), “Newsweek” (9 articles), “Tygodnik Powszechny” (10 articles), comparing them with those which appeared five years later in “Do Rzeczy” (7 articles) and “W Sieci” (4 articles). The reconstruction of the press narratives about one of the most important breakthroughs in the Polish political, social and cultural life 20 years after the fact is accompanied by many theoretical assumptions. The most important are related to the influence of public discourse on social memory and the prevailing socio-political cleavages. The most interesting aspect for the researcher turned out to be the attempts to interpret and evaluate the images of the Round Table in the analyzed newspapers. This is because they help determine the final shape of the Polish public discourse about the recent past, in which the Round Table Talks is the most important symbol. In author’s opinion, the way of evaluating that breakthrough period in modern Polish history has a major influence on the frame of the discourse. The research problem that was undertaken in the article was to characterize and analyze the “images” of the Round Table present in the Polish press. The author also analyzes the issue of the impact of these images on the contemporary socio-political cleavages in Poland. He argues that difficulties in reaching consensus on recent historical events is one of the main differences between the Central European and Western countries. Untranslatability perspectives in the discourse concerning such an important event in Poland’s collective history implies less coherent ways of institutionalizing memory policy by various political and social environments. The lack of any substantial consensus concerning the evaluation and interpretation of the Round Table cannot fail to impact both the actual identity of the community as well as the institutionalized patterns of Polish public life. Characteristics of the Polish press discourse concerning the Round Table was made by using multiple research tools of discourse analysis.
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This paper investigates how the Polish press has framed the discourse concerning Poland’s transformation to capitalism. The analysis focuses on articles published in selected Polish dailies and weeklies in the beginnings of the 1990s, and then subsequently in 2005, 2007 and 2014. By applying the framing analysis methodology, seven interpretative packages have been identified. Four of them (the pro-reformist/support for Balcerowicz’s plan frame; the praise of entrepreneurship frame; the extreme neoliberalism frame; and the innovation frame) display a pro-capitalist stance, while the remaining three (the social justice/solidarity frame; the transformation irregularities frame; and the catastrophic frame) call either for altering the course of reforms or even for abandoning them completely. These findings may be seen as a starting point for a further analysis of the framing of the discourse on capitalism in Poland.
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Entrepreneurship belongs to the most popular research areas in Poland as well as in other countries. The article presents an analysis of selected relations between culture and entrepreneurship. The author discusses selected trends in entrepreneurship research and claims that the researches focused on interconnections between culture and entrepreneurship address the most vital problems. In this text the author points out two key issues: the cultural context of entrepreneurship and the images of entrepreneurship (or entrepreneurs) as presented in different texts of culture (e.g. media, novels etc.). Connections between these two areas are described, as well as their influence on entrepreneurial processes, actions undertaken by entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs’ identities.
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The links between culture and entrepreneurship are still not sufficiently well-established or explored. They started just a half of a century ago, even though the links between culture and capitalism are much older (more than 100 years old). Culture is one of the main determinants for the various entrepreneurial activities undertaken in different countries, nevertheless, it needs further exploring to yield a wider understanding of the role of the social aspects of entrepreneurship. This paper is rooted in the field of international entrepreneurship, a branch of which deals with the comparative perspective of entrepreneurship across countries and cultures. The main objective of the paper is to explore the impact of cultural and social norms on entrepreneurship in the EU countries on the basis of the GEM data of the recent report of 2013. The results prove that the national entrepreneurial culture has a positive impact on entrepreneurship.
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The aim of this paper is to analyze factors determining effective negotiations from the perspective of employees of cultural institutions. The paper presents the results of the research conducted in the years 2007–2014 in collaboration with NCK. The participants of workshops, post-graduate studies and trainings (who were representatives of culture institutions) were asked to name significant problems that occurred during their regular business negotiations. The most often mentioned challenge was facing an asymmetrical relation which they claimed to be part of. The participants stated that an unequal distribution of power influenced almost each of their actions, so it led them to failure. They believed that negotiations with a cultural event sponsor were win-lose situations in which they were usually the losers. They considered almost each representative of a business world as a hard negotiator. The article analyzes these problems and points out some areas for improving the approach of culture institutions employees as well as suggests some directions for the development of bargaining skills.
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This article attempts to present the significance of entrepreneurship in the professional life of actors. The results of a pilot research have been presented in the context of relationships between the arts and business. As described by the respondents entrepreneurship can be regarded as a a particular personality trait or a set of skills, or finally a certain attitude towards their personal and professional life. It has been linked to responsibility for one’s professional activities and to value creation, not only in the economic dimension. The article concludes with general remarks on some factors contributing to possible misunderstandings of the concept of entrepreneurship in the artistis professions.
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Hip hop, both in Poland and in the U.S.A., has broken with the image of an artist guided by the principle of ‘art for art’s sake’, which was very popular in the 20th century. For rappers, the commercial success is one of the proofs of their artistic success. Such a statement contradicts the value system of artists involved in the so called „high art”. In this article we reconstruct the worldview of American and Polish rappers, we describe how it was formed in the historical process and explain its relationship with the practices of rap music production. We also interpret the positive attitude towards money within the wider context of the development of creative industries. We illustrate our theoretical arguments with several empirical examples from Poland and the U.S.A. The article provides a detailed description of the process of the production and distribution of rap music which is based on the professional experience of one of the authors.
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The aim of this article is to verify the way that the media depict organizing sports in Poland. Using the method of discourse analysis to look at chosen press articles, the author tries to understand the power relations within this sector and discuss the reasons of the journalists’ negative attitude towards the realm of traditional sports. It is usually presented as rigid and not entrepreneurial. In the conclusion the author elaborates on the effectiveness of the media in shaping the public opinion and forcing real changes.
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In Europe there are different models of social policy in which exist different manners for protection citizens in case of the life crisis. Scandinavian countries are the leaders in protection and help for their own citizens, what is define as welfare state. However in connection with socially-economic transformations a necessity became the redefinition of the Scandinavian social policy model, what presents Włodzimierz Anioł in publication entitled: The Norden Path. Modernization the Skandinavian Way. In this book Author analyses modernization processes of Swedish family policy, Danish employment policy, Finnish education Policy and social innovation and Norwegian diplomacy. Introduced by Anioł qualitative analysis of socially-cultural, political and economic condition of Norden countries determines discussion on the social phenomenon of that welfare state model. Besides this book became also a contribution to the discussion of possibility to imitation by other countries (in Poland) the Scandinavian model, including economic, political and social costs.
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