Around the Bloc: Koran Burned at a Rally in Czech Republic
The summer season has done little to slow down one of the country’s most prominent, anti-Muslim activists.
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The summer season has done little to slow down one of the country’s most prominent, anti-Muslim activists.
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The evolutionary development of political parties in modern political form is linked to the emergence of electoral and parliamentary systems in Europe and the United States during the 19th century. The focus of this work is the historical development and the essence of action of the first form of party political organizations that are aimed at the realization of full or partial power, or the exercise of power.In the early stage (pre-revolutionary, aristocratic and monarchic regimes), the political life took place in limited circles in which small groups or individuals were gathered around certain royalty and influential figures. Only later, the establishment of the parliamentary regime in the European and American soil political organization begins to change its shape to the 20th century, the presence of political parties was characteristic of most developed countries in the world.
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The aim of the article is to present the public discourse on the presence of a cross in the Polish parliament, which began after the parliamentary elections in 2011. At this time a group of the party Ruch Poparcia Palikota (RPP) submitted to the Marshal of the Sejm a request for its removal from the chamber. The article presents selected topics from the debate, focusing mainly on the arguments presented in the proposal and expertise of the Parliamentary Research Bureau and the arguments formulated in “Gazeta Wyborcza” newspaper, where they are presented as a continuation of the debate only initiated in the parliament, and then transferred to the media. Parliamentary debate took place only in one area – the political rivalry between the parties – while in the media appeared topics initiated by other institutions than the parties, i.e. educational institutions, public administration institutions and private individuals.
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Objective: reconstruction of attitudes of Poles towards selected restrictions on freedom of speech and also towards hate speech in Polish law (selected issues). Methods: the approach to data collection included a computer-assisted telephone survey on a sample of N=1,000 adult Poles (18+) and an analysis using descriptive statistics and selected inductive statistics techniques (covariance measures and cluster analysis). Results: an analysis of the aggregate and sub-dimensions of Poles’ attitudes toward selected limits of freedom of speech in the Polish legal system and Poles’ experiences of actions considered violations of freedom of speech was conducted. Groups with different attitudes toward these phenomena and, as a result, different susceptibility to political messages of attempts to limit freedom of speech were identified. Conclusions: Poles value freedom of speech, although – in a sense – they want to limit it; They recognise that it is essential for democracy, but at the same time they do not believe that they can use it properly and, above all, effectively. We observe the paradox of support for freedom of speech or, in another convention, symptoms of ‘flight from freedom’.
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The phenomenon that is communism still arouses many emotions. Especially in countries where attempts were made to put its ideas into practice, such as Poland. For this reason, the study of its history – absurd though it may seem – also generates controversy. Of no small importance for the emergence of this situation is the fact that in domestic public discourse anti-communism still plays a major role, as a handy instrument for stigmatising and disciplining political opponents, but also as a signpost for official narratives about Polish history in the 20th century. This has implications for research. Approaches to communist issues in the classical manner – sine ira et studio – are not infrequently misunderstood, most often outside the scholarly circuit, but also in the academic world. Biographies of communists are a particular example, people who are denied positive qualities and motives, and consider attempts to understand their attitudes to make lit- tle sense. The text is an authorial reflection, referring to the autoethnographic method, on bio- graphical studies that have been going on for more than two decades and the tensions they create.
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This paper identifies strategies for the construction of discourse on the Second World War in two history textbooks published in the framework of two European projects. The main objective is to observe how different stratagems such as the semiotic device, lexical expressions, syntactic constructions, participate in the construction of a coherent narrative that shapes the collective memory on the discursive object of the Second World War. The dialogical character of the history textbook and its pedagogical aim, the essential and constitutive elements of the discursive strategy towards the readership conveying soft historical skills, are also questioned in the present paper.
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The purpose of the study is to find out the knowledge about the problem of pedophilia, the main sources of information and social attitudes towards people convicted of the crime of pedophilia. An online survey method was used, and the recruitment of respondents was done through social media. The tool used in the study was a self-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire is a tool used to analyze the level of knowledge about the problem of pedophilia, to determine the main sources of information about the crime of pedophilia, and to determine the presented social attitude towards people convicted of the crime of pedophilia. The survey was conducted among 164 people. The data obtained indicate that the main sources of information on the problem of pedophilia are traditional and social media. Unambiguously determining the level of knowledge of respondents about the problem of pedophilia is problematic. A significant percentage of respondents declare a condemnatory attitude toward people convicted of the crime of pedophilia.
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In the following text, we examine the cosmological, anthropological and ethical aspects of the reality, experience and world which are transformed due to the pandemic outbreak of the Corona virus. In the research, we deal with the changed regimes of the organization of existential and social space, which stands in the sign of anthropo-horophobia. A key feature of the current world situation is the Great Fear, which brings caesura in relation to the course of history so far. This moment is related to the historically already explored Great Fear in Western Europe at the transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age, which is why it served as a referential methodological matrix for understanding the current, transitional world. In addition, two other moments are typical for him: the hypertrophy of emotion (“hyperrealism of fear“) – as opposed to the corresponding reality, which leads to the “dеsintentionalisation“ of the experience; social reconstruction of factual fear and its use as a social binder and thus a temporary “antidote“ to the threatening implosion of an uncontrolled, elemental fear, which would have socially devastating consequences.
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Human rights term, as well as crisis term have a very strong social impact, but they often become very difficult for perception, due to their abstraction, thereby the "human rights" notion can be comprehended in two meanings, a wide one, meaning every right a person has, which is an enormity, and the second meaning that refers to fundamental human rights that are protected by European Convention on Human Rights and by the Universal Declaration of Human Rightstoo, a meaning to which we will refer in this study.
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This paper examines the moral factors that motivate altruistic behavior on the part of Polish students toward Ukrainian warrefugees within the context of economic theories on altruism. An online survey is used to itemise the students’ altruistic acti-vities, explore what they see as their moral obligations, and elicit their views on supporting refugees. The data are analyzedin relation to Jonathan Haidt’s five moral foundations using correlation analysis and logistic models. The findings suggest thatHaidt’s care/harm foundation significantly influences altruistic conduct towards refugees. The fairness/reciprocity foundation isnegatively correlated with supporting refugees when such support is perceived as unfair. Expanding the circle of moral obliga-tions (referred to as loyalty circles) is shown to have a positive and mostly significant effect on altruistic behavior. Moreover, thestudy shows that some Polish students acted contrary to their stated social preferences by supporting Ukrainian refugees despitebelieving that it is unfair. The paper concludes that these findings challenge the mainstream economic theories on altruism.
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For over 30 years of its independence, Ukraine is doomed to a constant fight for its freedom to this day. Its geographical location at the meeting point of great civilizations as well as the complex historical context affect the geopolitical threat to its independence. However, from the complete loss of independence at the expense of its eastern neighbour (both in political and social terms), Ukraine was saved by frequent student protests which over time turned into revolutions that engulfed the entire society. The article aims to show the influence of the young generation on the most important socio-political events in Ukraine, which resulted in the country’s pro-Western course. The author wants to analyse, above all, source texts and scientific studies, especially in terms of emphasizing the participation of young people in these events. The content of the article clearly shows the role played by young people in different periods of Ukraine’s development, and their desire to join the lifestyle of their Western peers. It was the Ukrainian youth over the last 30 years who saved the country from returning to their homeland – the “nostalgia” of their parents and grandparents.
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The development of society is closely related to the young generation, which is an important component in a democratic society. One of the main tasks of every country is the implementation of an effective youth policy, which plays an important role in the formation and functioning of the state and directly affects social, economic and demographic indicators. The article analyzes the process of formation and implementation youth policy in Ukraine in 1991–2023, defines the specifics of implementing youth policy in the conditions of decentralization reform processes in Ukraine, and identifies basic innovations in the field of youth policy in 2017–2023. Over the years 1991–2023, a legislative frame- work in the field of youth issues was formed in Ukraine, central, regional and local state organizations in the field of youth policy were created, and a network of institutions and organizations for youth was created and developed. According to the author’s analysis, apart from the existing youth problems, in the space of the last years (2017–2023), it is possible to observe active dynamic changes, modernizing processes and innovations in youth politics.
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The full-scale Russian invasion has led to an acute humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the destruction of social and educational infrastructure in large areas, and large-scale processes of forced migration both within the country and abroad. Families with children with disabilities are part of this process, and the problem of disability overlaps with the problem of forced displacement as well as the need for adaptation to a new environment. The given article presents the results of author’s sociological study “Attitudes of Expert and Parental Communities On the Issue of Implementation of Inclusionary Education in Ukraine in the Context of War”, which was carried out in April-July 2023 using an online survey technique.
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The presented text tries to answer the question about the blockades of women’s civic activity, their social involvement, and their presence in the public sphere. It refers to various definitions of citizenship and to A. Honneth’s concept of recognition. It analyzes the relationship of recognition as a condition of women’s citizenship and their participation and involvement. It is an attempt to show that the c inherent in family socialization to gender roles, based on stereotypical rules and norms of culture, is one of such blockages. The contexts of inequality and discrimination against women are analyzed in the field of work and based on women’s struggle for recognition in politics.
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The crowd problem during Hajj is one of the questions that are being the subject matter of research. All participants in this holly act, the Government of Saudi Arabia Kingdom as the host and organizer, ulama whose task is to offer solutions of such new cases and direct Muslims, and the very pilgrims have interest to solve the crowding problem during Hajj, so that the hajjis could perform their duties in a more safer, regular and easier way and to satisfy Allah with their prayers and deeds. Mina is a narrow valley, eight kilometres far from Ka’bah, where during the four days of Eid ul-Adha, day and night, nearly all hajjis are coming. So, Mina is the place where the hajjis stay the longest. Only when we add that there are millions of them in constant movement, one realises how difficult task have the organizer and the ulama that have to take these facts into consideration in organising hajjis to perform the hajj rites.
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Every year in Mecca during the Hajj a great number of pilgrims are gathered. The number has constant tendency of growth. Saudi Arabian authorities make great efforts and constant investments to provide optimal conditions according to high standards suitable to contemporary Muslims, for as many as possible pilgrims to perform their hajj duties. It is evident however that many tragedies with human casualties happen because of crowd, disturbance and jostling. This problem has been discussed at the session of the Academy of Islamic Law of Organisation of Islamic Conference in Mecca. The Academy gave the instruction on the problem, some of which are presented in this paper. The most of the text deals with the legal aspect of understanding of the hajj regulations connected with Haram al-shareef, because on of the main generators of the crowd problem is pilgrims’ inadequate knowledge of the Hajj regulations connected especially with the problems of crowd. The regulations about tawaf, kissing the Black Stone, standing at Multazam, ramal, and the two rak’ahs of tawaf sunnah.
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The conceptual framework of “difficult heritage” was developed in studies concerning various forms of collective violence. This article is grounded on the assumption that it can also be applied in the context of socio-economic inequalities, since under the hegemonic dominance of interpretations of the past that conform to the interests of the elite, the experiences of subordinated categories become “troublesome.” As such, stories of both oppression and emancipation are forgotten or neutralized. From this perspective, the mechanisms of obscuring and mainstreaming of collective interests and related conflicts as elements of “legitimate” history seem particularly interesting.Drawing on the notions of agonistic memory and museum as agonistic space, the author analyses the permanent exhibition at the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, reinterpreting the local history of industrial development. The paper aims to determine the place of industrial conflict in the narrative of the history of an industrial city. It is organized around three questions. First of all, what aspects of industrial relations are discussed in the museum narrative? Are they framed mostly by structural determinants or rather presented as individual and collective experience? Secondly, how are these relations contextualized? And thirdly, which modes of narrative are engaged? And is the conflict between workers and those in charge of the means of production a moral or rather a socio-political issue?
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Disinformation and propaganda are key aspects of Russia’s war strategy as it uses the information environment to justify its actions in international politics, both domestically and abroad, and to coerce audiences into unwittingly supporting its actions. Russia, leading up to and throughout the conflict with Ukraine, brought the full scope of its propaganda apparatus to bear, leveraging overt and covert capabilities on both media and disinformation tools to justify the invasion and [attempt to] destroy international support for Ukraine. What kind of instruments, methods, and narratives has Russia used before and after its invasion of Ukraine? The spread of disinformation by the Russian Federation prior to and after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as well as the actions taken in response by Ukraine, allied governments, and civil and international organizations provide an important perspective as well as lessons on how to counteract disinformation and propagandistic narratives.
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As young people are a vulnerable group, the prevalence of mental disorders in the population has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Not only are young people more at risk from mental disorders, but their lifelong burden accumulates for an extended period. Currently, the scale of the problem is enormous. Thus, various organisations and interest groups sound the alarm about the ongoing mental health crisis.This study aims to investigate the scale of youth mental health crisis in the context of socioeconomic development. The focus is on the burden on society, the economy, and progress as the underlying problems. The assessment is performed by literature studies and exploratory data analysis that allow for highlighting the ongoing tendencies and new phenomena concerning risk factors and mental disorders of young people, both globally and focusing on the Polish perspective, as well as evaluating the availability of mental healthcare in Poland, Europe, and the world.The results indicate that mental health and well-being have not been considered healthcare priorities for a long time. In particular, three issues deserve special attention in the youth mental health crisis context. Firstly, addictions, especially Internet- and smartphone-related behavioural dependences, are becoming a global pandemic among young people. Secondly, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be catastrophic for the mental health of children and adolescents. Finally, the available mental healthcare and its quality are inadequate to meet the growing needs of young people in the modern world.
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The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between locals’ xenophobic sentiment and behavior and their negative attitudes toward tourists at the end of a global health crisis. After reviewing the literature, the authors developed a research model. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to measure the assumed model and assess hypotheses. The sample size is 513 people from various countries who participated in an online survey. The collected data was analyzed using SmartPLS 3. The findings revealed that even after the decline in the public’s concern about COVID-19, fear and risk perception have a positive and direct effect on precautions. Also, fear has a positive and direct effect on xenophobia, while risk perception negatively affects it, contrary to expectations. Furthermore, the findings showed the positive and direct effect of xenophobia on their negative attitude toward domestic and international tourists. In the next similar conditions, once international destinations are gradually recovering and returning to pre-pandemic normal conditions, the findings of this study can help destination management organizations (DMOs) by providing a realized perception of global locals’ attitudes toward tourists. In addition, the developed model is capable of being examined for individualdestinations. The present study contributes to knowledge by developing a model that reflects locals’ xenophobic sentiment and behavior and their negative attitudes toward tourists in the aftermath of a global health crisis. Also, the participation of respondents from various countries presents a reliable insight into the global post-pandemic situation facing the tourism industry.
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