Polish Women Solidarity And Feminism

Examines Polish women's oppression before, on the cusp and after the collapse of communism. The book analyzes the relationship between Solidarity, state capitalism, nationalism and feminism by drawing on a wide variety of source material.

One of the few books devoted to the experience of Polish women in the Solidarity movement, We All Fought for Freedom explores women's historical consciousness of this period through interviews, iconography, and commemorative practices of Solidarity.The women interviewed, many of whom were local activists in the Gda

Every time a so-called “woman’s voice” appears in the media in connection with any sphere of creative activity, it finds itself confronted by the almost formulaic expression “feminism today,” instantaneously suggesting that feminism is, in fact, a matter of the past, and that if we want to return to this phenomenon, then we need to explain ourselves. Women’s Voices and Feminism in Polish Cultural Memory seeks to elaborate the problem of generalization, expressed by such formulas as “feminism today,” while analysing how feminist sympathies have shaped Polish literature, film and language. This volume does not want to impose any hegemonic understanding of “feminism,” or imply any a priori ideological assumptions about women’s “nature” or role in society. It seeks to identify what is particular to the Polish feminist experience. It starts by asking such questions as “what is feminism today?” or “what can we learn from the history of Polish women’s writing?” In answering these questions, the women scholars who have contributed to the volume examine Polish cultural history and memory in the context of the transformations, transitions and catastrophes of the last two centuries, whilst firmly rooting Polish experience within the common European heritage.

Drawing on a decade of interviews, Penn (Union Theological Center in Berkeley, California) pieces together the huge, largely unstudied contributions of the Polish women whose pro-democracy work was obscured by the more public successes of their male counterparts. While prominent men like Lech Walesa were underground or in jail during the 1980s mart

Feminism as the bulwark against fascism In this exciting, innovative work, Polish feminist philosopher Ewa Majewska proposes a specifically feminist politics of antifascism. Mixing theoretical discussion with engaging reflections on personal experiences, Majewska proposes what she calls “counterpublics of the common” and “weak resistance,” offering an alternative to heroic forms of subjectivity produced by neoliberal capitalism and contemporary fascism.

Polish film has long enjoyed an outstanding reputation but its best known protagonists tend to be male. This book points to the important role of women as key characters in Polish films, such as the enduring female figure in Polish culture, the "Polish Mother," female characters in socialist realistic cinema, women depicted in the films of the Polish School, Solidarity heroines, and women in the films from the postcommunist period. Not less important for the success of Polish cinema are Polish women filmmakers, four of whom are presented in this volume: Wanda Jakubowska, Agnieszka Holland, Barbara Sass and Dorota Kędzierzawska, whose work is examined.

This book examines the interaction between nationalism and feminism in modern Polish women's physical culture from the late nineteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. Unlike most western countries where sportswomen were typically marginalized in their athletic endeavors, Polish female athletes earned greater respect and recognition in their physical culture. On many occasions, and for varied reasons, women's athleticism in Poland was a source of immense pride and prestige for both the state and society. This form of acceptance, however, does not suggest that sportswomen faced no discrimination in their efforts to become sportive. Women's physicality remained the subject of intense debate, particularly when the socio-economic conditions worsened and threatened the survival of families. Still, despite the patriarchal and other barricades, the Polish national struggles for independence and the emergence of the "New Woman" created significant institutional and ideological spaces for sportswomen to build their physical culture. Accordingly, this book enriches the histories of Poland and modern Europe, as well as women's and sports studies.