Intra-household gender inequality: hidden dimensions of poverty among Polish women

This paper challenges recent findings from quantitative studies of poverty in post-communist countries which deny the existence of gender differences in poverty in post 1989 Poland. The author uncovers hidden forms of the feminization of poverty by studying it from the micro-perspective of the family and the household. This perspective highlights gender differences in the division of labor, leisure time, as well as the fact that it is women’s primary responsibility to secure the basic needs of the family. This study presents strong evidence for a variety of ways in which men and women experience and endure poverty differently in an impoverished area in Poland, a fact which is associated with the role of culture, history and tradition in shaping gendered patterns of reaction towards poverty and hardship. The paper is based on the content analysis of in-depth interviews collected during a field research conducted within the project “Old and new forms of poverty in Poland” (1997–1998) and “Poverty, Ethnicity, and Gender inTransitional Societies (1999–2000).¹     

Twenty Years Later: A Call for Existential Revolution: Vaclav Havel in Conversation with Adam Michnik

In light of the fact—despite a widespread impression to the contrary—that the collapse of Communism in the fall of 1989 did not happen overnight, the paper explores the kind of gradual societal work that had led to the emergence of democratic polities in Central Europe but that had generally escaped the notice not only of policy makers and the leaders of the “free world” but also of theorists. The concept and practices of performative democracy as it manifested itself in the period of late Communism (1970s–1989), but also in South Africa at the dusk of apartheid, and the conditions for political performativity, as well as its main features, are then discussed.     

The Promise of Borderlands

Given current discussion on the viability of the nation?Cstate, and recognizing the potential of emerging supra-state structures like the European Union, the paper looks at a ??third space,?? exploring the capacious topos of borderlands, and its promise in creating a new kind of community that is non-reducible either to that of a nation, or a nation?Cstate.     

1989 and the Politics of Democratic Performativity

In light of the fact—despite a widespread impression to the contrary—that the collapse of Communism in the fall of 1989 did not happen overnight, the paper explores the kind of gradual societal work that had led to the emergence of democratic polities in Central Europe but that had generally escaped the notice not only of policy makers and the leaders of the “free world” but also of theorists. The concept and practices of performative democracy as it manifested itself in the period of late Communism (1970s–1989), but also in South Africa at the dusk of apartheid, and the conditions for political performativity, as well as its main features, are then discussed.     

Social Processes of Antagonism and Synergy in Deliberating Groups

The first goal of this article is to explain the social and psychological mechanisms inherent in reaching an agreement within groups with highly divergent initial opinions. The second goal is to diagnose possible antagonistic processes in such groups. The empirical data used were obtained from recordings of focus group interviews, conducted with parents of school age children discussing the issue of sexual education in schools. The results suggest that revealing world views that justify claims made in the debate can foster agreement when the following conditions are met: (1) There exists at least some common ground in the group to serve as a starting point for agreement in other areas; (2) The articulation of different world views is not negatively evaluated or diminished by others in the group; (3) Disputants argue in their opponents' way of thinking. Another result observed is that processes other than rational analyses of the controversy can take place and can lead to agreement.