Nowe oblicza społecznikostwa w Polsce/ New modes of social activism in Poland (original) (raw)

Active citizenship determines the development of authentic civil society. The 25 anniversary of the onset of the democratic transformation in Poland calls for analyzing the evolution of civic activism in the country which witnessed the emergence of the Solidarity movement. The communitarian type of self-organization, which dominated the decade preceding 1989, was superseded by civic activism motivated by patriotic-positivistic values. At the onset of the XXI century, it was individualistic motivation that characterized social activism. The development of uninstitutionalised civic initiatives and the emergence of hybrid type of pro-social motivation has been observed over the last few years. Communitarianism resurfaces among the young generation of social activism; however, it is their immediate community they identify with. Therefore dynamism and complexity characterize social activism in Poland, thus reflecting the changes observed in other spheres of public life.