Divided by the Rainbow: Culture War and Diffusion of Paleoconservative Values in Contemporary Poland

Abstract

Over the last decade, representations of the rainbow were repeatedly disputed in Poland, revealing the country’s ongoing socio-political changes and its drift away from the generally liberal and secular values of the European mainstream. These cases show a political growth and an increasing social diffusion of Polish ‘national paleoconservatism.’ The aim of this article is to (1) discuss the intellectual roots of this distinct form of conservatism built upon the confrontational notions of national identity, patriotism, and Catholicism; (2) propose a novel concept in the studies of Polish politics (‘national paleoconservatism’); and (3) present the social diffusion of such conservatism based on conflicts over representations of the rainbow. By combining the historical and intellectual background with the contemporary case studies, the authors aim to facilitate a deeper understanding of the vitality of national conservative ideas among internationally unknown conservative intellectuals, who participate in a discursive ‘culture war’ against their liberal, progressive and secular opponents in present-day Poland. The ideological conflicts revolve around the meaning of Polish national identity, the essential character of the country’s culture, and the position of Poland within the framework of European integration.

Political Street Stickers in Resistance to Biopower in Poland: The Case of Krakow During the 2020 Polish Presidential Election Campaign

“…In Poland, the rainbow is increasingly seen as an "alien, invasive, and, to those who consider homosexual acts a sin, even offensive symbol." 142 Thus, in the broader socio-political context of Poland in 2020, outlined in detail above, the appearance of this rather simple combination of common colors becomes a visual manifestation of resistance to the hegemonic "bioconservative" ideology promoted by Law and Justice. 143 That common colors can come to connote a form of antagonistic political expression simply through their appearance in public space elicits parallels with examples from Palestine, 144 and more recently Belarus, in which even everyday items such as shopping bags and cakes symbolize resistance to the hegemonic discourse.…”

Loneliness, gratitude, and entitlement among Israeli and Polish college students: A serial mediation model

“…In the past decade individuals in Poland and Israel have undergone a change in terms of the kind of society in which they live: specifically, going from a more collectivist to a more individualist type of society (Hofstede, 2001; Manor & Ratajczak, 2020). Poland has been experiencing an internal cultural struggle between its traditional‐collectivist roots and new liberal and individualist values (Bobrowicz & Nowak, 2021). This struggle has mostly impacted young adults, and in particular students, as during their childhoods they were educated with collectivist values and now they have been thrust into a world typified by individualist values (Bobrowicz & Nowak, 2021; Dzimińska et al, 2022).…”

“…Poland has been experiencing an internal cultural struggle between its traditional‐collectivist roots and new liberal and individualist values (Bobrowicz & Nowak, 2021). This struggle has mostly impacted young adults, and in particular students, as during their childhoods they were educated with collectivist values and now they have been thrust into a world typified by individualist values (Bobrowicz & Nowak, 2021; Dzimińska et al, 2022). It is possible that in their efforts to bridge this cultural gap they experience a sense of loneliness.…”

Alterations in Religious Rituals Due to COVID-19 Could Be Related to Intragroup Negativity: A Case of Changes in Receiving Holy Communion in the Roman Catholic Community in Poland

“…This possible conflict is particularly worth studying in Poland due to the cultural context. Polish identity is perceived to be strongly associated with Catholicism (Bobrowicz and Nowak 2021;Millard 1997). However, religious identity is highly fragmented at the individual level of believers of the Catholic Church in Poland (Topidi 2019), and at the social level (Zubrzycki 2020).…”