National Identity of Belarusians and Lithuanians: A Comparative Sociological Study

The article is a comparative analysis of the national identity of Belarusians and Lithuanians. The authors present in turn the complex processes of the formation of national identity of two groups, show their specificities in the historical, cultural and social dimensions, point to the differences and similarities, which emerge on the basis of the review of Belarusian, Lithuanian and international social research, conducted in 2010–2022. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuania and Belarus took different paths, which influenced the formation of a more consistent model of national identity for Lithuanians and complex and ambivalent one for Belarusians.

Civil society in Poland after 1989 – dynamics, evaluation and development forecasts

The development of civil society in Poland was one of the goals of the political transformation in 1989. Since then, Polish interest in social issues has grown, although not to the extent expected, not fully realizing its potential. Since 2015, compared to previous years, there seems to be an increasing willingness among Poles to engage in social matters, evident through protest movements and demonstrations, and after 2022, also through involvement in humanitarian aid for refugees from Ukraine. To present the dynamics, evaluate, and outline a forecast for the development of Polish civil society, the article starts by presenting the evolution of the concept and its significance for democracy. It also highlights practical manifestations of civil society functioning. Drawing on statistical research conducted by CBOS and GUS regarding the social engagement of Poles, as well as Elżbieta Korolczuk’s article on the nature of contemporary civil society in Poland, the article analyzes trends and changes in the activation of Poles, pointing out areas of greatest interest. The paper also presents challenges faced by contemporary civil society to effectively outline potential directions of its development.

The idea of women’s equality in the context of human rights and equality policies of Polish political groups

This article analyzes the idea of women’s equality in the perspective of human rights. Starting from the definitional formulation of human rights, through the inclusion of women’s rights to human rights, the legal and social aspects of equality has been indicated and human rights, in the context of the socio-political situation of women in Poland, has been presented. The main research question is whether women’s equality is achieved and to what extent. Are we talking about a practical dimension (implemented) or only a declarative one? To answer this key question, the programs of political groups in Poland and their equality policy were subjected to a comparative analysis. For the purpose of the research, the programs of those groups that obtained parliamentary mandates in the 2019 elections, i.e., Law and Justice, Civic Coalition, and Polish People’s Party, were analysed.

Development of innovative energy hubs – a panacea for difficult times?

The Energy Hub concept can be defined as a central point where multiple energy carriers meet and the corresponding energy flows can be processed, conditioned, stored and ultimately distributed according to demand requirements in an optimal manner. The energy node modeling concept describes the relationship between input and output energy flows and can be used to optimize energy consumption during planning and operation. The hub can store surplus energy generated by photovoltaics for a long time and cover electricity and heat needs, even during periods of high demand or low renewable production. The research goal of the article is primarily to present the concept of innovation in the field of energy and to identify key energy hubs for the development of the modern economy, as also indicated by one of the authors of the innovation concept, Christensen, who treats distributed energy as the so-called a breakthrough innovation, i.e. one that will gradually replace the classic energy system from the market.

Shaping a candidate’s political image in the media o ver the years

Communication is an integral part of human life. It occurs simultaneously on many levels and in many different directions. With the development of new technologies and, consequently, with the development of new ways of reaching a mass audience, the media have taken over the main role in this process. Currently, apart from the information function, the media are also assigned other functions, including: educational, integration, entertainment, opinion-forming, communication, economic and intervention. Aware of this state of affairs, politicians try to respond in all possible ways to the needs visible among society, creating their profile as a kind of consumer product ready for sale. This process is increasingly supervised by a whole team of professionals who monitor the behavior of rival candidates and create a persona that will better and more accurately respond to emerging and dynamically changing social needs.

World War II as a cause of changes in the administrative division of the Catholic Church. The example of the Diocese of Görlitz

War is a huge political change, which, in addition to its social, political, or economic effects, also has other effects. One of these may be the impact on churches and religious associations, especially on their organizational and administrative structures. An excellent example confirming this thesis is World War II, after which the organization of the Catholic Church in Europe was transformed and the Holy See revised the boundaries of archdioceses and dioceses in various countries for almost 50 years. In this article, the author addressed the specific case of the creation of the Diocese of Görlitz, which is the smallest diocese in modern Germany. Through his analysis he showed that the war has a huge impact on the functioning and efficient management in the Catholic Church and causes legal and interpretative difficulties in its administrative division and consequently, the division of competencies, while requiring delicacy, since strictly religious documents can be perceived in an explicitly political way.

October 1956 at the Higher School of Economics in Sopot and the Higher School of Pedagogy in Gdansk

The Higher School of Economics in Sopot and the Higher School of Pedagogy in Gdansk were universities established just after World War II and strongly ideologized in the 1950s. The purpose of this article is to reconstruct the events that took place during the October transition at both universities and also to identify the changes these events led to at party meetings. The introduction discusses the history of the WSE in Sopot and the WSE in Gdansk from the time of their establishment until 1956 and outlines the elements of ideological pressure applied to employees and students. An analysis of the minutes of university bodies (staff meetings, Senates) and party bodies at the universities (POP and KU PZPR) and above the universities (KM PZPR in Sopot, KW PZPR in Gdansk), memoirs of students and employees, and newspaper articles were used to achieve the goal. The changes that took place at the universities were primarily concerned with democratization, greater openness in discussion (while remaining faithful to broad Marxist ideology), changes in the conceptual instrumentarium and criticism of both the USSR and national and university authorities. Virtually all groups comprising the WSE and WSP academic community were involved in the 1956 changes, albeit to varying degrees and in different forms. Employees were more involved at meetings of university and party committees, while students were involved at rallies and in the forums of youth organizations.

The collapse of life plans; paradoxes of combination of historical personality (based on the novel by L. Feuchtwanger “The Ugly Duchess Margarita Maultasch”)

Lion Feuchtwanger is known mainly as the creator of historical novels and voluminous epic canvases. However, all his thoughts are directed to the future. With a certain reservation, we can say that he tried on the past to the realities of his time. Until his death, he was concerned with the key question: what are the paths, prospects and main driving forces of events distant from the 20th century in visual comparison with those changes in German society, which he directly witnessed. In a narrow sense, these were the writer’s attempts to resolve the “damned issues” concerning his own nation. In broad terms – philosophical reflections on the fate of humanity. Thus, his work objectively went beyond the national framework, enriching itself with universal and deeply humanistic content.