Changing the national past: re‐creating the democratic Polish nation after 1989

Abstract

Poland provides a critical example for studying how national identity is transformed to fit new domestic and global circumstances. While Poles must re-identify themselves as a democratic nation, they have a choice of whether to incorporate aspects of the communist experience or to ignore it and draw solely from other historical sources. A comparison of holiday newspaper articles from before and after 1989 provides an opportunity to observe this process through the lens of national commemoration. This review shows that themes of national identity are influenced by political context and their potential to unify without contestation. In addition, while the communist period remained a salient unifying historical experience for Poles, democratic values did not act as a unifying theme during the first ten years of Polish democracy.

Religious Messages: Themes in Religious Left and Right Publications During the Obama and Trump Administrations

“…After all, it can be more advantageous to propose controversial issues during periods of non-alignment with the administration since there is less need to worry about the contestation around them. 36 While the effect of religious cues and frames on readership is beyond the scope of this paper, an examination of the themes presented by religious elites, lends insight into whether leaders utilize exclusivist or pragmatic appeals. It reveals the topics and values that are cued and that leadership wants to emphasize.…”

National identity during periods of controversy: celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Phoenix, Arizona

“…: 6; cf. Kaftan : 306). Newspaper articles play a role in the dissemination of symbols of identity and also reflect public reactions to these symbols.…”