Esej napisany z inspiracji książką Niny Witoszek Korzenie antyautorytaryzmu

A remarkable book by Nina Witoszek, an outstanding compatriot of ours, originally published in the USA, where it has aroused well-deserved interest among both professional and avid readers, forms the background for this essay. Populist nationalist tendencies growing within existing, but also well-established democracies, having authoritarian thinking at their core, constitute a threat not only to individual freedom but also to the effective functioning of societies. The strengthening of democracies, i.e. systems that are fundamentally democratic but significantly imbued with authoritarian elements, is a serious challenge for contemporary states (Hungary, Belarus, Poland, the USA under Donald Trump, Taiwan, Turkey, Liberia, Hong Kong and others). Overcoming these authoritarian tendencies is seen in Witoszek’s book as an initiative taken by small social groups releasing social energy to build grassroots democracy known from history as constructive and effective initiatives, e.g. KOR and later “Solidarity” in Poland. The book is an apotheosis of the friendship of groups of so-called ‘humanist renegades’ who evoke the impulse of change and their energy and way of thinking are instilled in the broad masses of society thus delivering the anti-authoritarian message of sustainable modernity.

Review of Blessed are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America by Jeffrey Stout

This is a requested book review of Jeffrey Stout's book Blessed are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America.

Rural politics in transitional China: Urban–rural disparity, national integration, and grassroots democracy

This essay reviews three books by Xu Yong that examine three critical historical processes of political transformation in rural China: the politicization of society due to urban–rural disparity, the government’s efforts to encourage political integration in rural areas, and the development of rural grassroots democracy. Urban–rural disparity has been a structural characteristic of China’s politicized society since the establishment of the monarchy. The analysis of this inequality focuses on uncovering grassroots society (as opposed to Chinese society’s upper echelons) and examining its evolutionary logic. Since 1949, China has faced the historical task of building a modern state. The government aggressively entered the countryside through large-scale political mobilization and social integration with the Chinese Communist Party as the driving force. The goal was to create a strongly integrated communist nation. Since the 1980s, the Chinese countryside has not only experienced economic liberalization but also received an opportunity for political democratization through the creation and practice of village autonomy. Self-government in autonomous villages has provided Chinese peasants with a wide range of democratic rights. In addition, calls for transformation and promotion of the democratic paradigm have increased. Xu’s three books effectively present many critical aspects of China’s rural political transformations. However, questions remain concerning the consistency of the theory and the accuracy of the analysis, which leaves room for further research and discussion.