Against the Current

The political reality of the European Union is not reflected in the general discourse on the relationship between Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe, which is characterized by an adverse attitude towards the latter. This impacts identity construction on the European level, where Central and Eastern Europe has long been regarded as the “Other” against which the European “self ” was defined. However, a new discourse on this relationship has emerged in literary works written by scholars and journalists that are able to take an overarching perspective. The present study analyses four publications to see how the relationship between Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe is portrayed in terms of the self and the Other, employing the Discourse Historical Approach and a spectrum of the self and the Other perspectives. It emerges that the discussed authors share a discourse which respects differences, focuses on similarities as well as differences and shows an awareness of the interwovenness of the narratives of the self and the Other. This new, shared discourse holds directions for the further development of a European-wide discourse that includes the same notions of respect and the interwovenness of narratives, and which could in turn influence European identity construction.

Bringing Pyongyang Back: the Prospects for Establishing Multilateral Cooperation Mechanism in East Asia

In this interconnected world, the multilateral mechanisms become more and more present and relevant. However, East Asia is a notable exception with no such institutionalised tool. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains the most troubling state and the main reason why collaboration has not resulted in strengthening the stability in East Asia. Although a formal dialogue called the Six Party Talks exists, it currently remains in deadlock after two nuclear tests conducted by Pyongyang in 2009. The actions that took place throughout last year have once again drawn greater attention to the Korean Peninsula, raising the possibility of resuming the negotiations. Nevertheless, the question about what this new agenda should include remain relevant. The purpose of this paper is to outline international relations in Northeast Asia from both theoretical and practical perspective and provide ideas on what can be done to facilitate the cooperation between the states.

Więzienie w Guantanamo jako przykład biopolitycznego paradygmatu globalnej wojny z terroryzmem

Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp as an Example of Biopolitical Framework of Global War on Terror The aim of this article is to introduce the problem of indefinite detainees of Guantanamo Bay into the framework of biopolitical interpretation of Global War on Terror (GWOT). From the very first days of GWOT, the George W. Bush administration mobilized all available resources to fight with everyone suspected as a potential terrorist in all areas, including legal area. The intentional consequence of this fight was the elimination of political rights for indefinite detainees. Potentially risky individuals were suspected in the context of normal law – what can be perceived as a visible result of sovereign’s decisions and actions – and were transformed into bare lives, figure of homini sacri. Homo sacer means an individual being excluded from the society and social order; it means the situation of being deprived of personal political rights, where the essence of human existence is diminished to physical aspects exclusively. According to Giorgio Agamben and his concept of biopolitics, the camp per se, is the paradigm of modernity. It is the place of permanent production of bare lives, the materialized place of state of exception, the place of law suspension. In the context of post-9/11, Guantanamo detention camp became the pure exemplification of Agamben’s biopolitical camp.

Rousseau’s General Will

The advance of populist parties in the European Union can be interpreted as the sign of an expanding “frustration” about representation in a political sphere oppressed by economic austerity. In this context, the modern philosophical roots of an alternative conception of democracy, based on direct participation, appear to be worth of a careful scrutiny. This paper focuses on the notion of the General Will as described in The Social Contract. After a critical review of the antithetical conceptions of the General Will suggested by Rousseau, a coherent interpretation is proposed, obtained through an analysis of the text taken as a “self- -sufficient” unity: the General Will is pure “ambition” for an unknown common good, shared by all the members of a political community. However, it is argued that the participatory “machinery” of General Will is fundamentally incapable of resolving three serious problems that undermine the foundations of Rousseau’s ideal “République”, namely, 1. How the citizens can identify the common good without errors; 2. How the citizens can develop an ethical dimension by themselves, without any external influence; 3. How single individuals, seen not as active citizens but as passive subjects of the State, can protect themselves from the abuses of power.

Koncepcja wielkiego człowieka – wybrane zagadnienia

The idea of the Great Man – selected issues The paper analyses the importance of an individual in history making. It summarizes both psychological and historical reasons of people’s admiration towards specific individuals who are considered to have enormous influence on history. It presents research in different kinds of scientific fields with the emphasis on political science. The paper compares a number of approaches to the Great Man Theory, stressing the importance of Thomas Carlyle’s and Gieorgij Plechanow’s interpretations. It presents counterarguments and theories claiming a decline in the importance of the individual per se and the individual in history making.

Wpływ feministycznej krytyki języka na ustawodawstwo i język polityki w krajach niemieckojęzycznych

The Influence of Feminist Criticism of Language Usage over Legislation and Language of Politics in German Language States In this article it is assumed that the feminist criticism of language usage had a significant influence over legislation and language of politics in German‑speaking countries, especially in Germany and Austria. This phenomenon is noticed for example in the General Act on Equal Treatment, the Austrian Federal Equal Treatment Act, the General Act of city Wädenswil in Switzerland, statements of German and Austrian political parties and politicians. This impact is shown in specific examples of law texts and statements of politicians. Furthermore, the aim of this article is to present the key points of feminist criticism of German language usage and the key ideas of language respecting both of genders (die geschlechtergerechte Sprache) or of gender‑neutral language (die geschlechtsneutrale Sprache). It is necessary to add that this article is only a short presentation of phenomenon of the feminism’s affect on German language of politics.

Motywy memoratywne dokumentów Kazimierza Konradowica, księcia kujawsko-łęczyckiego

Memorative Motives of Documents of Kazimierz Konradowic, Duke of Kujawy and Łęczyca The dissertation focuses on the ideological content presented in documents originated in the chancellery of Kazimierz Konradowic who was the duke of Łęczyca and Kujawy, regions of Poland, in the years 1230–1267. The subject of the analysis are memorative motives, i. e. motives concerning on time, memory, oblivion, doubt as well as fragility of the terrestrial matters and the chance to stop the time lapse by asking the divinity for help and intercession. To this day, 71 documents issued in years 1233–1267 by duke Kazimierz have survived. Most of them abound in erudite philosophical and theological reflections about various aspects. This article represents the main part of them that are above‑explained memorative motives.

Nowy populizm penalny na przykładzie przestępstw przeciwko wiarygodności faktur

New Penal Populism on the Example of Crime against the Credibility of Invoices The article provides an overview of the populist narrative in the legislative process. The author argues that new penal populism affects more and more complicated branches of law, including a tax law. The author conducts a case study, analysing the new crime in the Polish penal code – the crime against credibility invoices. Populist aspects both in the legislation and in the political discourse surrounding it were discussed.

Kryzys globalizacji – analiza genezy i rozumienia procesu

The Crisis of Globalization – the Analysis of the Genesis and the Understanding of the Process The main goal of this paper is to explain the phenomena of globalization in the context of its possible crisis, which influences the recent public discourse debate. The study answers two research questions: what the genesis of the globalization is, and how this phenomenon can be understood. Considering the first question, three theoretical approaches were analysed: structural, nonhomogeneous and constructivist. As for the second question, the author presents globalization with reference to internationalisation, universalisation, westernization, and liberalization.