Zanikanie granic między klasami społecznymi. O potrzebie poszukiwania alternatywnych segmentacji społecznych

A description of borderland as a space can be inspiring for an analytical presentation of other social phenomena in which coexisting borderline categories occur. An example is social stratification within which different groups of individuals referred to as layers, castes or classes can be distinguished. Their character is arbitrary, resulting from a concern for the conventional, often not very distinctive interests of some social groups. Since the 19th century, the most widespread stratification system in Western societies has been the class system. However, its analytical value has been fading due to the blurring of boundaries between particular classes. The social classes, on the one hand, are subject to strong internal differentiation and are losing their previous cohesion, and on the other hand, they are becoming similar in many respects. Therefore there is a need to create an alternative and more analytically useful way of categorizing societies in contemporary social sciences. Segmentation based on the category of lifestyle seems valuable, because lifestyle is what, in a particularly important way, differentiates in the social dimension individuals forming contemporary Western societies. At the same time, this category is so capacious and distinctive that it can be analytically useful for representatives of various social sciences. The aim of the paper is, first of all, to present the structural foundation of class systems, secondly, to identify the reasons for the loss of their analytical value, and thirdly, to discuss the scientifically useful segmentation of society relating to different lifestyles.

Different Stories of One Battle: The Moravian-Ostrava Offensive in Historiography and Collective Memory

The paper focuses on the historiography and remembrance of a significant battle, fought between the Red Army and German forces in the last week of World War II in Europe on the present Czech-Polish border. In the opening part of the paper, the historical surveys are depicted and analysed. The text also examines “official” forms of remembrance, such as museums and memorials, as well as popular narratives, myths and common tales surrounding the military operation, which are seen in the context of a specific collective identity of the population of the borderland. The article seeks correlations between professional research, political rhetoric and other aspects that created the “popular image” of the offensive. The question of regional memory is understood in the context of nationwide debates about contemporary history.

Researching cross-border cooperation under the shadow of COVID 19 pandemic: scientific report from e-conferences and blog-reflections produced between 14 March and 21 June 2020

The aim of this paper is to try to summarize, how, the scholars researching border studies and cross-border cooperation practitioners reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic during the period from 16 of March to 21 of June 2020. As it was not possible to follow all the texts (often published without peer-review in thematic blogs) and events, the overview is not exhausting. Another goal of this text is to synthesize the main messages of those texts and events and to identify possible future trends in border studies. We will most likely experience the discourse change which will lead us towards studying impacts of re-bordering rather than de-bordering. We can also expect the lower engagement of the local and regional actors in cross-border cooperation, which will be in some border contexts considered as an unnecessary luxury.

Ensuring and protecting the rights of national minorities in the Visegrad countries (on the example of Slovakia)

The main research objective of the study presented in this article was the ethnopolitics of the Slovak Republic, one of the V4 countries, namely the legislative base and the institutional ensuring the functioning of a system of protection of the national and ethnic minorities’ rights. Slovakia is one of the postsocialist countries that has made the transition to democracy on the way to joining the European Union. The country’s authorities conducted a series of reforms in the ethnopolitical sphere in accordance with European standards. An ethnopolitical picture and separate ethnopolitical challenges in the Slovak Republic are similar, especially in the border areas. Thus, the main goal of the ethnopolitics of Slovakia is to secure the rights of all minorities, interethnic tolerance and ensure the intercultural dialogue. Representatives of national and ethnic minorities in the Slovak Republic have a number of rights and opportunities, directly dependent on citizens whether they can organize themselves and use existing mechanisms for the benefit of their own community. In addition, the state's ethnopolitical strategy provides bilateral cooperation with the homelands of individual minorities. The bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia is one of the examples. Bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the Slovak Republic in the field of protection and ensuring of minority rights is based on the work of the Intergovernmental Slovak-Ukrainian Commission for National Minorities, Education and Culture. The recommendations of the commission are an important tool for constructive dialogue between Slovakia and Ukraine, ensuring good neighborly relations.

The Strategic Role Of the Local Communities in The Development Of Cross-Border Cooperation Between Ukraine And The EU (on the example of the Transcarpathian Region)

This article is devoted to the study of the implementation of cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and EU countries. Transcarpathia was chosen as the region for the study because it is here that Ukraine is bordering with four European states. The most important role in the implementation of cross-border programs belongs to the communities in the field provided by the local self-government bodies. It is they who have the relevant knowledge and experience to successfully implement projects and programs from different funding sources targeted for the development of cross-border regions. The successful development and success of Ukraine’s border territories largely depend on the successful mobilization and strategic use of funds.

Współpraca międzynarodowa samorządów Polski południowej

Artykuł jest próbą spojrzenia na współpracę międzynarodową samorządów lokalnych jako na narzędzie realizacji lokalnych polityk publicznych. Analiza wszystkich zidentyfikowanych przypadków realnej współpracy gmin i powiatów Małopolski, Podkarpacia i wschodnich powiatów Śląska z okresu 2004-2015 dowodzi, że intensywną współpracę transgraniczną prowadzą te gminy, które potrafią używać projektów międzynarodowych strategicznie, jako narzędzia osiągania celów politycznych. Poza tą grupą samorządów postrzeganie współpracy międzynarodowej jako aktywności przynoszącej korzyści, ale całkowicie marginalnej w stosunku do codziennej pracy gmin i powiatów popycha w kierunku skupienia się na współpracy w dziedzinie kultury. Ograniczone zasoby własne samorządów powodują, że podstawowym kryterium atrakcyjności partnera jest bliskość geograficzna. Kluczowe znaczenie w prowadzeniu współpracy międzynarodowej mają zasoby instytucjonalne i kadrowe, co powoduje, że miasta dużo chętniej podejmują współpracę niż gminy wiejskie.

Współpraca transgraniczna organizacji pozarządowych pomiędzy Polską a Ukrainą. Uwarunkowania prawno-instytucjonalne oraz stan faktyczny

W niniejszym artykule została zaprezentowana specyfika współpracy transgranicznej pomiędzy Ukrainą i Polską. Analizę przeprowadzono przez pryzmat działalności organizacji pozarządowych. Dzięki ich zaangażowaniu współpraca transgraniczna stała się ważnym elementem procesów integracyjnych, dzięki któremu jest możliwa optymalizacja wykorzystania potencjału i zasobów regionów przygranicznych. Główny ciężar analizy został skupiony na obszarze pogranicza polsko-ukraińskiego. Podjęto próbę określenia perspektyw dla kontynuacji współpracy w przyszłości. Przedmiotem szczególnego zainteresowania była działalność organizacji polonijnych na Ukrainie z uwzględnieniem uwarunkowań lokalnych.

Maritime Boundaries Revisited. De-bordering of the Taiwanese-Japanese Neighborhood in the Context of (Re-)Bordering Tendencies in the Region of East and South China Seas

The presented article maps processes of bordering, de-bordering and re-bordering in East Asia with maritime borders and territorial claims as the central elements of the analysis. The key question of the investigation is why some maritime territorial disputes are amplified when other are silenced in the region? The author concentrates on two island states, Japan and the Republic of China (Taiwan), testing de-bordering of their neighborhood. This process is taking place however in the context of (maritime) border claims and disputes in the region of East China Sea and South China Sea, with numerous actors involved in the game of controlling space and setting new borders there. It is assumed that to understand the dynamics of the de-bordering processes between the two states, their neighborhood’s analysis has to be framed by historical developments, interests’ configurations as well as the collective spatial memory/identity component. Moreover, the attempts to intensify cross-border cooperation need to be settled, among others, in the changing geopolitical situation in the region and the growing power of China. Conceptually the paper tries to interpret developments using both neo-realistic and constructivist approach to international relations as well as theoretical models of the (still emerging) field of border studies.