PZ 2020 I: Looking westwards
- Binding: paperback
- Author: collective work
- Publisher: Western Affairs in Poznań
- PL ISSN: 0033-2437
- Publication date: 30 January 2021
- Number: 2020 Special Issue
- Number of pages: 333
- Size: A5
Dear Readers, This special edition of the journal of the Institute for Western Affairs in Poznań is a collection of papers selected from the four issues of our quarterly Przegląd Zachodni published in 2019. The papers originally appeared in Polish, and have been translated into English for this edition. Some papers concentrate on issues related to the Western Recovered Territories that were incorporated into Poland in the aftermath of World War II. These lands have been one of the areas of research carried out by our Institute since its establishment in 1944, and the first paper in this collection reflects on the history of this research. The consequences of the huge post-war experiment in resettlement and the territorial changes imposed by politicians continue to attract the attention of historians, cultural analysts and experts in social transformation. Younger researchers follow modern research schools, and above all have access to sources and materials that were scarcely accessible 30 years ago. Their contributions are characteristically local, referencing individual narratives and preserving the memory of “small homelands”. The papers which follow address questions about memories preserved and motivations for actions, and concentrate on literary representations and individual and group testimonies of epochs and watershed events. Generational revolts, migration dilemmas, and once rare appeals for reconciliation are now viewed from the perspective of the subsequent huge changes which affected nations and societies. The third group of papers addresses political and legal issues related to the current situation in Europe and the European Union. Their authors debate the seemingly omnipresent doubts about the efficiency and sustainability of institutional integration of the Old Continent and the political will of EU members to cooperate. However, the main feature of the descriptions and conclusions is the multiplicity of what has been achieved and the advanced forms of cooperation undertaken. For a Europe experiencing many crises, it is necessary to recognise the motivations for improvement and appreciate all the achievements that have been made, including the most recent. We wish you a stimulating read.
Natalia Jackowska