Beyond stereotypes, it is important to understand Polish society today, shaken by the experience of communism, the Solidarnośc struggles and the advent of capitalism. Portrait of a country in full transformation, European leader in university success.
What is a Pole ? This type of study, obviously, does not exist. But I bet that the list of connotations that a French person can associate with Polish society would mainly consist of the following stereotypes.
The Catholic and drinking Pole: myth or reality ?
At the forefront of the analysis, the “ Polish-Catholic “. Of course, Poland is the birthplace of a fundamentally important pope from the point of view of the symbols he carries. John Paul II left his mark on Polish society through the strong gestures he made: kissing the soil of the countries he visited, going to mosques and synagogues. He initiated ecumenical meetings with representatives of all religions in Assisi, as well as World Youth Days, which are still ongoing today.
His pontificate was rich in important events of a political nature. Of course, his part in the overthrow of communism is as great as that of a Reagan, a Gorbachev or a Walesa. He created among Poles a sense of dignity and freed them from fear of the apparatus of communist oppression with prophetic words in 1979, during his second apostolic trip to Poland: “ Don’t be afraid “, Then “ Let your Spirit descend ! May he renew the surface of the earth, of this earth. ” This “ spirit » seems to have changed the course of things twice: a revolution without a drop of blood shed, which gave birth to a shaky democracy and a savage capitalism, but also the “ rapprochement » with Europe. John Paul II personally supported the referendum for Poland’s entry into the structures of the European Union.
While it is true that the vast majority of Poles (90 %) declare themselves Catholic, they are increasingly rare to attend churches regularly. In 1990, there were 65 % to declare going to mass, compared to around 50 % Currently. However, if the difference is significant, this parameter “ religious » is important, compared to other countries in the European Union. A phenomenon called the “generation JP2” on the banks of the Vistula, that is to say young people inspired by the Pope’s encyclicals, has expanded, but not to the same extent as expected.
In the eyes of a Frenchman AVERAGE “, the Polish “ stereotype » is, undoubtedly also, a poorly educated alcoholic. However, according to the World Health Organization, in an analysis titled “ Status Report on Alcohol and Health in 35 European Countries, 2013 », the consumption of pure alcohol of a Mr. Kowalski is hardly different from that of a Mr. Dupont, i.e. approximately 12 liters of pure alcohol per year. On both sides of the Oder, the consumption of vodka is dethroned by that of beer. Poles, more and more often, treat themselves to wines from Bordeaux…
The European leader in masters »
Since the fall of communism in 1989, Polish universities have been taken over by students, despite fairly strict selection criteria (in Poland, there is an entrance exam in the majority of public schools and in universities – in France, for the most part, this is not the case). While in 1988 only 6.5 % of Poles had higher education, in 2009, 18 % could boast of having a university degree. Given the determination of students to succeed in their higher education, it appears that Poland is, in Europe, the undisputed leader in this area. According to Eurostat data in 2006, no less than 70 % of young people between 17 and 25 have started university studies in Warsaw, while in the rest of European countries the value of this index does not exceed 60 %. If we only take into account young people between 17 and 20 years old, Poland is also in the lead. In fact, more than half of Poles in this age group have started studies, which represents almost 10 points more than in Romania or Italy.
This information “ demystifying » about Polish society come from a book published by PWN (Państwowe Wydawnictwa Naukowe, National Scientific Edition) intended for students of sociology, under the title “ Contemporary Polish society » and led by Anna Giza and Małgorzata Sikorska, professors at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Warsaw. The analyzes carried out by these two sociologists are part of the tradition of this institution, from which famous Polish intellectuals such as Stanisław Ossowski, Zygmunt Bauman (and his postmodernity) or even Jadwiga Staniszkis (and her fine analyzes on the false ontology of the socialist state).
The authors have built their work around thematic axes: “ Population and human capital “, “ The change in morals “, “ Change in the public sphere “, “ At the heart of the market “. However, the originality of their approach lies elsewhere. Each chapter opens to a question related to a concrete dimension of “ community life “. The first chapter, which concerns demography in Poland, starts from the following question: “ Why do children interest our politicians so much? ? » It was a question of showing that “ we can describe societal reality by going beyond explaining the meaning of phenomena that we can approach experimentally or, at least, which are observable daily by everyone. This approach draws attention to the fact that the questions asked (…) are not abstract but, on the contrary, significantly influence the behavior, posture and opinion of most of us. » (Giza, Sikorska, 2012, p. 7).
Below, the indicators and methods for analyzing the questions are described. Often, the authors demonstrate how commonly used indicators can be relevant or not. They criticize in particular those which are used to analyze our lifestyles. In these analyses, what matters is the meaning that people give to their choice, to what extent they identify with it and also how they perceive the choices of others. For example, it is difficult to understand the “ cultural practices » of the respondents, putting listening to jazz, practicing photography or going to work by bike in the same bag…
The past and the future
The work makes an effort to provide a broader vision of Polish society. It addresses not only the contemporary European aspect, but also history. In addition, it is enriched by numerous inserts where interesting case studies are presented illustrating a particular theme or supplementing information. For example, the section on the media is embellished with the classification of “ Freedom House » on freedom of the press.
What state is Polish society in in 2012? ? Anna Giza answers in conclusion: “ From the outside, it is difficult to make someone aware of the pace and characteristics of the changes that Polish society has undergone for decades. » (Giza Sikorska, 2012, p. 642). Historical turmoil, capitalism and social experiments have relentlessly torn Polish society XXe and at XXIe century. It is useful to realize that, among citizens of voting age, there are “ the post-communist generation “, L’homo sovieticus, “ the Solidarnośc generation ”, as well as the shy appearance of the “ generation JP2 “. Entry into the European Union in 2004 corresponded to the emigration of around 2 million people — mainly to Great Britain — including 1 million women between 20 and 40 years old (Giza Sikorska, 2012, p. 38) .
The statistics presented throughout the book reveal a society with an unusual strength of adaptation. They also show, unfortunately, that Poles, aware of their energy and talent, often prefer to refuse the Polish social framework and “ to invest » in another country. This is due to three factors: the precariousness of work for young people between 19 and 25 years old, even with qualifications (bac + 3 and bac +5), the pension reform (Otwarty Fundusz Emerytalny, Open Fund for Pensions) which removes 48% of funds for the population reaching retirement age and, finally, less and less generous family policy.
This manual is dense and rich. It modifies in many ways the image that sociologists and Poles themselves have of their country.