Polish and Russian Intelligentsia and the Fall of Communism. Differences, Similarities, and Cooperation - An Attempt at Structural Analysis

The presentation will offer an analytical perspective on the role of the intelligentsia in Poland and Russia in the period from late communism to the present. It can be argued that the Russian and Polish intelligentsia are both very close and very different. On the one hand, there are perhaps no two groups that understand each other better, that share a similar identity and political and aesthetic sensibility. On the other hand, they are in some respects very different groups, both in terms of their origins and the place they occupy and have occupied in their societies. Either way, by systematically comparing one with the other, we can much better understand these two important factions of the Polish and Russian elite and the role they play in their respective countries. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between the Polish and Russian intelligentsia during the communist period and its subsequent evolution. During this period, both intelligentsias were a source of inspiration and fascination for each other. This resulted in many friendships and networks of cooperation. Over time, however, most of these have faded. The presentation will attempt to answer the question of why this has happened. It will also briefly compare this process with the disappearance of earlier periods of closer cooperation between Polish and Russian intellectual elites in the past.

Tomasz Zarycki - Sociologist and social geographer, Professor at the University of Warsaw and Deputy Director of the Robert Zajonc Institute of Social Studies (ISS UW). His main areas of interest include the sociology of science, politics, culture and the historical sociology of elites, as well as the socio-political geography of Central and Eastern European countries, with a particular focus on Poland and Russia. His books publications include “Ideologies of Eastness in Central and Eastern Europe” (Routledge, 2014), and “The Polish Elite and Language Sciences A Perspective of Global Historical Sociology” (Palgrave, 2022).