THREE MONTHS IN POLAND. RESISTANCE PERFORMANCES ON WROCLAW’S STREETS
DOI: 10.23951/2312-7899-2019-1-57-68
The article concerns resistance performances, which can be considered as one of the most important elements of modern democracies. Citizens are looking for new forms of influence on the representatives of the authorities and other decision-makers. Forms such as pickets, protests, demonstrations, and marches over the years have become the basic tools used by members of modern democratic societies. They reflect not only social problems and tensions resulting from systemic transformation (in terms of politics, law, and economics), but also strivings, aspirations, attitudes, cultural patterns of behavior and lifestyle changes. Of course, they take on various, often extensive forms, and their participants use a variety of performative strategies. In the colors used, in the materials used, in the sounds, shouts, slogans written on banners, in graphic signs, symbols the axiological order is present. After William J. T. Mitchell and Judith Butler, it can be stated that the very presence of a “physical” body of protesters in public space is a concrete form of resistance. The evoked performances, of course, are not limited only to being in a specific place and time. They have adopted and are still adopting very diverse forms, which in turn are closely related to the ideological layer. It is about the axiological order made present in the slogans, symbols, actions, street performances. In this article, the author attempts to conduct a cultural studies analysis of three events that took place in Wrocław between November 2018 and January 2019: a march on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of regaining independence by Poland, a demonstration against the mass shooting of boars and the silent march after the assassination of the president of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz. Each of these forms is characterized by different aesthetics, and also shows the diversity of ways of life, thinking of Polish citizens, and, consequently, the axes of disputes and conflicts dividing them.
Keywords: resistance, performance, manifestation, demonstration, march, Poland, city, public space, urban space, axiology
References:
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Kalinowska 2019 – Kalinowska D. Masowy odstrzal dzikow. Naukowiec: Polowania moga przyczynic sie do rozprzestrzeniania sie ASF. Dziennik.pl. 2019. January 11. URL: https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/wydarzenia/artykuly/588911
Lakomski 2019 – Lakomski G. Szef zwiazku lowieckiego podaje sie do dymisji. „Minister potrzebowal kozla ofiarnego”. TVN24.pl. 2019. January 17. URL: https://www.tvn24.pl/wiadomosci-z-kraju,3/odstrzal-dzikow-szef-zwiazku-lowieckiego-odchodzi,901281.html
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Mitchell 2013 – Mitchell W. J. T. Obraz, przestrzen, rewolucja. Wszystkie sztuki okupacji. Widok. Teorie i praktyki kultury wizualnej. 2013. 3. URL: http://pismowidok.org/index.php/one/article/view/102/164#sdfootnote1sym
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Issue: 1, 2019
Series of issue: Issue 1
Rubric: ARTICLES
Pages: 57 — 68
Downloads: 829