Dynamics of Extreme Right Protest in Poland, 1989-2012

Abstract

Research on the rise of nationalism and extremism in Poland has tended to focus on either macro or micro level explanations, considering it either as aggressive reactions to frustrations resulting from a rapid end to a period of economic stabilization and of increased expectations or from status inconsistency. However, the extreme right in Poland has never been analyzed as a social movement. Thus, this project pursues an analysis of the Polish extreme right as a social movement with a focus on the meso-organizational and action levels. The analysis stresses political opportunities rather than social threats, discursive opportunities rather than grievances, and repertoires of protest rather than simply violence. Drawing on social movement theory, the project proposes a way to conceptualize the specific political space for the Polish extreme right mobilization as a combination of discursive opportunities and political opportunities. The two dimensions determine the extent and forms of extreme right actions and claims making in two ways. First, they provide different sets of discursive opportunities, which can be either strong (when extreme right actors and claims are highly visible, resonant, and legitimate) or weak (when extreme right actors and claims have a lower degree of visibility, resonance, and legitimacy). Second, they can provide either an open or closed political opportunity structure. Among the political opportunities, the configuration of power between allies and opponents (and the shifts in this configuration), the legal situation in Poland, the repressions of the use of fascist and racist symbols and nationalist practices as well as the process of Europeanization are considered particularly relevant. Looking at a broad spectrum of actors in the extreme right milieu, the project analyzes their forms of action, their targets, and their issues of mobilization with the aim of understanding the differential use of violent versus non-violent forms of action. In addition, the project analyzes the presence of the extreme right in the public domain, including its action repertoires and its contribution to claim making on such issues as national identity, defense of sovereignty, and fight against its enemies. The project builds on protest-event analysis based on newspaper reports of right-wing protests between 1989 and 2013. This allows for analyzing changes over time, which suggests that in the Polish case three distinct phases of extreme right mobilization can be identified: marginalization, institutionalization and radicalization.

Abstract in Polish:

Celem projektu jest ukazanie dynamiki protesty ruchu skrajnej prawicy w Polsce w latach 1989-2012. Na podstawie analizy wydarzeń protestacyjnych z udziałem ugrupowań radykalnej prawicy przedstawimy pełen obraz dynamiki ruchu w wymiarze struktury mobilizacji, repertuaru protestów oraz ram działania. Główna hipoteza brzmi: w latach 1989-2012 ruch skrajnej prawicy instytucjonalizuje się, legalizuje swoje działania oraz zaczyna działać w sferze instytucjonalnej polityki. Liczba aktów przemocy inicjowanych przez ruch zmieniała się wraz s przechodzeniem z fazy marginalizacji do fazy instytucjonalizacji.

W projekcie używamy stosowanej w socjologii ruchów społecznych metody analizy epizodów protestacyjnych (protest event analysis). Zakłada ona, że ruch konstytuowany jest przez działania zbiorowe, których dynamikę można rekonstruować dzięki badaniom diachronicznym, przede wszystkim analizom wzmianek prasowych. Jednostką analizy PEA jest wydarzenie protestacyjne. Przy pomocy PEA badamy prasę ogólnopolską („Gazeta Wyborcza”, „Rzeczpospolita”), archiwa PAP oraz Brunatną Księgę, tworząc elektroniczną bazę wszystkich wydarzeń protestacyjnych inicjowanych przez ruch skrajnej prawicy w latach 1989-2012.