“Poles Apart. Poland’s Culture Wars” exhibition at the Harvard University
Almost three decades after its successful transition to democracy and more than a decade after joining the European Union, Poland is again torn apart by growing political polarization and social conflicts.
Millions of Poles took to the streets following electoral victories by the conservative and nationalist Law and Justice Party (PIS) in 2015. Under PIS rule, culture wars that had been simmering for years have finally boiled over. Bitter disagreements remain over not just current policies and institutions, but the country’s historical memory, the nature of post-1989 transformations, and relations with Europe.