9/2014

Table of Contents

Transformations of the modern world. Characteristics, dynamics, trends and prospects

ARTICLES – DISCUSSIONS - ESSAYS

Marek. J. Malinowski

Transformations of the modern world. Characteristics, dynamics, trends and prospects. (Personal reflections)

Ilona Balcerczyk

Changing the paradigm, Tocqueville's perception of American society

Anna Kronenberg

The politics of representation: relations between ideology, power and sex

Małgorzata Joanna Bielecka

Policy development and rural development

Radosław Kamiński

Territorial organization of the state and the ability of local governments to carry out public tasks. Mistakes, conclusions, necessary adjustments, necessary changes

Anna Liisa Westman

The Development of Finnish Welfare Society and Business Life

Karol Kierzkowski

The search for new treatments against the risks of civilization - A contemporary of traditional Chinese medicine

Katarzyna Tłuczek

Movement, dance, symbolism of the body as a form of constructive transgression “towards each others”

Janusz Ostrowski

Commercialisation of democracy

KONFERENCES – DEBATES - INTERVIEWS

Aleksandra Kanclerz

Conference Report: How to teach about Gender? Learning paths and specializations

Zaproszenie na konferencję

Information on the project FLAME - Family Learning and Migrant Engagement

FRAGMENTS OF AHE STUDENTS’ MASTER THESES

Marek Cwojdziński

The Jewish Council, and social structures of the Warsaw Ghetto against the policies of the occupier

Jarosław Wnuk

An ageing society. German policy on the eve of the demographic crisis

REVIEWS - SUMMARIES

Maria Engler

Susanne Schröter (ed.), Geschlechtergerechtigkeit durch Demokratisierung? Transformationen und Restaurationen von Genderverhältnissen in der islamischen Welt

Katarzyna Tłuczek

Zuzanna Pędzich (ed.), Dance Movement Psychotherapy. Theory and Practice, Volume I

Łukasz Zaorski Sikora

Edyta Pietrzak, Towards Global civil society. Trangressions of ideas

Abstracts

Marek. J. Malinowski

Transformations of the modern world. Characteristics, dynamics, trends and prospects. (Personal reflections)

Keywords: change, alternative, contemporary world.

The Philosophical and Social Yearbook Civitas Hominibus of 2013 highlights the diversity of the modern world. It includes articles dealing with culture, religion, politics, ideology amongst others.

Current changes have varied characteristics requiring the identification of their qualitative and quantitative dynamics. Analysis of these changes is undertaken in various disciplines on an international scale through extensive research and constant observation. Analysis and evaluation is provided here by experts and specialists in the study of international relations and other academic disciplines, by politicians, journalists and representatives of various social organizations.

Ilona Balcerczyk

Changing the paradigm, Tocqueville's perception of American society

Keywords: freedom, equality, Tocqueville, civil society, democracy.

The author explains what is civil society in nineteenth-century United States of America according to Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville’s changing paradigm begins by travelling across different states and interviewing citizens, by his own observations and after hearing different opinions of Americans describe their image of democracy in America.
In the article the author describes the two pillars on which civil society is based: a pillar of axiological nature and a pillar associated with legal – administrative regulations. She also presents a picture of the citizen – a person who actively builds civil society in America.

Anna Kronenberg

The politics of representation: relations between ideology, power and sex

Keywords: the politics of representation, gender, religion, racism, Sexism, power relations.

This article refers to relations between ideology, power and sex. Research in this field is carried out in the framework of gender studies and the ‘politics of representation’. In this article I discuss the impact of patriarchal and colonial ideology and religion on the representations of women, including women of colour, in culture. I also discuss the historical, social and political consequences of those representations for real women and their (our) lives. Representation is always a political act, an act of power. And being represented by others often means being discriminated against, which is frequently connected to a lack of civil rights.

Małgorzata Joanna Bielecka

Policy development and rural development

Keywords: development of country area, local development, development of country enterprise, regional politics, sustainable development.

This article considers some aspects of the problems of rural development in Poland. The nature and importance of harmonious and sustainable rural development to improve the quality of life of rural inhabitants is presented. It also identifies the impact of global challenges as a determinant of change affecting the socio-economic situation in rural areas. The opportunities and prospects for the development of local entrepreneurship as a kind of panacea, which supports the creation of new jobs of a non-agricultural economic nature is taken into account. Regions located in rural areas to meet the challenges of the modern global economy (competitive) should be characterized by versatility and a reduced share of households engaged with typical farming activities. The second aspect of the analyzed issue concerns democratic participation in social life, as an important element affecting the progress of change in the lives of rural people.

Radosław Kamiński

Territorial organization of the state and the ability of local governments to carry out public tasks. Mistakes, conclusions, necessary adjustments, necessary changes

Keywords: local government, decentralization, territorial division of the state,
administrative reform.

Local government appointed to exercise administration and equipped with material resources to carry out its assigned tasks is inherent in the democratic state. The main value of self-government, in addition to freedom as a foundation of subjectivity citizenship is democracy. Local governments encourage the development of dignity, representativeness and effectiveness. The process of decentralization in Poland mainly includes the sphere of state administration and was based on self-government institutions, which to be able to function properly had to be equipped with the necessary and essential attributes.

This article presents some problems of local government in the context of the territorial system of the state and indicates the possible (or necessary) changes, which – according to the author – should become (and in practice are) the subject of discussion between the government and the state administration.

Anna Liisa Westman

The Development of Finnish Welfare Society and Business Life

Keywords: welfare society, war, business, development.

This article considers the development of Finnish welfare society and business life mainly between 1880–1940. The main idea is to map the development of Finland from an agricultural state to an industrial state. The theoretical starting point is the social-historical and financial development of Finland. Finland was a part of the kingdom Sweden (1150–1809) and Russian Empire (1809–1917). Finland became independent in 1917. Industrialisation started in the mid-nineteenth century. Infrastructure of services developed rapidly during that time, for example wood processing, textile industry, metal and engineering factories were established. The development of the local government and state administration as well as party political system supported the development of industry and business. The First World War influenced the development of the industrialization and business life.

Karol Kierzkowski

The search for new treatments against the risks of civilization - Traditional Chinese medicine

Keywords: treatment, illness, philosophy of medicine, Chinese medicine, the risks of civilization.

This article considers the growing interest in traditional Chinese medicine. It includes, among other things: acupuncture, meditation, exercise health, diet, herbal medicine, massage, astrology and geomancy. The World Health Organization recommends limiting medication and surgery and the use of natural methods. They are used in traditional Chinese medicine because they are less invasive and harmful. The foundation of traditional Chinese medicine is a system of thought – Taoist and Confucian philosophy – which is based on the yin-yang, a concept vital qi and the five elements and phase transformations. It depends on the inseparable connection of mind and body, mental and physical actions and emotions to the internal and external environment. Chinese medicine, in the West is controversial and resisted by the medical community. Reluctance to accept oriental medicine may be surprising, since its main feature is the treatment of man as a psychophysical harmonious whole.

Katarzyna Tłuczek

Movement, dance, symbolism of the body as a form of constructive transgression “towards each others”

Keywords: transgression, movement, dance, body symbolism, emotions.

The way to self-development and self-creation by changing attitudes and behaviour in relation to others and to the world may be a work with the body. Our experiences of movement allow us to bring to light lost emotions, and thereby increase the knowledge of ourselves. The more comprehensive the perception of our body, the more possibilities we have for our self-development. Movement - working with the body – allows a person to undertake transgressive actions which extend our own limitations to personal development. In this article I present a few methods of body working which are used both in therapy and development workshops. These methods are targeted to cause changes in a person’s body and mentality .

Janusz Ostrowski

Commercialisation of democracy

Keywords: democracy, globalization, society, free market, capitalism.

This article discusses the phenomenon of the global slowdown and the limiting of democratization theorised by Professor Samuel P. Huntington (waves of democratization). The author notes that democratization stopped on its third wave, somewhere on the edge of the eastern borders of Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia.

In a globalized world, some states as international actors adopt their political systems to free-market principles, but openness does not lead to the intra-reform of political and social structures, to a fully democratic state. The rules built into the capitalist economy based on democratic states widely used in the early transition period have been transformed in the direction of strengthening the state of limited democracies