The Anxious Mind: (Re)Defining Polishness in the 21st Century a talk by Krzysztof Borowski, Ph.D.

February 21, 2023; 5:00-6:15PM (PDT) on ZOOM

Zoom Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/92024355732

This talk will examine what contemporary regionalist discourse reveals about the Polish national imagination in the early 21st century by tracing examples of divergent narratives across language, literature, and culture. Dr. Borowski will show how these ideas actively challenge deeply rooted visions of culture, identity, and nation, forcing a (re)examination of what it means to be Polish.  He will argue that the controversy around regional thinking (e.g., Silesia) can be explained as a reflection of unspoken collective anxieties that continue to shape Polish national thinking until today.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Krzysztof E. Borowski is an interdisciplinary scholar of language, culture, and society in contemporary Poland and a Lecturer in Polish Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research explores identity, nationalism, political discourse, the Silesian minority, and Polish television. His work combines critical discourse, socio-political, and linguistic approaches. He is working on his first book manuscript, National Demons, which examines the Polish national imagination through the lens of language, history, and politics.