“Last week, I believe, a further step was taken on the road to full-out authoritarianism.”
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Kultura Liberalna / Liberal Culture is a centrist, liberal media organisation, think tank and NGO based in Poland which publishes an influential weekly online journal, featuring articles, commentary and debate. Liberal Culture publishes books, organises international events and develops partnerships with other media outlets around the globe. MORE
Special Reports READ ALL
I still believe in progress
The year 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of one of Francis Fukuyama’s most famous works, The End of History and the Last Man, which argued that the worldwide spread of liberal democracy may…
How to preserve liberal values when institutions undermine them
Adam Puchejda: For more than 30 years, you have been saying that liberalism is in decline and that liberal institutions are not necessarily serving to advance the ideals of justice and freedom. But when we look…
We live in the world of losers
“The dominant narrative after the end of the Cold War was that everybody was a winner. Not a single state or society was defeated – communism lost but it was overthrown by Russian citizens, there were no…
Hate at “The End of History”
In the 1990s, Fukuyama had the impression that his ideas were better understood in post-communist countries than in the West. This is no longer true. We are now closer to attaining a Western style reality than…
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Transformation READ ALL
Introduction. The Horizons Of a New Freedom
Maria is a 70 year-old retired engineer. Following the Transformation of 1989, she worked for over a decade outside of Poland, then returned home to retire. Maria and her family enjoy a decent standard of…
Liberalism, the Right and the Left – points of contention
EVALUATING POLAND’S POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION
Both the Left and the Right wings of Poland’s political divide see the post-1989 Transformation in a singularly negative light.
For the Right, the Round Table…
Broken windmills – interpretations of success required by Poland today
The time has come to change the story we tell about contemporary Poland. The 25th anniversary of the first free elections in its modern history appears to be a celebration which has Polish citizens smiling, but…
A whole new sense of frustration
My hypothesis is as follows: in order to sum up the past 25 years of Polish history, we must take into account the sense of frustration which comes with being offered endless possibilities. The map of Polish…
Multiculturalism READ ALL
Liberalism needs love
American political philosopher explains why in her view a ban on wearing burqas is a sign of islamophobia, how can we address the question of violence against women and why she believes a man has an inherent tendency towards evil.
Damn the security!
French philosopher rebuts arguments of Martha Nussbaum, which are criticizing French immigration policy. According to Alain Finkielkraut, covering face by a woman means taking away her personality.
Recipe for a social disaster
Instead of stigmatizing immigrants, we should double efforts leading to awake their feeling of membership. Otherwise their frustration and the feeling of exclusion will deepen, creating social gaps, the Canadian philosopher claims.
Covering up – a new form of exhibitionism?
Does the burqa ban amount to discrimination? According to French Islamic Studies scholar Oliver Roy, not at all. Wearing the burqa, Roy argues, is an individual decision, made by a small group of well-educated and by no means submissive women. That the ban threatens multiculturalism as an European project, he says, is an equally misguided assertion.
Ukraine READ ALL
Affluent Poles looking at Ukraine – too much lecturing, not enough support
Poland has become a part of Western Europe – for better or for worse. In the face of the escalating Ukrainian conflict it definitely seems for worse. The Poles have become wealthy enough to forget where they were 25 years ago. The memories of our own poor condition are so faded that we can no longer empathize with the Ukrainians’ violent struggle. And yet it seems so easy to keep convincing everyone in Brussels that Poland will teach its European partners to think in terms of solidarity.
Different Ukrainians, different Poles
My friends in Ukraine want to know what Poles are like, since they know I lived in Poland for two years. Poles, on the other hand, ask what we Ukrainians are like. I never know what to tell either group. Each new story I come across is different – the more I learn, the more I am afraid of getting things wrong.
Explaining Europe to the Europeans
During a conference organized five years ago in London to celebrate Europe Day one of the major issues raised by Austrian ambassador to the United Kingdom (Austria was at that time president of the EU) was… the lack of jokes on European Union. At the time being, only British historian, Timothy Garton Ash, replied with the one-liner: “If the EU applied to join the EU it would not be admitted”. Over the next few years this became more of a reality than anecdote and I am pretty sure that…
Maybe Russia would change its mind
Gernot Erler talks about European politics and war on Ukraine.
Liberal Culture in Media READ ALL
I am greatly impressed by the intellectual level and organization of the Kultura Liberalna community.
Timothy Snyder, historian
I find Kultura Liberalna to be one of the most interesting young networks of intellectuals.
Agnieszka Holland, film director
The magazine introduces readers to the tradition of liberal thought understood not in a narrow, economic perspective, but emphasizing the most precious value of liberalism – human freedom. Such activity is not only important but indispensible in the modern world.
John Gray, philosopher
Kultura Liberalna is a unique phenomenon with a great importance for our culture.
Zygmunt Bauman, sociologist
Kultura Liberalna is an amazing magazine of young intellectuals.
Aleksander Smolar, President of Stefan Batory Foundation