AUDIOVISUAL TACTICS OF RESISTANCE OF THE POLISH ANTI-COMMUNIST OPPOSITION IN THE 1980S AS ILLUSTRATED BY TOMASZ ŁABĘDŹ’S KALENDARZ WOJNY (WAR CALENDAR)
AUDIOVISUAL TACTICS OF RESISTANCE OF THE POLISH ANTI-COMMUNIST OPPOSITION IN THE 1980S AS ILLUSTRATED BY TOMASZ ŁABĘDŹ’S KALENDARZ WOJNY (WAR CALENDAR)

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the history of one periodical published for Polish diaspora in Grand Rapids, presenting the contents of the “Grand Rapids Courier” weekly: the sections devoted to politics and social life, entertainment, literature, and women’s affairs. Also, the number and content of its advertising sections are presented. In following the history of the Courier, the author tried to demonstrate the phenomena and problems concerning the journalism of Polish diaspora in the first decade of the 20th century. The article applies the quantitative and qualitative methods of press content analysis. The short history of the periodical revealed, in a nutshell, attempts to consolidate the press circulation of American Polonia around several publishing houses, such as the newly established Associated Polish Press in America. The failure of the Courier illustrated the power of the eccentric forces within the circles of Polish diaspora journalists and publishers, conflicted and suspicious of new press companies. This study is an interdisciplinary presentation of the changing media paradigm of the Polish anti-communists opposition in the 1980s. The article, in particular, emphasizes the first production of the Polish émigré media institution Video Kontakt, titled War Calendar, directed by Tomasz Łabędź. Interpreted as an example of audiovisual tactics of resistance, his work employed subversion and counterpoint to expose the discursive hypocrisy of the communist regime in Poland. The article also discusses the support that Polish dissident groups received from the Western trade unions and government agencies leading to the ‘paralel society’ with its own communication potential.

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