Jak przemieszcza się „próżnia”? Wędrówki tezy Stefana Nowaka między obszarami i kontekstami
How Does “Vacuum” Translocate? The Travels of Stefan Nowak’s Thesis among Territories and Contexts

Summary/Abstract: Stefan Nowak’s thesis on the sociological vacuum is the most frequently referenced statement on Polish society. This article introduces how Polish society was perceived “from the outside” by the use of the vacuum concept and shows attempts to apply the concept to other societies. The sociological vacuum is compared to other similar concepts: the loss of community, the hourglass society, and the missing middle approach. The concept’s travel between four domains (Solidarity, civil society, social capital, and the qua- lity of democracy) is presented. The concept of the sociological vacuum has not travelled beyond the Polish context because it is strongly connected to the assumption of Polish uniqueness. During its travels through various thematic domains, the concept transformed, and it is currently a buzzword used to explain phenomena undesired by sociologists.

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