Sprawczość i przeszłość w socjologicznych analizach polskiego społeczeństwa
Agency and the Past in the Sociological Analyses of Polish Society

Summary/Abstract: The article investigates how historically oriented sociological analyses – the studies that incorporate the past in describing and explaining contemporary phenomena – address the issue of collective and individual agency in Polish society. The main research question is whether references to Polish history accentuate agency or structural context. The analysis is undertaken within three domains of historical sociology in Poland: (1) the processes of modernization and globalization after the systemic transformation; (2) the regional distinctiveness of Eastern Europe, especially of its peripheral status; (3) the dependency paths at the local level. The findings suggest that the recognition of collective agency prevails, although there have been some changes in this respect. There is an increasing emphasis on the limiting influence of institutions, the pressure of rules and the pool of cultural resources. Besides, sociological revisions of Polish history perform important social functions. They participate in rejecting historical myths and in strengthening collective agency and identities.

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