Concepts in Polish Political Science Relating to Conflictual Views of “the Political”

Abstract

The terms “politics” and “the political” have been conceptualised, used, and understood differently in modern Polish political science and theory over the past 50 years, having been featured in a long list of books and scholarly articles. In addition to an overview of major initiatives, conferences, and discussions around these terms, the article includes a discourse analysis prepared with qualitative research tools. The purpose of the discourse analysis is multifold. First, it aims to map the presence of these terms in the discourse of modern Polish political science and theory. Second, it aims to identify to what extent the Polish discourse has been influenced by authors such as Carl Schmitt or Chantal Mouffe, and to what extent the two terms were conceptualised in an original way, proper to the Polish social science discourse. Third, how often scientists have used the words that were associated with the conflict.