Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Populism and Culture.pdf (485.34 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Populism and Culture: Examining the Law and Justice Party's Impact on the Cultural Space in Poland

Bendick, Luke William
http://orcid.org/0009-0001-2758-5796
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744758069042591

Abstract Details

2025, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Slavic and East European Studies.
There has been a significant rise in right-wing populism throughout Europe and the United States in recent years. Focusing specifically on the Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) government’s tenure from 2015 to 2023, this thesis explores the ways in which the right-wing populist party used historical memory and national identity to influence cultural policy and public cultural institutions. The close examination of right-wing populism in Poland is set in the context of the broader right-wing populist trend in Europe, the complexity of populism as a political phenomenon, and the history of Poland, which is critical to understanding the contemporary politics in the country. This research provides an overview of the major cultural policies PiS introduced and how the party and its leaders used Polish historical memory and national identity as a tool to rationalize the policies. Ultimately, I highlight the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk as a case study of how right-wing populists work to maintain a monopoly on not only cultural institutions, but their narratives and what they proclaim about the nation’s identity as well.
Zülâl Fazlıoğlu Akın (Committee Member)
Angela Brintlinger (Advisor)
82 p.
Regional Studies; Slavic Studies
Populism; Right-wing populism; Poland; Law and Justice party; PiS; Cultural Policy; Cultural Diplomacy; Museum policy

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bendick, L. W. (2025). Populism and Culture: Examining the Law and Justice Party's Impact on the Cultural Space in Poland [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744758069042591

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bendick, Luke. Populism and Culture: Examining the Law and Justice Party's Impact on the Cultural Space in Poland. 2025. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744758069042591.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bendick, Luke. "Populism and Culture: Examining the Law and Justice Party's Impact on the Cultural Space in Poland." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2025. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744758069042591

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1744758069042591
69
© 2025, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12