Postsecular instruments of acculturation : Czesław Miłosz's works from the second American Stay

The article raises the question about the ways in which religious tradition can become an ally in the process of acculturation while serving the modern subject both as a springboard for innovative, creative work and as a tool of self-improvement. Czesław Miłosz's selected works from his second stay in the United States (1961-1980) are analysed from the postsecular perspective which recognises religion as a full-fledged actor in the process of modern transformations that may broaden the field of artistic choice but remains vulnerable to artistic resemantizations or even profanations (Agamben). Such an analysis allows us to interpret the poem From the Rising of the Sun as a form of reconciliation of Miłosz's American and Lithuanian experience (as well as of maturity and childhood, centre and periphery, modern and pre-modern cultural formation) through textual practices inspired by his private Liturgy of the Hours. In this light, the translations of the Books of the Bible on which Miłosz worked, his novel The Mountains of Parnassus, as well as his essays from Visions from San Francisco Bay emerge as instruments of shaping the communal identity with the use of pre-existing rituals, which are, nonetheless, also negotiated in the act of writing

The altar and the throne alliance. The Russian Orthodox Church vs. the government in Russia. OSW STUDIES 54, 2016-01-04

The Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (ROC), the largest religious community in Russia, plays an essential role in the process of the cultural and national self-identification of the Russian people. Being a socio-political institution with a centuries-long history, it possesses great symbolic capital and enjoys public respect, which has been used for political purposes. Since Vladimir Putin regained the presidency in 2012, in order to strengthen the political regime in Russia the Kremlin has begun to extensively draw upon conservative ideology and promote the traditional moral and social values which the Church is viewed as the guardian of. This has resulted in establishing closer relations between the secular government and the ROC, as well as in a greater engagement of ROC hierarchs and organisations in domestic and foreign policy issues. This situation exposes the ROC to criticism for being excessively involved in politics, and in the longer term, to the risks linked to potential destabilisation of the governmental system in Russia

Russian nationalists on the Kremlin’s policy in Ukraine. OSW Commentary No. 156|24.12.2014

On the Day of National Unity, celebrated in Russia every 4 November, members of nationalist movements organise a so-called Russian March in Moscow. In 2014 the nationalists took part in three competing marches, which illustrated the divisions present in these circles. The reason for these divisions is a difference of opinions on the policy pursued by Russia towards Ukraine. The pro-Russian, Russia-inspired protests in south-eastern Ukraine organised under the slogan of ‘defending’ the Russians living there (the ‘Russian Spring’) and the annexation of Crimea were received enthusiastically by the nationalists and contributed to a consolidation of these circles around the Kremlin which lasted for several months. In spite of this, opinions on the Russian government’s current policy towards the so-called Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been varied. The most radical groups have demanded that military support be offered, and that the ‘confederation’ of these republics, the so-called ‘Novorossiya’, should be officially recognised. They consider the Kremlin’s policy to have been too soft, and see the signing of the peace agreements in Minsk as a betrayal of the interests of the Russians. For the remaining representatives of nationalist circles, who are not so numerous and are less visible in the public sphere, finding a solution for Russia’s domestic problems remains a priority. Some of them oppose the very notion of Russia’s involvement in the conflict. Since the beginning of the ‘Russian Spring’, the Kremlin has fostered active attitudes among the nationalists and solicited their support, hoping to win a valuable ally. This has boosted hopes in these circles that their political position may be strengthened. The involvement in the fighting in Ukraine has led to a radicalisation of attitudes among the nationalists, and demonstrated that this group is ideologically motivated and has considerable potential for mobilisation. Moreover, the ‘Great Russian’ and anti-Western slogans some of them have propagated are reflected in views displayed by average Russians, who have been influenced by the patriotic enthusiasm which followed the annexation of Crimea. Due to all this, from among all the actors active on the opposition side, it is the nationalists – and not the representatives of the liberal and pro-Western opposition – that have the best prospects for access to the political stage in Russia. It cannot be ruled out that a further strengthening of the radical groups might also be boosted by the possible growing social frustration caused by the economic crisis, which additionally increases the risk of political destabilisation

Neįprastas žvilgsnis į istorinę monografiją. Analizė su dirbtinio intelekto (AI) įrankiais

Goal and theses: The article aims to check the applicability of methods based on processing large sets of information in research in social sciences. Conception/research methods: The dynamic development of new research methods based on the automated processing of large data sets using artificial intelligence (AI) means that they are used in an increasingly wide range of disciplines, going beyond the field of exact and natural sciences. Text mining was combined with available CLARIN web applications and keyword extraction and analysis strategy, a combination of the YAKE! written in Python with the VOSViewer program for the visualisation of bibliometric networks. Results and conclusions: The study showed how automatic keyword extraction creates opportunities in social science research. The use of CLARIN and Google Pinpoint web tools in the analysis significantly facilitates working with a large body of texts and accelerates its analysis. Cognitive value/originality: The study indicates new research methods that can contribute to the development of social sciences. The perspectives for the implementation of the ways of dealing with large data sets are presented in work in research on society, and conclusions regarding the development of digital social sciences are formulated.Straipsnio tikslas ir tezės: straipsniu siekiama patikrinti metodų, grįstų didelių informacijos rinkinių apdorojimu, pritaikomumą socialinių mokslų tyrimuose. Koncepcija/tyrimo metodai: dinamiška naujų tyrimų metodų, grįstų automatizuotu didelių duomenų rinkinių apdorojimu naudojant dirbtinį intelektą (DI), plėtra reiškia, kad jie naudojami vis platesniuose disciplinų laukuose, peržengiant tiksliųjų ir gamtos mokslų sritis. Teksto gavyba buvo derinama su turimomis CLARIN žiniatinklio programomis ir raktinių žodžių ištraukimo bei analizės strategija, YAKE! parašyta Python kalba su VOSViewer programa, skirta bibliometriniams tinklams vizualizuoti

Stalin in contemporary Russia: admired and required. OSW Commentary NUMBER 252 | 31.10.2017

Despite the fact that more than 60 years have passed since the death of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR from 1922 to 1953, the memory of him remains alive. For several years running Stalin has topped the ranking of the most remarkable figures in Russia’s history. Portraits of him appear at political demonstrations and religious events; new monuments to the dictator are erected. The Kremlin’s official rhetoric increasingly refers to the positive aspects of the Soviet era, in particular to the victory in World War II. Representatives of the state’s administration and the Orthodox Church have been making favourable comments about Stalin

Litewskie konteksty Czesława Miłosza : monografia

Recenzja polskiego przekładu monografii "Litewskie konteksty Czesława Miłosza", przygotowanego przez znane z działalności na rzecz dialogu polsko-litewskiego wydawnictwo Fundacji Pogranicze. Książka, po raz pierwszy wydana w Wilnie w 2011 roku, ma dwóch autorów związanych z Katedrą Literatury Litewskiej Uniwersytetu Wileńskiego. Dzięki temu przedsięwzięciu polski czytelnik może spojrzeć na autora "Doliny Issy" z perspektywy jego miejsca urodzenia, oczyma ludzi dzielących z nim kulturowe zaplecze, w niewielkim stopniu dostępne nam skądinąd.A review of the Polish translation of the monograph "Lithuanian contexts of Czesław Miłosz" prepared by the publishing house of the Pogranicze Foundation, known for its activities for the Polish-Lithuanian dialogue. The book, first published in Vilnius in 2011, has two authors related to the Vilnius Literature Department of the Vilnius University. Thanks to this undertaking, the Polish reader can look at the author of "Issa Valley" from the perspective of his birthplace, through the eyes of people sharing cultural background with him, to a small extent accessible to us from somewhere else

Russia's Afghan problem: The Russian Federation and the Afghanistan problem since 2001. OSW Study 38/2011

Russia is facing a difficult choice regarding its further policy towards the Afghan problem. It seems that Moscow has no coherent or consistent strategy. It is likely that the Russian ruling elite, like expert circles, is divided on this issue. In practice, the Russian authorities now seem to be simultaneously implementing elements of various strategies, thus trying to leave themselves the widest possible room for manoeuvre

Derivation of the formula for the filtration coefficient by application of Poiseuille's law in membrane transport

On the basis of Kedem-Katchalsky equations a mathematical analysis of volume flow (Jv) of a binary solution through a membrane (M) is presented. Two cases of transport generators have been considered: hydrostatic (Dp) as well as osmotic (DP) pressure difference. Based on the Poiseuille's law we derive the formula for the membrane filtration coefficient (Lp) which takes into account the membrane properties, kinetic viscosity and density of a solution flowing across the membrane. With use of this formula we have made model calculations of the filtration coefficient Lp and volume flow Jv for a polymer membrane in the case when the solutions on both sides of the membrane are mixed

Strangers among us. Non-governmental organisations in Russia. OSW COMMENTARY 2015-09-29

The situation of the third sector in Russia, i.e. the civil society structures independent from the state, is worsening on a regular basis. The Kremlin’s actions aimed at paralysing and destroying the independent non-governmental sector seen over the past four years have been presented as part of a struggle for the country’s sovereignty. This is above all a consequence of the Russian government’s efforts to take full control of the socio-political situation in the country while it also needs to deal with the geopolitical confrontation with the West and the worsening economic crisis. The policy aimed against non-governmental organisations is depriving the public of structures for self-organisation, protection of civil rights and the means of controlling the ever more authoritarian government. At the same time, the Kremlin has been depriving itself of channels of co-operation and communication with the public and antagonising the most active citizens. The restrictive measures the Kremlin has taken over the past few years with regard to NGOs prove that Russian decision-makers believe that any social initiative independent of the government may give rise to unrest, which is dangerous for the regime, and – given the economic slump – any unrest brings unnecessary political risk

Mit państwa

Recenzja zwraca uwagę na spostrzeżenia Cassirera, które zachowują aktualność. Pisząc swoją książkę (wydaną po raz pierwszy w 1946 r.) niemiecki filozof nie mylił się, że proces wychodzenia sfery polityki z przestrzeni mitycznej długo jeszcze nie zostanie zakończony. Jego rozpoznanie genezy i natury ideologii faszystowskiej również pozostaje jedną z podstaw współczesnej dyskusji nad tym tematem i nowoczesnością jako taką. Z drugiej strony lektura "Mitu państwa" stanowi lekcję metody Cassirerowskiej mitokrytyki. Inspirująca dla wielu filozofów i antropologów kultury „filozofia form symbolicznych” znalazła tutaj swój praktyczny wyraz.The review draws attention to Cassirer's observations that remain valid. Writing his book (published for the first time in 1946), the German philosopher was wright that the process of politics coming out from the mythical space would not be finished for a long time. His recognition of the roots and nature of fascist ideology also remains one of the foundations of contemporary discussion of this subject and modernity as such. On the other hand, the reading of "The Myth of the State" is a lesson in the "philosophy of symbolic forms", that found its practical expression here