WHAT IS POLITICAL CRITIQUE?
Political Critique was set up to reinvigorate the Polish tradition of the engaged intelligentsia. We work in three main fields: education, culture and science – we believe these differ only in their areas of concern, while all are connected by their influence on how life in our society is shaped. Our main aim is to combat economic and cultural exclusion. With this in mind, we publish a journal and a range of books organised in specific series; we organise discussions, seminars and workshops; we support literature, theatre and the visual arts; we run an online publication and engage in public debate. In just a few years, we have created Poland’s biggest socio-political platform and expanded our activities abroad. We are active in the worlds of academia and mainstream media.
The Political Critique group is currently perceived to be the most significant left-wing intellectual organisation in Poland. It is formed of journalists, scientists, writers, critics of art, film and literature, playwrights, artists and numerous activists and university students. We have 120 employees in different departments (journalism, publishing, promotion, distribution, administration and finance, projects, planning) working on behalf of nearly 2,000 activists in Poland and abroad. Their hard work has made the development of Political Critique’s new projects and organisations possible.
Political Critique comprises of:
• Poland’s biggest intellectual magazine and team of regular social commentators who write for and appear in mainstream Polish media.
• A dynamic publishing house
• A left-wing think-tank and ‘critical university’.
• A high-profile group of artists working in the visual arts, theatre, film, literature and music
• An agenda-setting website
• A network of clubs in more than 20 cities throughout Poland
• A Ukrainian branch of the Political Critique publication and club in Kiev
• An English branch of the Political Critique publication and club in London
• The Brave New World Cultural Centre in Warsaw, alongside cultural centers in Gdansk and Cieszyn.
Political Critique institutions:
Stanisław Brzozowski Assocation
Set up in 2005 by the creators of the magazine, the foundation oversees all Political Critique activities. The patron of the foundation and of Political Critique Stanisław Brzozowski (1878–1911) was a Polish philosopher, writer, literary and theatre critic and historian of ideas. He believed in the need to engage artists in the shaping of society. He inspired Poland’s leading intellectuals: Czesław Miłosz, Andrzej Walicki, Maria Janion, Leszek Kołakowski, Adam Michnik and later generations of engaged intellectuals.
Quarterly
The Political Critique Review was first published in 2002, creating the foundation for a host of associated activities. Today it is the largest intellectual periodical in Poland and plays a key role in the country’s cultural and political life. It publishes journalism, political philosophy, sociology, literature and literary criticism, and showcases contemporary art, film and theatre.
Political Critique has a distinctly left-wing political profile, but is open to voices from across the political spectrum. Each issue is devoted to a single core issue accompanied by regular columns – from photo-essays by Polish and international visual artists (including Anna Baumgart, Sanja Iveković, Wilhelm Sasnal, Paweł Althamer and Santiago Sierra) to in-depth interviews by Sławomir Sierakowski or Michał Sutowski. The magazine’s art editors are Yael Bartana and Artur Żmijewski.
As well as Polish authors, Political Critique has published well-known international writers and intellectuals including Ulrich Beck, Frédéric Beigbeder, Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Michel Houellebecq, Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau, David Ost, Wiktor Pielewin, Michael Walzer, Hayden White and Slavoj Žižek.
2010 highlights:
• East of Eden: an issue focusing on changes within Russia since 1989. We examine the state as an outland of western capitalism, where many phenomena follow a similar logic to Poland. Authors include: Andriej Siniawski, Borys Kagarlicki, Bronisław Łagowski, Zachar Prilepin, Władysław Sofronow, Andrzej Walicki, Michaił Weller.
• Політичні наркотики: a special edition in Ukrainian focused on drug policy in Poland and Ukraine and other socially relevant policies, in the fields of history, literature and arts. The issue includes contributions from Russian and Polish writers including: Anastasija Bezwercha, Wasyl Czerepanin, Dmytro Hajduk, Ołena Kuczeruk, Adam Leszczyński, Kateryna Miszczenko, Adam Ostolski, Tomasz Piątek, Denys Połtaweć, Oleksij Radinsky, Taras Ratuszny, Anastasija Riabczuk, Jewhenija Zakrewska and Serhij Żadan.
Publishing House
The publishing arm of Political Critique was established in 2007. Our aims are:
• to introduce the most important works of political philosophy, sociology, cultural theory, art theory, history and economics into the Polish set of ideas
• to provide a relevant commentary on current political and social affairs
• to provide a critical analysis of contemporary culture – of mainstream phenomena as well as of forgotten or marginalised issues and figures, which are thus brought back into public debate
• to update the intellectual canon of Poland’s engaged intelligentsia
• to promote contemporary literature from Poland and around the world – established authors and promising new voices.
Our authors include: Louis Althusser, Timothy Garton Ash, Alain Badiou, Zygmunt Bauman, Judith Butler, Manuel Castells, Roman Frydman, Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno, Bruno Latour, Chantal Mouffe, Jacques Rancière, Timothy Snyder, Nicholas Stern, Harald Welzer, Slavoj Žižek.
In 2010 alone, we published 33 titles in nine series: Political Critique Guides, Ideas Series, Journalism Series, Literary Series, Canonical Series, Economy Series, Historical Series, The Works of Jacek Kuroń, Non-Tourist Guides. We have also published titles outside of our series.
Internet daily
The Political Critique website – www.krytykapolityczna.pl – is an independent platform for journalism and information, one of the most popular social-cultural sites in Poland. Thanks to a daily feed of articles, interviews, reports and reviews we actively participate in public debates in Poland, presenting our opinions and analyses of the key political, social and cultural events. The articles are written by well-known Polish and foreign journalists, writers and intellectuals, as well as members of the Political Critique team. In talking about Poland and the World we also use pictures – photo essays, photo reportage and photo stories are an integral part of the website. Our regular columnists include: Zygmunt Bauman, Maciej Nowak, Michał Zadara, Paweł Demirski, Katarzyna Malinowska-Sempruch, Cezary Michalski, Tomasz Piątek, Jaś Kapela, while regular contributors include Ivan Krastev, Slavoj Žižek and David Ost.
The website also serves as an archive of audio and video recordings from Political Critque events, interviews and publications by members of our team in other media, articles about Political Critique, extracts from the review and book publications.
Brave New World Cultural Centre
In 2009 we set up the Brave New World Cultural Centre in the very heart of Warsaw to provide:
• A conference and seminar space
• An exhibition space
• The Political Critique editorial office
• The biggest club cafe in Warsaw whose entire proceeds support the statutory activities of the Stanisław Brzozowski Foundation.
Political Critique Clubs
Thanks to the work of our associates and partners, Political Critique Clubs have been appearing throughout Poland since 2007. There are currently more than 20 local centres, both in major academic cities and in smaller towns. Political Critique Clubs are set up by university and college students, young scientists and activists who want to engage in public issues. They organise open discussions, workshops, seminars, exhibitions, film screenings and work with local cultural organisations.
Since November 2009, two dedicated cultural centres have been set up beyond Warsaw:
• In Gdansk, our centre animates the cultural and intellectual life in the Tri-City, which has been involved in the exchange of opinions and attitudes for centuries. It is also involved in education, journalism and publishing;
• In Cieszyn, apart from debates, lectures, seminars, concerts and exhibitions, the centre hosts free daily artistic and educational sessions for children. One of the main tasks of the centre is its work with children from marginalised families.
Political Critique also has clubs outside Poland:
• In Ukraine since 2010 – the first issue of Political Critique was presented in Odessa, Lviv and Kiev in February 2011, including discussions and screenings of films by Artur Żmijewski and Yael Bartana.
• In the United Kingdom since 2011 – the ”Critique of European Reason” debate including Zygmunt Bauman was the official inauguration of Political Critique in London. April 2011 will see the first issue of the publication in English.
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