Young People, Precarious Employment and Nationalism in Poland: Exploring the (Missing) Links

Adam Mrozowicki,Justyna Kajta

doi:10.1017/s1062798720000514

Abstract

This article explores the relevance of economic and cultural (identity-based) factors in the emergence of nationalist sentiments among young people in Poland. It discusses the changing labour market situation of young workers, involving their precarisation and critically reviews existing accounts of new nationalism in Poland. In the body of the article, based on the analysis of biographical narrative interviews with young nationalist activists and right-wing supporters, the subjective justifications of their far-right views are analysed. It is concluded that the central motives for supporting the agenda of the nationalist movement by our informants are not directly connected with their economic situation, but related to their search for solid, clear and unambiguous foundations of social order and their biographical identities.

Highlights

Over the last few years, it has been observed that there is a growing presence and increasing activity of nationalist organisations and political parties in Poland
The basic dilemma addressed in the paper can be summarised in the following questions: are the primary motives of joining and/or supporting nationalist organisations by young people economic and do they reflect their changing position on the labour market, including their precarisation? Or, perhaps, the new nationalist movement is driven predominantly by non-economic factors? The analysis presented in the article points towards the latter explanation
This article sought to answer the question of the social sources for the support of nationalist organisations by a portion of young people in Poland

Summary

Introduction

Over the last few years, it has been observed that there is a growing presence and increasing activity of nationalist organisations and political parties in Poland. The victory of the right-wing conservative Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc, PiS) in the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2015 showed that there is a general revival of right-wing attitudes within Polish society. The basic dilemma addressed in the paper can be summarised in the following questions: are the primary motives of joining and/or supporting nationalist organisations by young people economic and do they reflect their changing position on the labour market, including their precarisation? We refer to the observations from the PREWORK project based on a sample of 63 biographical narrative interviews with young people, aged 18–35, in temporary, low-paid jobs, and unemployed, collected in 2016–2017.3. We refer to several explanations for this situation

Explanations for Growing Support of Nationalist Movements

Findings

Conclusion