Stuck Between Two Worlds: Post-Communist Nostalgia in Contemporary Literature and Film
Alicja Chojnacka '25
Literature & Classics, Media Studies
Based on pre-existing scholarship regarding culturally expressed post-communist nostalgia in Eastern Europe, I developed a thematically oriented framework which aided the analysis and therefore understanding of the particular case of post-communist nostalgia in Poland by focusing on the objects of nostalgia, as well as the way in which they were articulated across selected case studies. Ultimately, I argued that this matter of nostalgia was inextricably linked with Poland鈥檚 liminal identity, one stuck between East and West, as well as the struggle to articulate it. I believe that despite at times replicating the arguably outdated form of articulating Polish identity which originated in romanticism, post-communist nostalgia can become a productive tool in both cultural memory and identity politics.
What drew you to explore this topic?
What most inspired me to write my thesis on the aforementioned topic was the sudden switch from young people considering Polish culture as something somewhat inferior and therefore shameful, to a plethora of cultural texts produced post 2000s in Poland being set in the time of PRL in Poland, the clear interest in Polish music and pop-culture. This trend was particularly arresting due to the intrinsic dissonance within this particular case of nostalgia, longing for a time of hardship, especially when it seemed prevalent across generations.
What鈥檚 the next chapter in your journey post-graduation?
After graduating UCU, I decided to take a gap year and live in Berlin in hopes of gaining working experience in fields of my interest and narrowing down my further field of study. Following this year I would be interested in pursuing a masters degree, especially one that would still allow me to combine my interest in both literature and film studies.