The Crosses of Auschwitz: Nationalism and Religion in Post - Communist Poland

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Paperback
2006
$37.14

$37.14

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 280
Edition: New edition
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 22 Sep 2006
ISBN 10: 0226993043
ISBN 13: 9780226993041

Media Reviews

The study of nationalism is one of those fields that tend to produce more heat than light. Having sweated through many of the debates myself, I found this study of Polish nationalism since the collapse of Communism as calming and refreshing as a cool beer on an August day. Genevieve Zubrzycki s writing is direct and unpretentious, her argument clear and convincing, and the material rich and original. --Philip S. Gorski, Yale University
--Philip Gorski (05/05/2006)
By analyzing in detail the famous controversy over the crosses at Auschwitz, Zubrzycki s book shows with great ingenuity how the meaning of Polishness has been negotiated, debated, and fought over since the fall of state socialism. She demonstrates in convincing and authoritative fashion that this conflict was not only a dispute between Poles and Jews over the memory of Auschwitz, but also a debate among Poles about the proper discursive establishment of Polish national identity. This will become the standard work on this extremely important topic. --Jan Kubik, Rutgers University

The Roman Catholic Church was one of the principal forces which made possible the ultimate success of the Poles in negotiating the end of the communist system and freeing themselves from Soviet domination. This balanced and well-researched book examines how this Church has reacted to the new and more complex problems posed by the achievement of freedom and independence, and in particular, the painful legacy of antisemitism in sections ofPolish society and of the Church itself. --Antony Polonsky, Brandeis University and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The study of nationalism is one of those fields that tend to produce more heat than light. Having sweated through many of the debates myself, I found this study of Polish nationalism since the collapse of Communism as calming and refreshing as a cool beer on an August day. Genevieve Zubrzycki's writing is direct and unpretentious, her argument clear and convincing, and the material rich and original. --Philip S. Gorski, Yale University
--Philip Gorski (05/05/2006)
By analyzing in detail the famous controversy over the crosses at Auschwitz, Zubrzycki's book shows with great ingenuity how the meaning of 'Polishness' has been negotiated, debated, and fought over since the fall of state socialism. She demonstrates in convincing and authoritative fashion that this conflict was not only a dispute between Poles and Jews over the memory of Auschwitz, but also a debate among Poles about the 'proper' discursive establishment of Polish national identity. This will become the standard work on this extremely important topic. --Jan Kubik, Rutgers University

The Roman Catholic Church was one of the principal forces which made possible the ultimate success of the Poles in negotiating the end of the communist system and freeing themselves from Soviet domination. This balanced and well-researched book examines how this Church has reacted to the new and more complex problems posed by the achievement of freedom and independence, and in particular, the painful legacy of antisemitism in sections of Polish society and of the Church itself. --Antony Polonsky, Brandeis University and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Author Bio

Genevieve Zubrzycki is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan.