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Struggling to get united. Contemporary studentmovements in Poland as a part of international
networks.
Piotr Kowzan
Magorzata Zieliska
Magdalena Prusinowska (absent)
Institute of Education, University of Gdask, Poland
ISA, 16.07.2010RC47.12: United We Stand? Social Movements in Eastern and Western Europe
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Goals & methods
Discussing one student movement in Polandin the context of global actions and theInternational Student Movement (ISM)
Authors were participants and founders of themovement, have experienced it's crisis
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Student movements in the globalcontext
International Student Movement (ISM)- an independent platform unitinggroups struggling for free and emancipatory education.
Originating in Germany
Against neo-liberal reforms
International Day of Action against the Commercialization of Education(5/11/2008) - a series of coordinated protests in over 25 countries
Reclaim your Education - Global Week of Action (20-29/4/2009)
massive demonstrations and occupations (especially in Spain, Germany,Croatia, Austria and the USA)
violent police repressions
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Bologna Process
In Europe protests had oftenAnti-Bolognian character,
For Poland B.P. meant: mobility,different structure of studies, andin contrary to e.g. Germany, morechoice for students
But the new reform plans thatintroduced some elements ofcommercialisation (moredependency on business) werepresented in spring 2009, when
student movements in Polandhad already been mobilised.
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Student movements in Poland
Polish activists hearing about ISM and expecting that something should go on inPoland too
Independent movements in Gdask and Wrocaw with clear alliance to ISM,focusing on local issues
Later also actions in Lublin, Pozna, Warsaw
Mostly block recruitment of PhD students and former exchange students; multiplemembership
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OKUP
Gdansk: lack of scholarships for PhD students, who first (in November 2008) decided toact within the available organizational framework first-year students took over thePhD Student Council.
need for an active and open organisation empowering students' voices and articulatingtheir grievance against the security policy at the university (increasing number of camerasinside buildings, fencing of the previously open campus, and security guards controllingeverybody who enters the library).
first meeting - March, 11, 2009, around 50 people turned up and there was a heateddiscussion about everything that should be changed at the university.
Otwarty Komitet Uwalniania Przestrzeni Edukacyjnych Open Committee for theLiberation of Educational Spaces
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Organizational structure
Based on: Consensus decision-making Working groups for particular issues
Sign language at the meetings Online discussions between meetings
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Photo: Dominik Krzymiski
The fence around UG
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Issues and actionsIssue Actions Results
Fencing the previously
open campus
an open letter to the rector + discussion panel +
a clandestine direct action + a film + interviews
in the media
= no changes with the fence; bu
of discussion at the university a
media
Police-like control in the
library
research + petition + meetings with the
administration
= some minor changes
Lack of scholarships for
PhD students
coordinated international flash mob + T-shirts
with slogans + letters from the student council to
the dean
2 scholarships + at least 2
promised in year 2010/11
Cameras and over-reactive
university police
fake cameras installed = no changes, minor repressions
members of the movement
New reforms more
commercialization of
public universities
demonstrations, banners, discussions, T-shirtswith slogans
difficult to evaluate
Solidarity
with other movements
solidarity letters + meetings/conferences
together+ coordinated film screenings
some degree of unity, a
organization on the national lev
being established
Cars parked on the grass
and sidewalks
discussion with the rector university guards started to dea
the problem
Autonomy of the
university vs. police control
letter to the rector, legal research, individual
interventions
more awareness about the auto
at the university
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Zombie Flsh Mob
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Reactions
Some support (petition, protesting against thereform) OKUPE as a collector of complains
Lack of interest from most of students Destroying the elite image of the studies Activism in the cradle of Solidarno
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The life-cycle of the movementA lot of energy in the beginning, 50 members
Many left, dissatisfied with aggressive discussions
National/Common Education Congress separate group
Latency, communication limited to a minimum
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Occurring problems and theirpossible explanations
Consensus vs. different goals Membership crisis Incoherent group Different understandings of power (Weber vs.
Foucault) Polish authoritarianism Academic culture of criticism (Graeber D.,
2009, Twilight of Vanguardism)
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Other conclusions
Small group managed to attract a lot ofattention but not to mobilise masses Struggling to unite with other groups in Poland
and abroad some successful, some not Western (Central) Eastern Divide?
Copying methods and goals from the West oraddressing universal needs?
Local vs. global/Western know-how
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Thank you!
Any questions or comments?
Contact to the authors:
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