The Origins of Anti-Authoritarianism (Routledge Studies in Modern History)

This book discusses the ongoing revolution of dignity in human history as the work of humanist outliers: small groups and individuals dedicated to compassionate social emancipation. It argues that anti-authoritarian revolutions like 1989s Autumn of the Nations succeeded in large part due to cultural and political innovations springing from such small groups. The author explores the often ingenious ways in which these maladapted and liminal outliers forged a cooperative and dialogic mindset among previously resentful and divided communities. Their strategies warrant closer scrutiny in the context of the ongoing 21st century revolution of dignity and efforts to (re)unite an ever more troubled and divided world. The Open Access version of this book, available at , has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Introduction: The revolution of dignity and its drivers 8 Living together with a monster 8 The “humanist outliers” 12 Looking at humanism through an interdisciplinary lens 17 De hominis dignitate: the case of Poland 22 Notes 25 References 26 1. The second renaissance in 20th-century Europe 29 The community of conscience 29 Intellectuals on trial 34 Oppositional humanism 36 The European ‘Tao’ 44 The totalitarian temptation da capo 46 Notes 49 References 50 2. Re-enchanting modernity: Comparative perspectives on the legacy of 1968 53 Modernity on trial: perspectives of East and West 53 The “Viet Kong of thought” 56 1968 in Eastern Europe: the legacy of the Komandosi 61 Anatomies of totalitarian temptation 67 After utopia 69 Notes 72 References 73 3. Friendship and revolution: The Eros and ethos of the Workers’ Defence Committee (KOR) 76 The Players 76 The “psychiatric opposition” 78 The republic of friendship 83 Inventing a parallel society 86 The anticlimax 89 Revolutions today: the “false prophecies of interconnection”? 92 Notes 95 References 96 4. Three weddings and a funeral? The “dialogic revolutions” of 1980 and 1989 99 The undead past 99 Culture as an incubator of revolutions: the nuptial roots of Solidarity 102 The cultural underbelly of the dialogic revolution 106 The clash of mythologies 111 The defeat of Solidarity? 114 Notes 117 References 118 5. The power of the hinterland 122 The tragedy of anti-authoritarian clerks 122 Whipping the Hinterland 125 Homo sacer vs Homo humanistus 128 Lech Wałe ̨sa: a trickster of the hinterland 133 The neo-authoritarian soul of hinterland? 136 Conclusion: the era of hinterland? 137 Notes 139 References 140 6. The power of Sanctum 144 Solidarnos ́c ́ and Shakespeare: evil in the dialogue of temptation 144 The ambivalent anti-authoritarianism of the Polish Church 146 The “religion” of Marxism-Leninism 147 The philosopher and the devil: the intellectual metamorphosis of Leszek Kolakowski 149 The inventors of a modern Samaritanism 153 The alternative Catholicism of Father Tischner 156 From Sanctum to pandemonium? 160 Notes 161 References 162 7. The power of women 165 Revolution of dignity and the “underground women” 165 The smithery of humanism 168 The anti-feminist femininity 171 “Keep your rosaries off our ovaries” or how to reclaim the revolution 173 Wislawa Szymborska’s post-gender humanism 175 Notes 176 References 177 Epilogue 179 Index 183 This book discusses the ongoing revolution of dignity in human history as the work of ‘humanist outliers': small groups and individuals dedicated to compassionate social emancipation. It argues that anti-authoritarian revolutions like 1989's ‘Autumn of the Nations'succeeded in large part due to cultural and political innovations springing from such small groups. The author explores the often ingenious ways in which these maladapted and liminal ‘outliers'forged a cooperative and dialogic mindset among previously resentful and divided communities. Their strategies warrant closer scrutiny in the context of the ongoing 21st century revolution of dignity and efforts to (re)unite an ever more troubled and divided world. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. ""This book discusses the ongoing revolution of dignity in human history as the work of ‘humanist outliers’: small groups and individuals dedicated to compassionate social emancipation. It argues that anti-authoritarian revolutions like 1989’s ‘Autumn of the Nations’ succeeded in large part due to cultural and political innovations springing from such small groups. The author explores the often ingenious ways in which these maladapted and liminal ‘outliers’ forged a cooperative and dialogic mindset among previously resentful and divided communities. Their strategies warrant closer scrutiny in the context of the ongoing 21st century revolution of dignity and efforts to (re)unite an ever more troubled and divided world."-- Provided by publisher The revolution of dignity and its drivers -- The second renaissance in the 20th century Europe -- Reenchanting modernity: comparative perspectives on the legacy of 1968 -- Friendship and revolution: the eros and ethos of the workers' defence committee (KOR) -- Three weddings and a funeral: the cultural roots of solidarnosc -- The power of hinterland -- The power of sacrum -- The power of women This book discusses the ongoing revolution of dignity in human history as the work of 'humanist outliers': small groups and individuals dedicated to compassionate social emancipation. It argues that anti-authoritarian revolutions like 1989's 'Autumn of the Nations' succeeded largely due to cultural and political innovations.