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Abstract

Excerpt: "Polish society is divided along a number of lines; hardly unusual in any contemporary pluralistic society. The new divisions have not been adequately named. Michał Kuź, a Polish political scientist, has coined the self-explanatory terms “localists” and “internationalists” to describe perhaps the most pertinent current divide within European societies.1 These worldview divides are also visible along political party lines. The proportions of the parties of the divide are naturally different in Poland than in countries of the old Europe. It is relatively easy to indicate which of the parties in the political landscape of the country within the localist and internationalist divide places more emphasis on patriotism.2 Poles generally consider themselves European and their attitude toward the European Union remains quite positive across the board, with only a small group of genuine Eurosceptics present in the society.3 To put it in more traditional terms, in Polish society there is a small group of cosmopolitans and strong nationalists at opposite ends of the spectrum, while most citizens range somewhere in between. These divisions naturally play out at various levels in the field of religious life as well. However, to begin to understand the place of religion in Polish society, it is best to start at its most basic unit: the family."

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