The Past in the Present

What do we remember from our national past and why? What are the dangers of history being (mis-)appropriated by politicians? Past in the Present provides a critical analysis of recent disputes over Polish historiography. The author uses theories of collective memory as a guideline, and the Polish-German borderlands as his leitmotif. Western academic currents and long-standing (and often forgotten) Polish intellectual traditions serve as backdrop. Throughout his work with topics ranging from Golo Mann and Stefan Czarnowski to the other side of memory and the political cult of the fallen Traba advocates modernization and polyphony in the construction of a new Polish history.