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People Power: Polish Solidarity and the Ukrainian Revolution

SolMaidan

5 May 2016, 3:00 - 7:30pm

William Mong Hall, Sidney Sussex College, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼

As part of an ongoing commitment to the exploration of Polish-Ukrainian issues, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ Polish Studies,Ìý and the presented a public symposium on the connections between two popular revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe: the Polish "Solidarity" revolution of the 1980s and the "Maidan" movement (or movements)Ìýof post-1991 independent Ukraine.

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Speakers included:

Krzysztof BobiÅ„ski (President, Unia & Polska)Ìý

Zbigniew BujakÌý(legendaryÌýleaderÌýof the Solidarity movement)

PaweÅ‚ Kowal (researcherÌýat theÌýInstitute for Political Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences)

AndriiÌýPortnovÌý(historian atÌýHumboldt University)Ìý

Marci ShoreÌý(intellectual historian atÌýYale University)

Oksana ZabuzhkoÌý(Ukraine's most celebrated contemporaryÌýnovelist)

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Zbigniew Bujak.

Marci Shore.

Andrii Portnov.

Krzysztof Bobinski.

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Oksana Zabuzhko.

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Paweł Kowal.

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In two sessions of presentations and discussion, we examined the legacy of Poland's Solidarity movement and theÌýconnections with Ukraine's "Maidan" revolutions, especially the EuromaidanÌýRevolution of 2014. In particular, we askedÌýwhether there are lessons to be learned from Poland's successful post-1989 transition, and whether Ukrainian activists can draw on the experience of Poland's anti-communist civil society movement as they attempt to force lasting change toÌýthe institutions of a new democracy.

What are the major contextual similarities and differences between the two movements? How did Solidarity manage the transition from civic movement to political force shaping democratic institutions?ÌýWhat is the current significance of Polish support for Ukraine?ÌýHow have Solidarity veterans - includingÌýZbigniew BujakÌý- shared their experience with Ukrainian civil society groups? What is the present state of the Ukrainian Revolution and how can it continue to move forward?

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Programme

Session 1, 3:00 - 5:00pm: ÌýMarci Shore, Krzysztof BobiÅ„ski, AndriiÌýPortnov.

Coffee break,Ìý5:00 - 5:30pm.

Session 2, 5:30Ìý- 7:30pm: ÌýZbigniew Bujak, Oksana Zabuzhko, PaweÅ‚ Kowal.

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