National identity of Poland: A Case Study of Debates in the European Parliament

Polen's national-identitet: Et studie af debat-sessioner i det Europæiske Parlament

Hansen, Jakob Møller ; Szombati, Iulia Mihaela ; Jerne, Isabel

4. term

Development and International Relations, Master

2022

2022-05-21

105

Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan polske politikere i Europa-Parlamentet rammesætter national identitet for at forsvare eller udfordre neo-traditionalistiske værdier. Vi gennemfører en kvalitativ diskursanalyse af tre Europa-Parlamentsdebatter, hvor Polen stod centralt. Analysen bygger på begrebet neo-traditionalisme (en konservativ strømning, der vil genoplive “traditionelle” værdier og ser liberal vestlig dominans som en trussel) og teorien om “forestillede fællesskaber” (at nationer er sociale konstruktioner). Konstruktivisme bruges som ramme for at forstå, hvordan idéer, normer og “normativ magt” (værdier og regler som magtform) præger international politik. Litteraturen om neo-traditionalisme har sjældent koblet disse idéer til internationale relationer og magtbalance; afhandlingen adresserer dette tomrum. Resultaterne viser, at den polske identitetsfortælling i EP-debatterne er stærkt polariseret. Ved første øjekast lød taler fra politikere i det populistiske parti Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) som støtte til EU-værdier som demokrati og frihed. En nærmere analyse viser, at disse begreber blev brugt til at legitimere kritikere pegede på som brud på EU’s retsstatsprincipper samt at forsvare abortforbud og såkaldte LGBT-fri zoner; EU’s åbenhed over for LGBT-rettigheder blev betegnet som “ideological madness”. PiS-talere appellerede til at “forsvare” neo-traditionalistisk-konservative værdier, præget af afvisning af liberal og progressiv modernitet, nostalgi for fortidens værdier og ønsket om at genoprette “kollektiv ontologisk sikkerhed” (en følelse af stabilitet og kontinuitet i nationens identitet). Afhandlingen diskuterer, hvordan disse neo-traditionalistiske fortællinger udfordrer EU ved at kræve respekt for Polens identitet og suverænitet.

This thesis examines how Polish politicians in the European Parliament frame national identity to defend or challenge neo-traditionalist values. We conduct a qualitative discourse analysis of three parliamentary debates in which Poland played a central role. The study is grounded in the concept of neo-traditionalism (a conservative current that seeks to revive “traditional” values and views liberal Western dominance as a threat) and the theory of “imagined communities” (the idea that nations are socially constructed). Constructivism provides the overarching lens for understanding how ideas, norms, and “normative power” (influence exercised through values and rules) shape international politics. Existing neo-traditionalist literature rarely addresses international relations and power balance; this thesis addresses that gap. The findings show that Polish identity framing in the European Parliament is highly polarized. At first glance, speeches by politicians from the populist party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) appeared to endorse EU values such as democracy and freedom. Closer reading shows these terms were used to justify what critics saw as breaches of the EU’s Rule of Law and to defend the abortion ban and so-called LGBT-free zones; EU openness to LGBT rights was described as “ideological madness.” PiS speakers appealed to the audience by presenting themselves as defending neo-traditionalist conservative values rooted in a rejection of liberal and progressive modernity, nostalgia for past values and history, and a desire to restore “collective ontological security” (a sense of stability and continuity in the nation’s identity). The thesis discusses how such neo-traditionalist narratives challenge the EU by insisting on respect for Poland’s identity and sovereignty.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

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