Nathan Alan-Lee

Supervisors: Prof. Jan Kubik and Dr. Michal Murawski

Present status: MPhil candidate

Working title of thesis: Memory Institutionalized: The Politics of History and Remembrance in Poland

Research: The victory of the right-wing Law and Justice party in the 2015 Polish elections signalled a break with the liberalising political status quo established in the wake of market transition. In concert with their new illiberal direction, PiS has also championed an ideological reimagining of the Polish nation and cultural identity. As a result, Poland has been positioned not only as a key theatre in Europe's crisis of democracy, but at the forefront of a struggle for political rights and social equality.

The goal of my thesis will be to look more deeply into the function of memory as a driving force behind PiS’s ideological crusade. Drawing from memory studies, I will analyse the strategies of institutions such as the Institute of National Remembrance and the Ministry of Culture, looking at how they have come to leverage media and foster a pro-narrative civil society.

Research interests: Poland, Memory, Memory Conflict, Institutionalism, Populism, Historical Revisionism

Research Centre Affiliation: Polish Studies Research Group