Poland and Its Neighbours in the 20th and 21st Centuries revisits methods, assumptions, and priorities in research on Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on interdisciplinary case studies on memory, migration and wars, it argues for a nuanced understanding of the region’s past and present. The authors show that classical epistemologies, regional entanglements and materialist analyses remain indispensable. They trace convergences between Poland and its neighbours, Russia and its opponents, national projects and global processes, as well as symbolic struggles and material interests.
Conflicting narratives and discourses are increasingly shaping the public spheres of Poland and its neighbours, especially since 2022. Consequently, this work reflects on three influential tendencies in current scholarship: the politicisation of new epistemologies, the urge to decentre the research on the region away from Russia, and fascination with the digitalization of social life. To sum up, this work calls for a critical, non-dogmatic perspective, attentive to complexity, interconnection and power. It offers a timely intervention showing that the most productive insights emerge not from abandoning established approaches, but from developing them in dialogue with contemporary challenges.