The Anniversary of Martial Law in Poland: Panel Discussion

Panel Discussion with Kathryn Ciancia, Lukasz Wodzynski, Krzysztof Borowski, and Brian Porter-Szucs : December 13, 2021, marked the 40th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Martial Law, the Communist Government’s violent attempt to quell a civic mass movement that gave millions of Poles hope for a better future. It marked the end of the “carnival of Solidarity,” ushering in a new era of brutality and repression. Despite the ultimate defeat of communism in East-Central Europe, the shadow of Martial Law still looms large in Poland’s cultural memory. This panel discussion seeks to address Martial Law’s troubled cultural and historical legacies, particularly in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Polish-Belarussian border crisis, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.