This book considers Lódź as the capital of the Polish nineteenth
century, and the history of this former textile hub, which now finds
itself in central Poland, as one of struggle with modern change in
Eastern Europe. The authors boldly challenge the romantic and
noble-based Polish cultural imaginary, offering instead a revolutionary
path to understanding confrontation with modernity in the region.
The book examines local press debates during four pivotal periods, each
of which stimulated self-reflection on the idea of the modern city:
Rapid industrial growth in the tsarist borderlands;
State crafting after WWI;
Socialist restructuring after 1945;
Transition and deindustrialization after 1989.
Together these insights constitute a multifaceted portrait of
twentieth-century urban experience beyond the metropolis, in different
historical contexts.
This innovative, interdisciplinary work deftly integrates urban and
cultural history, historical sociology and discourse research. It will
be of great value to Polish and Jewish studies specialists, as well as
those in the field of Eastern European and Slavic studies. The book also
addresses core intellectual debates within urban studies, modernity
studies, and historical discourse analysis worldwide.