The borders of empathy. On the tension inherent in the study of communist biographies / Granice empatii. O napięciu związanym z badaniem biografii komunistów - AAM

The phenomenon that is communism still arouses many emotions. Especially in countries where attempts were made to put its ideas into practice, such as Poland. For this reason, the study of its history – absurd though it may seem – also generates controversy. Of no small importance for the emergence of this situation is the fact that in domestic public discourse anti-communism still plays a major role, as a handy instrument for stigmatising and disciplining political opponents, but also as a signpost for official narratives about Polish history in the 20th century. This has implications for research. Approaches to communist issues in the classical manner – sine ira et studio – are not infrequently misunderstood, most often outside the scholarly circuit, but also in the academic world. Biographies of communists are a particular example, people who are denied positive qualities and motives, and consider attempts to understand their attitudes to make little sense. The text is an authorial reflection, referring to the autoethnographic method, on biographical studies that have been going on for more than two decades and the tensions they create.