„Travolterzy naszych czasów”. Krytyka dyskotek w świetle refleksji nad polską kulturą popularną lat siedemdziesiątych

• Authors: Monika Widzicka

Title variants

EN

“TRAVOLTERZY NASZYCH CZASÓW”. CRITICISM OF DISCO AGAINST A BACKDROP OF REFLECTIONS ON POPULAR CULTURE IN POLAND IN THE 1970TH

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article points out the main aspects of criticism of disco culture, as well as relating them to widespread remarks on Western popular culture in the Polish press and sociological writings in the 1970th. The first discotheque was established in Poland in 1970 (Musicorama ’70 in Sopot) and within several years the number of discos mushroomed to 20,000. From the very beginning disco culture was considered a challenge to socialist ideology, and thus its Western origins were to blame for its banality and mediocrity. Therefore the authorities supported the idea of rectifying discos, which was nothing if not a variant of the principle that Western ‘inventions’ must be adapted to the current ideological framework. According to numerous authors, the American model of entertainment was not suitable for Polish youth, as it promoted egotism and a demanding attitude. The metaphor of ‘the lonely crowd’, borrowed from David Riesman, was used to describe disco attendees, who were ‘so free that it made them bored’. Finally, the author investigates how the myth of the Slavic community, and a ‘Gnostic’ world outlook influenced this antagonism towards Western popular culture.

Keywords

EN

DISCO CULTURE; POPULAR CULTURE; SOCIALISM; MYTH; WESTERN CULTURE

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Polskiego Towarzystwa Historycznego
• Journal: Rocznik Antropologii Historii
• Year: 2011
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 193-206

Contributors

author

Monika Widzicka

• Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Historii, ul. Gołębia 13, 31-007 Kraków, Poland