Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the help and encouragement of many people. I wish to thank my supervisor, Professor Stanisław Filipowicz of the University of Warsaw, for creating the intellectual space that made such inquiries possible. I received important words of encouragement from Professor Richard Bernstein of the New School for Social Research. I had the opportunity to work with Professor Bernstein thanks to the Polish–American Fulbright Foundation’s Fulbright Junior Research Grant. The finalization of my research was possible with the support of the National Science Centre’s preludium grant (umo-2011/03/N/hs5/02916). I also owe thanks to Małgorzata Adamczyk, who supported me throughout my work. Jan Grzymski, Ph.D., with whom I worked on different scientific projects, shared my fate as a doctoral student and early career researcher. Moreover, I owe thanks to Professor Andrzej Szachaj of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, who motivated me to thoroughly revise the manuscript. Furthermore, I thank Janusz Grygieńć, Ph.D., who encouraged me to publish my deliberations. During the editing of the last version of the book, I received support from Katarzyna Dębska, who read the text in its entirety and presented numerous valuable comments. Finally, I wish to thank the reviewers of my doctoral thesis – Professor Tomasz Żyro and Professor Leszek Koczanowicz – as well as the anonymous reviewers from the Foundation for Polish Science. Their remarks provided me with a different perspective on my thesis, which provided the source material for this book. All the mistakes and shortcomings are solely my responsibility.