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Societies of Anxiety and Fear
Post-Pandemic and Wartime Reflections
We live in an age of polycrisisâpandemics, wars, climate emergencies, and digital upheavals shape our everyday lives. Societies of Anxiety and Fear: Post-Pandemic and Wartime Reflections reveals how fear and uncertainty are not only personal feelings but powerful social and political forces redefining our world. Drawing on political science, sociology, psychology, and media studies, this book explores how institutions, communities, and individuals navigate overlapping crises. From Polandâs unique experiences to global perspectives, it examines trust, solidarity, and resilience in turbulent times. A thought-provoking read for anyone seeking to understand our anxious eraâand the possibilities for shaping a more secure future.
Contributors are: Teresa Astramowicz-Leyk, Adam Bartnicki, Kornelia Batko, Ilona Biernacka-LigÄza, Bożena Dziemidok-Olszewska, Olga Grajek, Karolina Grzyb, Damian Guzek, Joanna Kukier, Elżbieta Kużelewska, Maciej Marmola, Marta Michalczuk-WlizÅo, Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa, Tatyana Nagornyak, Agata Olszanecka-Marmola, Edyta Pietrzak, Marlena Piotrowska, Danuta Plecka, Anna Siewierska, Mateusz Sobiech, Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, and Patryk WawrzyÅski.
Contributors are: Teresa Astramowicz-Leyk, Adam Bartnicki, Kornelia Batko, Ilona Biernacka-LigÄza, Bożena Dziemidok-Olszewska, Olga Grajek, Karolina Grzyb, Damian Guzek, Joanna Kukier, Elżbieta Kużelewska, Maciej Marmola, Marta Michalczuk-WlizÅo, Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa, Tatyana Nagornyak, Agata Olszanecka-Marmola, Edyta Pietrzak, Marlena Piotrowska, Danuta Plecka, Anna Siewierska, Mateusz Sobiech, Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, and Patryk WawrzyÅski.
Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa is Professor of Social Sciences and Head of the Department of Political Systems at Nicolaus Copernicus University in ToruÅ, Poland. Her research focuses on parliamentarism, political system transformations, and memory politics. Author and editor of over 500 academic works, she has led numerous projects funded by the National Science Centre and the Ministry of Education and Science of Poland. She is Editor-in-Chief of several journals, including the Polish Political Science Yearbook.
Kornelia Batko, PhD (2011), is University Professor at the Institute of Political Science, University of Silesia. Her research focuses on the role of big data and artificial intelligence in healthcare and public policy. She leads and participates in projects dedicated to digital transformation, digital competences, institutional trust, and evidence-based policymaking.
Kornelia Batko, PhD (2011), is University Professor at the Institute of Political Science, University of Silesia. Her research focuses on the role of big data and artificial intelligence in healthcare and public policy. She leads and participates in projects dedicated to digital transformation, digital competences, institutional trust, and evidence-based policymaking.
Contents
Preface
List of Figures and Tables
1 Introduction: Mapping Social Anxiety in Times of Crisis
âKornelia Batko and Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa
Part 1 The Environmental Crisis
2 The Anthropocene as a Global Risk: the Socio-political Contexts
âEdyta B. Pietrzak
Part 2 The Crisis of Liberal Democracy
3 Societies of Anxiety and Fear: Determinants, Diagnosis, Prospects
âDanuta Plecka, Agata Olszanecka-Marmola, and Maciej Marmola
4 Ideological Shift to Fear and Threat: Conservative Shift in Poland after 2015
âAnna Siewierska
5 Rooting Negative Thoughts: Anxiety and Populist Propaganda in Europe and the United States since 2016
âJoanna MarszaÅek-Kawa and Patryk WawrzyÅski
6 Fear Management and Social Anxiety Arousal as a Mechanism for Shaping Political Relationships
âAdam R. Bartnicki and Elżbieta Kużelewska
Part 3 The Migration Crisis
7 Poles Helping Ukrainian War Refugees: Grassroots Aid Initiatives Winning Over Anxiety?
âAgnieszka Turska-Kawa and Damian Guzek
8 Migrants and the Refugee Activists in the Age of Anxiety
âMarlena Piotrowska and Olga Grajek
Part 4 The Mental Health Crisis
9 What Are They Afraid of?âthe Fears of Young People in Uncertain Times
âBożena Dziemidok-Olszewska and Marta Michalczuk-WlizÅo
10 Post-pandemic Anxiety of Disconnection and the Digital Well-Being of Society
âKornelia Batko and Karolina Grzyb
11 Digital Exclusion among Elderly People as the Consequences of Technological Fear and Lack of Skills
âAnalysis of Digital Tools Usage by the Elderly from a Global Perspective
âIlona Biernacka-LigiÄza, Joanna Kukier, and Mateusz Sobiech
Part 5 The Security Crisis
12 When Tomorrow Instills Fear: Ukrainian Students Facing Security Threats in the 21st Century
âTeresa Astramowicz-Leyk and Tetyana Nagornyak
13 Conclusion: toward Resilient Societies in Times of Fear
âKornelia Batko and Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa
Index
Preface
List of Figures and Tables
1 Introduction: Mapping Social Anxiety in Times of Crisis
âKornelia Batko and Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa
Part 1 The Environmental Crisis
2 The Anthropocene as a Global Risk: the Socio-political Contexts
âEdyta B. Pietrzak
Part 2 The Crisis of Liberal Democracy
3 Societies of Anxiety and Fear: Determinants, Diagnosis, Prospects
âDanuta Plecka, Agata Olszanecka-Marmola, and Maciej Marmola
4 Ideological Shift to Fear and Threat: Conservative Shift in Poland after 2015
âAnna Siewierska
5 Rooting Negative Thoughts: Anxiety and Populist Propaganda in Europe and the United States since 2016
âJoanna MarszaÅek-Kawa and Patryk WawrzyÅski
6 Fear Management and Social Anxiety Arousal as a Mechanism for Shaping Political Relationships
âAdam R. Bartnicki and Elżbieta Kużelewska
Part 3 The Migration Crisis
7 Poles Helping Ukrainian War Refugees: Grassroots Aid Initiatives Winning Over Anxiety?
âAgnieszka Turska-Kawa and Damian Guzek
8 Migrants and the Refugee Activists in the Age of Anxiety
âMarlena Piotrowska and Olga Grajek
Part 4 The Mental Health Crisis
9 What Are They Afraid of?âthe Fears of Young People in Uncertain Times
âBożena Dziemidok-Olszewska and Marta Michalczuk-WlizÅo
10 Post-pandemic Anxiety of Disconnection and the Digital Well-Being of Society
âKornelia Batko and Karolina Grzyb
11 Digital Exclusion among Elderly People as the Consequences of Technological Fear and Lack of Skills
âAnalysis of Digital Tools Usage by the Elderly from a Global Perspective
âIlona Biernacka-LigiÄza, Joanna Kukier, and Mateusz Sobiech
Part 5 The Security Crisis
12 When Tomorrow Instills Fear: Ukrainian Students Facing Security Threats in the 21st Century
âTeresa Astramowicz-Leyk and Tetyana Nagornyak
13 Conclusion: toward Resilient Societies in Times of Fear
âKornelia Batko and Joanna MarszaÅek-Kawa
Index
Societies of Anxiety and Fear. Post-Pandemic and Wartime Reflections explores how overlapping crises â pandemic, war, climate change, and digital upheaval â shape our world. Combining theory and research, it reveals how fear drives politics, institutions, and collective behavior, offering insights into resilience and rebuilding trust.