What makes a community? the overlooked emancipation of the province in Poland since 1989

The local elections scheduled in Poland for 21 October have been billed as a key test for the country’s ruling Law and Justice government. As Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer explains, a great deal of international attention is currently focused on Law and Justice due to the perception that the government is undermining the country’s rule of law. But while much of this coverage deals exclusively with the actions of mainstream politicians, it is vital to recognise how ordinary activities have helped build the country’s provincial communities since 1989, and how these communities are now shaping Polish politics.