Polacy – naród czy społeczeństwo? Rozważania w nawiązaniu do Floriana Znanieckiego

“Nation” and „society” are concepts of both public discourse and social sciences. However, in the recent period, “nation” has become out of fashion in the public discussions. It is seldom used for self-description and is often replaced by seemingly more neutral and inclusive concept of society. Yet “society” – often considered to be a key concept of sociology – is far from being uncontested, including in its relation to “nation.” On the example of Poland it is demonstrated, how difficult it is to apply this concept in historical analysis. This article discusses how Florian Znaniecki, aware of these historical and conceptual difficulties, was trying to solve them and examines the importance of “the political” in the constitution of society.