Nation-Delegation-Constitution: Reconsidering role of religion in Polish identity development

Agnieszka Bień; Anna Tarnowska; Wojciech Włoch

doi:10.46282/blr.2019.3.1.124

Authors

Agnieszka Bień-Kacała Nicolaus Copernicus University, Law and Administration Faculty https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9559-3130
Anna Tarnowska Nicolaus Copernicus University, Law and Administration Faculty https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9058-0672
Wojciech Włoch Nicolaus Copernicus University, Law and Administration Faculty https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0807-5130

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46282/blr.2019.3.1.124

Keywords:

delegation, religion, heterogeneity, homogeneity, nation, “constitutional essentials”

Abstract

Democratic politics creates a specific ‘chain of representation’. According to Article 104 of the Polish Constitution, the MPs are the representatives of the entire Nation. The understanding of the “entire Nation” allows to determine whether national identity is open and inclusive, or closed and exclusive. One can distinguish two ideal types of a nation: heterogeneous and homogeneous. The first type is connected to the universalist understanding of “constitutional essentials”, the second to the particularistic one. In the paper, we pointed out the elements of heterogeneity in the text of Polish constitutions as well as the elements of homogeneity in the constitutional practice. Religion becomes an important factor influencing the interpretation and application of the constitution. The heterogeneous concept of the nation and the universalist “constitutional essentials” can be narrowed down in the political practice. The particularistic elements of the constitution and the homogenizing tendencies present in the application of the constitution might lead to polarization. In such a case, there would be a radical reinterpretation of the entire chain of delegation.

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