Kinematograph Controlled: Film Censorship in a Former Communist State and in Democracy. Poland and the USA: A Comparative Sociological Analysis (Kinematograf kontrolowany: Cenzura filmowa w kraju socjalistycznym i demokratycznym. Analiza socjologiczna).

Misiak, Anna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7153-944X (2006) Kinematograph Controlled: Film Censorship in a Former Communist State and in Democracy. Poland and the USA: A Comparative Sociological Analysis (Kinematograf kontrolowany: Cenzura filmowa w kraju socjalistycznym i demokratycznym. Analiza socjologiczna). Universitas, Kraków. ISBN 8324207775

Abstract / Summary

This book introduces a socio-cultural cross-national comparative perspective into film censorship research. It is the first cross-cultural comparative study in the field (in both English and Polish) which its reviewers Prof . Andrzej Rychard (sociologist) and Prof. Marek Hendrykowski (film scholar) called ‘innovative’ and ‘groundbreaking’ study ‘that fills up an unoccupied gap in the sociology of cinema’. The full-length study uses discourse and text analyses of a variety of archive and academic materials to determine models of controlling institutions along with patterns of their socio-political origins and functions to finally reach more general conclusions.

Its publication was financed by Polish Ministry of Science. However, quite recent date of its publication does not allow to estimate its use as a research or teaching material.

Its readership goes beyond traditional academia and it attracts audiences interested in more popular approaches to cinema as such. In January 2007, the book was listed as Universitas Bestseller (www.universitas.com.pl). It also served an inspiration for organising The Retrospective Festival of Censored Films (Przeglad Zakazany seans filmowy, Katowice,Poland, March 27th-30th, 2007).

In terms of its academic rigour, the study is based mostly on archive and scholarly texts. As far as methodology, it combines various research methods including content analysis, archive research, analysis of existing statistics, and comparative/ historical approaches. This original research project had been sponsored by Fulbright Commission through its Junior Scholar Grantee scheme.

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