ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an intensive analysis of one institutional sector within an Eastern European society--student theater in contemporary Poland, and extensive comparative and historical references. It provides a sociological understanding of the persistence of cultural freedom by analyzing its basis in cultural tradition, social structure, and the nature of art and its reception. In the works of student theater, Poland's political struggles of the post-war period are being fought ever anew and consequently this theater movement is a strategic case for the study of Polish society as a whole and for the development of a theatrical framework for the study of other Communist societies. The social organization of the smaller student theater groups presents a marked contrast to the organization of the larger student theater groups. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
