Montaigne and the rise of modern cultural diplomacy

In the troubling sixteenth century political and religious turmoil in Europe - and particularly in France - the cosmopolitan personality of Michel de Montaigne is not only indicative for acknowledging the more and more meddling resources of culture within the realm of politics, but is also explanatory for reforming and expanding the instruments of traditional diplomacy. Specifically, the consequential insights of Montaigne's post-Renaissance humanist stance highly impacted upon certain salient developments in the field of cultural diplomacy that could be analytically framed as i) a personal imprint on reforming political culture(s) tantamount to a conspicuous signature in the field of cultural pedagogy, and ii) a commendable approach to cultural pluralism, and an influential modus operandi in the practice of cultural relations. The present study purports to reflect upon the rise of modern cultural diplomacy through highlighting the impact of the above-mentioned traits on further developments of the field in one of the most characteristic figures of early modernity, Michel de Montaigne.

Cultural pedagogy and it’s development on the threshold of 3rd decade of 21st century

This paper - as stated in the title - covers theory, research and practice of cultural pedagogy in Poland, especially at the beginning of 3rd decade of 21st century. It consists of 2 parts concerning the following issues: History until the end of 20th century Tradition, origin, subject and philosophical assumptions Cultural pedagogy in the interwar period in Poland Cultural pedagogy as a humanistic pedagogy after 2nd World War 2. Return of cultural pedagogy after 1995 and it’s further development Cultural pedagogy, it’s humanistic-anthropological character Important publications and academic centers which popularize cultural pedagogy Summary Connecting theory and practice is a requirement for effective education and development of humanistic-anthropological cultural pedagogy which is open to „real world” and „symbolic world”. The last statement, justified in the Summary, is the main thesis of this paper.

[rev.] Krzysztof Maliszewski (red.), Pedagogika kultury–wehikuł przebudzeń. O edukacji nie-obojętnej [Pedagogy of culture – vehicle of awakening. On non-indifferent education], Wydawnictwo Naukowe “Śląsk”, Instytut Myśli Polskiej im. W. Korfantego, Katowice 2021

The authoress of the text written in the form of a review essay identifies certain traces, assumptions, metaphors, rhetorical figures, symbols and categories in the content of the following chapters of the monograph, which make understanding it as a whole consistent. Thus, they form the horizon for reading cultural texts for education. They are, for example: borderlands, borders, journey, road, returns, childhood, imagination and body. The transgressive nature of culture enriches man, and the cultural pedagogy is a metaphorical vehicle of awakening that saturates education with the factor of non-indifference.

Recepcja niemieckiej pedagogiki kultury w polskiej humanistyce

The starting point for the discussion is the obvious statement that cultural pedagogy is one of the three main currents in German education sciences; the other two are empirical and critical pedagogy. As the title suggests, the author focuses on cultural pedagogy only, and in particular on the reception of German cultural pedagogy by Polish cultural pedagogy during the interwar period. One can definitely say that German Geisteswissenschaften, or “the sciences of spirit” (including pedagogy) influenced Polish humanities. The main thesis of the article is that although the geisteswissenschaftliche Pädagogik had an overwhelming influence on pedagogical thinking and actions in Poland before World War II, it became considerably marginalised or almost totally forgotten after the war, as it was proclaimed a “bourgeois relic” and an “old fashioned trinket”. Theodor Litt (1880–1962) and Eduard Spranger (1882–1963) are commonly considered the leading representatives of German cultural pedagogy, and their Polish counterparts are Bogdan Nawroczyński (1882–1974) and Bogdan Suchodolski (1902–1993). The article refers to original source literature – although in brief – to discuss the influence of the educational concepts of the former group on the latter one. By proposing such analysis, the author hopes for fair and critical restructuring of cultural pedagogy in Poland, if not for its revitalisation. The first signs are already there.