TABLE OF CONTENTS

Identity dramas written into the cultural borderland. Educational implications

In addition to the positive borderline effect, which is often presented in the literature, this text presents the dilemmas and tragedies of the individual, family and community, taking place on the border of cultures, religions and ethnicities. The methodological basis is the concept of the interpretation of the borderland and multi-range identity, through which I read and describe the fate of Emilia Moszczańska Kosiur Niewęgłowska presented by Grzegorz Dżus in the book “Banderowka”, published in 2020. The narration of the book’s main character allowed for presenting the process of shaping the family, individual and social identity. In this process, in the face of experiencing suspicion, helplessness, fear and humiliation, such questions dominate as: Who am I? Who am I to be? How am I to be? The author draws attention to the problem of the narrator’s internal dialogue, points to its value in the educational and humanistic context. He emphasizes how difficult but important, in the process of shaping identity, is the mediation of three areas of identity and the liberating oneself from the stigma of alienation experienced from all sides.

Neither a Pole nor a German – a Silesian – about recognizing one’s own ethnicity

The inspiration for the article is Zbigniew Rokita’s book “Kajś. A Tale of Upper Silesia”. It allowed the author to reflect on the issue of ethnic recognition of a human being as the basis for constructing an ethnic identity. The theoretical context consists of two theses: the first one (following Hannah Arendt) says that human beings always come to this world as new, as strangers, and to make their humanity more real, they need to act and speak; the second thesis (following Martin Heidegger) refers to the “truth of being” and proves that human habitation in the world is complicated. Attempts to understand the relationship between ethnic recognition and identity allowed the author to formulate the thesis that ethnicity is nothing else but knowledge about one’s family, community and the land inhabited by generations. The recognition of ethnicity itself can have three stages: 1) anecdotal identity; 2) attractive identity; 3) patched identity.

Heritage and memory. An essay on the absent culture of Polish Jews

The main research problem of the study is the question whether a culture that is already absent from the social space of a local community is the community’s cultural heritage. Has such a culture been remembered by the inhabitants of a small town and how does it fit into the context of regional education? The axis of the article is the Jewish culture that was present until World War II in two shtetls – “Jewish towns” – in the Świętokrzyskie region: in Włoszczowa and Chmielnik. These are two opposite examples of building a town’s cultural and social identity in the context of the almost complete absence of the Jewish culture and, in the second case, its extensive revitalization. The presented sociological and anthropological research shows that this context is socially and politically conditioned, and (above all) that in order to recall an absent culture from the controversial past, the emergence of social leaders, called leaders of cultural heritage, is desirable. They are organizationally able to initiate activities supported by a sound ideological basis.

The educational, social and economic situation of Jewish women in Wałcz County (West Prussia) from the 18th to early 20th century

In this article, I analyze the functioning of women in Jewish communities in the Wałcz County (Kreis Deutsch Krone), which was part of West Prussia until the end of 1945. This area, located initially between West Prussia and Pomerania and later between several Prussian provinces, was particularly conducive to Jewish settlement. As a result, for example in Miroslawiec (Märkisch Friedland), located in the Wałcz district, at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Jewish population constituted as much as 55%. So far, few publications have been written about the Jewish communities functioning in that area. The text is of a historical nature; in the course of its preparation, I have made use of archival materials, the Jewish press of the time, and I have also referred to Prussian legal regulations. As a result, I have analysed the economic, legal and, in particular, educational situation of Jewish women living in the area, taking into account two types of factors that conditioned it – religious orders and Prussian legislation. I also discuss the changes and their causes, to which the functioning of women in these communities was subjected in the period from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the gradual assimilation of the Jewish population, progressing until World War II, which put an end to the presence of Jews in this area.

Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian education system – an attempt to reconcile to the past, the current situation and planned activities

This article is devoted to theoretical considerations on the education of Canadian Indigenous Peoples. In the past, this education was provided in state boarding schools by priests and nuns, mainly for First Nations children aged 4– –16, who were sent there forcibly, taken by force from their parents. There were many cases of abuse in schools such as: physical, mental and sexual violence, experienced by approximately 150 000 children. Some of them never returned to family homes. These schools destroyed the psyche of many young people and influenced their later lives. It was not until 2005 that the Canadian government officially apologized to survivors and their families for the harm suffered by several generations of Indigenous Peoples during 120 years of compulsory education, conversion and integration into white colonizing society. Currently, the Canadian government willing to compensate for past harm, is working at federal and provincial levels to improve access of Indigenous people to the education system at all levels.

Lisbon – the identity of an intercultural city

The aim of the article is to draw attention to the specificity of Lisbon’s identity – the identity of an intercultural city, engaged on the one hand in intercultural dialogue that integrates local communities, and on the other – in the process of a commercial use of this dialogue leading to the revitalization and gentrification of urban spaces. The context for presenting the above-mentioned problems involves: the historical background of Lisbon’s interculturalism, the idea of intercultural cities, intercultural dialogue, models of diversity and the city’s neoliberal policy.

Childhood experiences and their significance in adulthood – a supplement to the studies among teachers from kindergartens and schools with Polish as the teaching language in Zaolzie in the Czech Republic

The article comprises a presentation of quantitative and qualitative studies, conducted among teachers working in kindergartens and schools with Polish as the teaching language in the territory of Zaolzie in the Czech Republic. Teachers’ experiences are analysed from the perspective of both the constructivist vision of a child, present in pedagogy, and Maria Tyszkowa’s concept of structuration and restructuration of experience (considered to be a part of the constructivist current). The undertaken reflections and the research results enable the recognition of the significance of childhood experiences for the professional development of beginners in teaching careers. Those reflections and outcomes can also enhance the development of teachers’ awareness and responsibility for providing children and youth with experiences that will be of crucial importance in their later life young.

Intercultural sensitivity of Polish emigrants in England, compared to British and Polish citizens living in their countries of origin

The aim of the study was to try to determine differences in the level of intercultural sensitivity of Polish economic emigrants in England, compared to citizens of Great Britain and Poland living in their country of origin. Intercultural sensitivity is understood as an indicator of competence to intercultural communication expressed in the readiness to lead dialogue with a culturally different person. The research was conducted in England and Poland, using the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) by G.-M. Chen and W.J. Starosta, adapted to the Polish conditions by the author of this article. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the highest level of readiness for dialogue with a culturally different person is presented by the surveyed citizens of Great Britain (who obtained in most of the analysed dimensions high and average results in the upper range) and the lowest – by Polish nationals residing in their country of origin (their results ranked as average).

The meaning of individual social capital for the emotional well-being of students during the COVID-19 pandemic

The article presents the results of the research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 among students of the University of Bialystok. The aim of the study was to determine the meaning of individual social capital for the emotional well-being of students. Emotional well-being has been defined as an overall assessment of an individual’s quality of life. Individual social capital is a potential resource of personal and social networks of individuals, which they “use” in various life situations. The study showed an interdependence between the individual social capital of students and their emotional well-being.

Distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the experiences of Polish students: everyday life and a vision of school’s future

Our project was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1955 students from Polish schools participated in the study. The aim was to detect school experiences of children, adolescents and young adults. The results show the lack of digital hygiene, but also the respondents’ general satisfaction with the distance learning and their including its elements in the vision of the school of the future. The differences in the experiences of boys and girls and of the learners in rural and urban areas are a premise for the interpretation of the obtained results in the direction of deepening the previously existing inequalities associated with distance learning.

Does the Wawel Dragon prefer sushi? The semiosphere of the vision of a multicultural city in the 21st century in the artistic works of school students from Krakow

In this text, a semiotic perspective was used to analyze the artistic works of students from Krakow schools submitted to the competition entitled “A multicultural city in the 21st century”. Assuming that the condition for the semiotics of the city are social processes leading to the recognition of objects in urban space as signs, the text is aimed to answer the question: what signs and codes constitute the semiosphere of works taking part in the competition? The analysis shows that the participants creatively used signs rooted in the tradition of Krakow, modifying their meaning by placing them in new syntagmatic systems with signs from other cultural codes. These works also show that the impact of cultural interactions is related to an exchange of signs and the dynamic process of reassigning their meanings. They also illustrate other sociocultural mechanisms taking place in the conditions of multi – and interculturalism. One of them is the simple multiplication of various “cultural packages”, and another – the diverse and dynamic interactions and the interweaving of the multiple elements that make up the entire intercultural space.

The developing of children’s multiple intelligences and key competences in the context of non-formal education. A case study of the competition “Słoneczniki [Sunflowers]”

Educational activities organized by cultural institutions are nowadays developed around the world in spaces other than schools. In particular, some new forms of education for children emerged, which are situated in museums, theatres, and cultural and entertainment centres. Global educational challenges are undertaken in local cultural environments. Their shared value is the focus on developing children’s abilities and the potential for multiple intelligences from an early age. The multiplicity and diversity of cultural offers is undoubtedly an advantage, but also a problem. Hence, the question arises which of these cultural proposals are particularly valuable, compared to others, and stand out in terms of quality. The article presents a case study of the “Sunflowers” competition, held in Krakow, in the context of research into children’s cultural and intercultural education. The materials made available by the organizer of the competition were analyzed in the article. Non-formal education has been discussed as an important area of educational influence and the formation of cultural competence.