Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Nothinglessandnothingmore,themoresoaspoliticalanalysesareperformed
withsuperbresultsbyexpertresearchersintothepast.Incidentally,thepigeonhol-
ingofhumanisticscienceremindsmeoftheexcessivemedicalspecializationwhich
frequentlyproducesawfulconsequencesforpatients.Whatwearetouchinguponhere
arethemattersofdisintegrationandintegrationoflearning,itsgeneralhumanistchar-
acter,anditstendencytobecomeprovinciallyisolatedandlimited.Towhatextent
theechoesofthepastremainapartofmoderninternationalrelationsisexemplified
bythedisputeoverthe‘displacement’oftheSudetenGermans,orthePolish-German
discussionsofthepast,whicharesovividatthetimenewstatesareattemptingtojoin
theEuropeanUnion.Historiansactivelyparticipateinbothdiscussions,whichare
carefullyobservedbyreasonablepoliticiansfromthecountriesontheVltavaaswell
astheVistula.Theformershowtheircivicconcernwiththefateoftheirstateasthey
makepressstatementsfromwithina‘discussionclub’withalongtradition,aswell
asduringmeetingsattheirnationalconventions.Discussingsensitivecontemporary
issuestheyusehistoricalanalysestheabsenceofwhichwoulddepriveanypolitical
argumentationoffactualdocumentationandtransformitintodemagogicaljournalism.
Thisfindsconfirmationintheminutesofthetempestuoussessionoftheeighthcon-
ventionatHradecKralove(inSeptember1999)22aswellasinthesequentialvolumes
oftheminutesoftheHistoricalClubinPrague,23operatingsince1872,whichwasable
tofullyflourishafterthecountryregainedfullindependence.Obviously,alsoGerman
historiansandPolishscholarsemphasizethesignificanceoftheSudetenissueinthe
pastandpresent.24
HistoriansplayedaninvaluableroleinPolish-Germanrelationsafter1945,which
transformedfromutterhostilityaftertheendofWWIItoreconciliationtowardsthe
endofthe20thcentury.Undercomplexinternationalcircumstances,historianswere
abletoprovetheirprofessionalcompetenceaswelldemonstratediplomaticskills
takinganadvantageofadialoguewhichwaspossiblewithscholarsfromtheFed-
eralRepublicofGermany,unlikewiththosefromtheGermanDemocraticRepublic.
ThebilateralCommissionforSchoolHandbooks(forhistoryandgeography)played
asignificantroleintheprocess,alongsidesuchacademicinstitutionsastheWestern
InstituteinPoznań.Here,Iwouldliketoreferthereaderstoacollectionofstudies
developedbetween1945and1994byProfessorGerardLabuda.25Thesestudiesalso
22Cf.VIII.Sjezdceskychhistoriku.HradecKralove10.-12.zari1999-VIII.Conventionofthe
CzechHistorians.HradecKralove,1-12September1999,EditedbyJ.Pesek,editorialarrangements
byOtaKonrad,Praha2000.
23Seee.g.ZpravodajHistorickehoKlubu,year’sbook12,part1,Praha2001,inparticular
E.Broklova,J.Panek,O.Tuma,Onevzdelanostiapredsudcichvhistorizujiciżurnalistice(Polemika
sJanemMlynarikem),pp.15-38;E.Broklova,Kdyżfusujedohistoriehistorik(KutokuJanaMly-
narikanacestnehopredseduAVCRprofesoraZahradnika),pp.38-41;O.Tuma,Jestejednouna
tema:Historicisevyrovnavajisminulosti,pp.41-43.
24Onthistopic:B.Koszel,ProblemNiemcówsudeckichwrelacjachRFNzCzechosłowacją
(Czechami)wlatach1989-1997,[in:]ProblemynarodowościoweEuropyŚrodkowo-Wschodniej
wXIXiXXwieku.KsięgapamiątkowadlaprofesoraPrzemysławaHausera,A.Czubiński,P.Oku-
lewicz,T.Schramm(eds.),Poznań2002,pp.697-709.
25G.Labuda,Polsko-niemieckierozmowyoprzeszłości.Zbiórrozprawiartykułów,Poznań1996.
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