Między nauką a propagandą : Śląski Instytut Naukowy im. Jacka Koraszewskiego w Katowicach (1957-1992)

Abstract

The book is devoted to the history of the Silesian Research Institute in its 35th anniversary. The history of the scientific research center goes back to the regional pre-war traditions common to a number of research facilities which were erected in the socialist realism, and supervised by the regional party-state authorities. The research policy in Upper Silesia and ways of perceiving the role of the research (especially the humanities) by the leading figures in PZPR (Polish United Workers’ Party) was a measure of the Institute’s efficient functioning. The structure of the monograph is built according to chronological and problematic criteria. On the one hand, it depicts the formation of the Institute in the context of academic life in Upper Silesia in the 20th century, and the process of ideologization of the center with its various stages and levels on the other. The temporal frames of the research are determined by the period of existence of subsequent „incarnations” of the Institute. The two opening chapters stand for a certain introduction to the crux of the book. Chapter one depicts the formation of the academic life of the humanities in the Silesian voivodeship in the interwar period. Moreover, the role of the „academic policy” of the state authorities of the time (the most extensive part is about the first „incarnation” of the Silesian Institute) has been presented. Chapter two is an attempt to outline the party-state policy in Poland (particularly the local authorities) after the year 1945 towards research institutions/centers. It is predominantly the ideological meaning of activities taken by the leaders that has been taken into consideration. The subsequent chapters give an account and analyze the stages of development of the Institute. Therefore, chapter three recounts the circumstances under which the Silesian Institute in Katowice was re-established (1945–1949), as well as the realities of its formation and beginnings (from first attempts on the threshold of the 1950s to its activities in 1957–1959) as an institution which aimed to avoid submission to and dependence on the party-state authorities. Chapter four goes back to the 1960s (1960–1970) so as to illustrate the decade from the perspective of the Silesian Research Institute; whereas chapter five depicts 1970s (1971–1979), and chapter six – 1980s (e.g. the time from 1980s till the end of martial law). The final chapter recounts the attempts to re-establish the Institute after the abolishment of martial law (from 1983) till the closedown of the Institute in 1992. Conclusions comprise a list of references, sources, and a name index.The thesis is an attempt to depict, select, and characterize the stages of development of the Institute. Aside from that, the author tries to answer the question of the policy of the authorities toward the regional academic circles (especially those engaged in the humanities and the social sciences); the question of a change in proportion in the subject matter of particular areas and fields of study. The author meant the book as a case study which would render the range of the authorities’ influence on the conducted scientific-research activity in the regions possible, as well as the conducted scientific-research activity in terms of the relation between the gathered scientific/research material and the written theses as well as the interpretation of the material presented in the so called Polish People’s Republic and the beginnings of the III Republic of Poland. Therefore, it is worth seeing the material presented in the monograph on a broader scale − both as a description of possibilities and limitations that academics doing research in the humanities and social studies have encountered in the second half of the 20th century, and in terms of the science – propaganda relation in the realities of the so called People’s Republic. Moreover, this may lead to further questions as to whether there was any scientific-research center in PRL, if so what its characteristics were like.