Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego

The Witness of the Father in the Fourth Gospel. An Exegetical-Theological Study

Świadectwo Ojca w czwartej Ewangelii. Studium egzegetyczno-teologiczne

Author(s): Dawid Ledwoń / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: The Witness; God Father; The Gospel of Sts. John; biblical theology; works; signs

From among the four canonical Gospels, the Johannine rendering is the one most focused on Jesus’ Father – God. In the Gospel according to John, the basic means of expressing (revealing) the said truth is witness (μαρτυρία) along with, related thereto, the act of bearing witness (μαρτυρέω). The notion of witness contains speaking, arguing for, convincing, and asserting that Jesus was the Son of God sent so that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3:15–16).The theme of witness of the Father as a cohesive research subject had gone unnoticed in global biblical studies until the half of the 20th century. Also, it had not been perceived as a crucial element of teaching about God the Father. Only 1950s brought about radical change in biblical theology. What began to be stressed back then was the relationship between Christology, emphasised strongly in the Gospels, and the reflection about presence and the work of the remaining Persons of the Holy Trinity. The Johannine Gospel appears to be an especially valuable subject of research due to the theme of God’s fatherhood – in particular, giving witness to the Son – present therein, which constitutes a structure of the fourth Gospel and remains critical for its interpretation. Another important aspect of the witness indicated in John is: unveiling the internal life of Jesus and the interrelations within the Trinity.This monograph aims at determining features of the witness that God gives about His Son; to subsequently indicate places and manners in which the said witness is actualized in the fourth Gospel, in addition to providing an answer to the question regarding the possibility of the human participation in the witness of the Father and where it eventually finds its fulfillment. The book’s extensive introduction contains a presentation of the current state of research as well as a justification of an assumed research method. A synchronic approach is a basic device of analysing the Gospel according to John in its canonical form. Chapter One of the book contains a study of the witness of the Father in the fourth Gospel against the backdrop of the Old Testament. Two subsequent chapters present a detailed analysis of the pericopes John 5:31–47 and 19:31–37 which follows the same pattern: the text delimitation, the text criticism, the translation and philological remarks, presentation of the text structure, and finally, the analysis thereof in context. The concluding remarks are included in particular summaries. The final, fourth chapter pinpoints, in turn, the places where the witness of the Father occurs in the narratives about Jesus’ resurrection. Due to the extent of research scope into the witness of the Father in John 20 and 21, the translation of the mentioned chapters in their entirety has been abandoned. In this part of the monograph, the analysis concerns the descriptions of the empty tomb and of characters’ reactions and attitudes present in the Gospel narratives; most of all, however, it is focused on the descriptions of the Christophany and Jesus’ speeches. Conclusions of the book present the synthesis of the research findings.

The Anatomy of Intercultural Encounters. A Cross-Cultural Sociolinguistic Study

The Anatomy of Intercultural Encounters. A Cross-Cultural Sociolinguistic Study

Author(s): Grażyna Kiliańska-Przybyło / Language(s): English

Keywords: intercultural encounters; intercultural competence; personal narrations; critical events; linguistic consciousness; intercultural communication

We live in a time when a contact (personal or virtual) with foreigners is inevitable. The present publication focuses on the characteristics of intercultural encounters, interactions that hold among the participants of such encounters, as well as on discussing the factors which play an important role during intercultural communication. The intercultural encounters have been discussed from two points of view, theoretical and personal, taking into account the experiences of students of English philology of Polish and Turkish descent. On the one hand, the publication informs of the specificity of intercultural contacts and allows to observe the mechanisms that develop during such meetings; on the other hand, it functions as a source material in the form of personal reflections of the subjects, stories and anecdotes related to intercultural communication. Therefore, the book is addressed both at students, travellers and persons who frequently communicate with foreigners, as well as at teachers or persons engaged in intercultural training courses.

Necropolis. Sociological Study of the Cemeteries of Katowice

Nekropolie. Socjologiczne studium cmentarzy Katowic

Author(s): Barbara Lewicka / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: cemetery; necropolis; urban space; memorial place; significant place; Katowice

The book entitled Necropolis. Sociological Study of the Cemeteries of Katowice, is an attempt to description of the burial spaces on the example of one city. Cemeteries shall be treated as a cultural text, reproduced in various forms of social practices. Reading this cultural text allows to reconstruct contemporary roles and significance of urban cemeteries, and describe construction of the graveyards and show typical activities undertaken in their spaces.The opening chapter clarifies the social history of the funeral spaces of Europe described terms of in four stages of development. The further part is devoted to necropolis of the particular city – Katowice. The author makes a description of the form, shape and infrastructure of cemeteries and reminds history of the city. Another part of the work is a theoretical debate on urban issues, including emphasis on urban sociology. The continuum: space – the city – a place – non-place is explained, as well as the functional division of urban space. Than graveyards are described in terms of various sciences. In this part of the book preliminary analysis of research on functions of Katowice burial spaces are related. A consequence of above is construction of the typology of modern graveyards functions in sociological terms. The rest of the book is devoted to the analysis and interpretation of results of empirical studies (combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods) carriedout in Katowice. It begins with description of burial spaces treated as separated areas of the city; the second aspect of the analysis is a description of cemeteries’ structure; another is focused on the functioning of graveyards; the last one specifies the meaning of the cemeteries for the residents of the city.This approach allows to recreate multi-faceted image of urban cemeteries. Firstly, image of necropolis with permanent and temporary components of the visual universe is analyzed. Secondly, events that took place within the cemeteries and practices associated with visiting the graveyards are described, as well as the way of functioning of cemeteries – their daily, monthly and yearly rhythm. Thirdly, answer to the question about the meaning and place of burial spaces in the minds of Katowice residents is given.Among the most important conclusions of work it should be noted that the residents of Katowice believe that burial places have important socio-cultural role. Cemeteries are described as important, meaningful and long-lasting spaces; areas of interaction and symbolic exchange. It is because, among other things: the universality of visits to cemeteries, what is associated with their rhythm of functioning; a multitude of activities undertaken in cemeteries (not only those related to its first roles); an affection to the image of tombstones; awareness that cemeteries are not only a places of remembrance for everyone who buried their relatives there, but also for the city, region or even the country; the conviction that cemeteries should be show the youngest, to familiarize them with the historical heritage and create a kind ofsymbolic attachment with the ancestors.

Cinematic Landscapes of Europe

Filmowe Pejzaże Europy

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: cinematic landscape; landscape in cinema; cinematic space; European cinema; contemporary cinema; the cinema of authors

The book entitled Cinematic Landscapes of Europe is a review of contemporary European cinema from the point of view of a characteristic shot of a landscape. How do European film-makers employ a landscape? Is it significant for them and does it determine the choice of particular means and ways of filming? These questions are being answered by the authors of the ten essays. Each article takes into consideration a set of films in which a landscape plays an important role. Sometimes it is understood in a metaphoric way, as an element of authorial narration (the articles by Ilona Copik on post-industrial landscape generating social issues and the article by Wojciech Sitek on the films of “broken Britannia”). Another area of investigation is urban landscape, understood in a symbolic way (the article by Andrzej Gwóźdź demonstrating how the Berlin wall has [not] existed in the cinema and the essay by Przemysław Pieniążek which offers the interpretation of the infernal landscape of the films of Dario Argento). A comprehensive conceptualization of cinematic landscape can be found in the interpretation of Spanish cinema, in which Joanna Aleksandrowicz juxtaposes Basque and Andalusian landscapes. The article by Karolina Kostyra conforms to the peregrination of landscapes of nature, which are an inherent element of the coming-of-age films. A completely different function is ascribed to rural landscapes in the works of Jan Jakub Kolski, which are a subject of study by Jakub Zajdel, who identifies a cinematic affection to them in the biography of the director. Finally, Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek and Natalia Gruenpeter take into consideration the authoral interpretations of landscape in the films by Bruno Dumont and Lucile Hadžihalilović.

Spaces of translation Vol. 1

Przestrzenie przekładu T. 1

Author(s): / Language(s): Russian,Polish

Keywords: artistic translation; specialist translation; interlinguistic transfer

The present monograph is devoted in full to the issues of translation. The articles are the outcome of academic reflection upon the problems of interrelations between language and culture, upon the phenomenon of intercultural transfer, upon the functioning and reception of translated texts. The research results presented here take into consideration various methodological and ideational approaches. The volume is intended for both theoreticians and professional translators, as well as for all those who are interested in this area of study.

Yoga in cultural contexts 2

Joga w kontekstach kulturowych 2

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: yoga; culture; religion; sociology; psychology

Yoga in cultural contexts 2 is a publication associated with a joint project (realised since 2013) of the Department of the Theory and History of Culture of the University of Silesia and of the Department of the Management of Sport and Tourism of the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice. Within the framework of this project annual scholarly interdisciplinary paper-workshop conferences are organised (since 2014). These are meetings of researchers who represent inter alia the humanities, social sciences and the sciences of physical education) with the people who practice yoga.The conferences are followed up by publications; although these are not conference volumes strictly speaking; the articles which are featured there are considerably extended versions of papers and the works which are submitted to the editors. In 2016 Wydawnictwo AWF in Katowice published the first volume: Yoga in cultural contexts 1 (ed. Janusz Szopa, Aleksandra Budzisz).Yoga in cultural contexts 2 is also an interdisciplinary work; it contains the works of specialists in the field of cultural studies, indologists, specialists in the field of religion, sociologists and psychologists. There are texts which are devoted to yoga as a complex system of beliefs and practices which are deeply rooted in the cultural context of India as well as to yoga as a phenomenon which gains increasingly greater momentum in the culture of the West. The monograph is supplemented by a dictionary which familiarises the reader with concepts which are important for the problems in question.

The study of culture: people, projects, achievements

Badanie kultury. Ludzie, projekty, realizacje

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Department of Theory and History of Culture; history; structure; research project; didactics

The present monograph presents both the history of the Department of Theory andHistory of Culture, as well as its changing and developing over the years structure. The authors of individual articles have made an attempt at portraying the history of the Department in a broad, historic-cultural, as well as scientific context, taking into account the state of Polish cultural studies and its specificity as a part of the Faculty of Philology of the University of Silesia.The book has been divided into two parts. The first one is devoted to research projects that have so far been carried out by the Department and to the academic profile of the unit. Here one can find a historical overview presenting the process of shaping the community as well as the series of articles devoted to its selected achievements: anthropological field research, model research project devoted to Polish diaspora of Kazakhstan, the concept of cultural anthropology of literature, publications on the issue of shame in culture, memetic and socio-biological aspects of research into culture, as well as the model of the history of culture proposed by the Department.The second part has been devoted mainly to didactic projects (including the history of student research groups at the Department), as well as to the cooperation of the Department with numerous cultural institutions. The reader will find here reflections on the problem of teaching Polish culture, educating teachers on culture studies, as well as educating students in the field of cultural heritage at undergraduate studies. A separate issue is the characteristics of the journal entitled “Laboratorium Kultury” [A Laboratory of Culture] that has relatively recently been set up by the academics of the Department. The last article in the monograph has been devoted to personality basis of scientific culture. The following have been attached to the present monograph: a list of graduates, as well as an appendix presenting important historical documents for Katowice cultural studies.The present book offers a cultural study conceptualization of the problems related to Polish research. The authors of the monograph assume that in order to understand the specificity of any institution, it is necessary to consider its activity in the context of other organizational forms and in the perspective of the longest possible period. Therefore, it is vital to embed the history, achievements, and the contemporary times of The Department of the Theory and History of Culture in the context of local conditioning of the humanities, but also, aspectually, to perceive it in the context of the development of culture studies in Poland, and principally to embed it in the structures of Polish academic system in its organizational, research, and didactic scope. This kind of characteristics of the present through the lens of the past allows to recognize and engineer the future.

Europe of 20th and 21st Centuries. Social and Political Consequences of Criseses

Europa XX–XXI wieku. Społeczno-polityczne konsekwencje kryzysów

Author(s): Marcela Gruszczyk,Lech Krzyżanowski,Miłosz Skrzypek / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Crisese; economic; globalism; history; conflict; war; economy

The industrial revolution of the 19th century gave impetus to changes on unprecedented scale, which resulted in profound social transformations, namely: the increase of citizens’ political consciousness and – of no lesser importance – countrywide uprisings, triggerd by the nationalist ideology. The end of the century was also full of events announcing the forthcoming armed conflict which – in its aftermath – spurred a total redefinition of the political order in Europe as it had been hitherto known. What clearly illustrates the size of the conflict are the multi-million-dollar human and material losses, the degradation and decline of the European agricultural production as well as equally significant decrease in the area of foreign investment, and finally, disturbances in trade relations, implied – first and foremost – by huge debts and by the scale of war reparations. No less important here is also the Bolshevisation of Russia with all the negative consequences of this process.The first half of the 20th century brought the largest economic crisis ever. It had a tremendous impact on the development of economic thought, casuing an indubitable change in its mainstream. Both politicians and economists are unequivocally convinced that the huge scale of economic fluctuations in the free market economy model almost completely precludes the efficient use of resources on a macroeconomic scale. Thus, the existing economic liberalism was replaced by the state interventionism and, consequently, the departure from the gold standard. By the same token, the Great Depression should be classified as one of the most important events of the 20th century. One can safely agree with the thesis that the Great Crisis made the outbreak of World War II possible, although it did not render the war inevitable. It also undoubtedly undermined the belief in the effective functioning of either the market or the capitalist system, which could partly explain why the ineffective and at the same time criminal communist regime was sanctioned. Referring to Paul Johnson’s words, it can be said that the crisis was exerting an emotional and intellectual impact on human consciousness almost until the end of the 1980s, when Soviet collectivism finally collapsed and the whole world had to admit that the free market could not be replaced by any other economical system.The hecatomb, i.e. the aforementioned World War II, had consequences hitherto unheard-of in the history of civilization, which touched upon political, social, economic, and cultural issues. They were, above all, the unimaginable demographic losses; what is more, the enormous costs and, subsequently, the impossible to estimate value of damages. No less important here is the new order, formed after the war ended, which divided Europe with an “iron curtain.” After the military actions have been seized, the so-called West, continued to develop in a diverse manner, but also acclaming the fact that political and economic processes maintain their continuity, steerability, and rationality. Despite perturbations, the process took its course within a determined framework and according to predictable institutional and legal structures. These questions looked completely different on the eastern side of the aforesaid “curtain.” The two hostile political camps also differed regarding their economic systems; fortunately, it was for the so-called Eastern Bloc that the consequences of the difference turned out to be disastrous. What also falls into the category of issues discussed in the present work is an energy crisis in the seventies of the 20th century, connected with the political conflict between the West and the Arab states. It resulted in a recession and a slowdown in economic growth with all the negative consequences. On the other hand, by the end of the 1980s, it was connected with the breakup of the communist system in Europe. Although it is difficult to underestimate the positive aspect of this phenomenon, the collapse of communism caused many local conflicts in the countries that constituted the former USSR. The simultaneous collapse of the regime in the former Yugoslavia strengthened separatist tendencies, resulting in long, bloody struggles on its territory. The outbreak of extreme nationalism became the driving force behind a civil war, leading to a wave of national and religious persecution as well as an ethnic purge, heitherto inconceivable after World War II.The 21st century is inherently associated with in the phenomenon of globalization,which has its positive and negative dimensions, whose assessment – for the time being – eludes the criteria of historical analysis, though it finds its multifaceted expression in inquiries of other sciences.It should be emphasized that the succinctness of the above approach is intended solely to summarize the scale and variety of the events and processes discussed, which is directly related to the common denominator indicated in the introduction. The analysis of texts published in this volume should lead the Reader to the fullest possible comprehension of the eponymous issue. The research conducted in this field shows clearly the huge diversity and variety of phenomena, commonly referred to as the crisis. Unfortunately, despite its enormous efforts to investigate the causes, courses, and consequences of political, financial, and economic crises, science has not yet succeded in finding a remedy for their emergence; nevertheless, as yet unweavering in these efforts, perhaps it will contribute to alleviating the enormous costs of overcoming them. Editors

History of Spirituality: The Time of the Church Fathers

Historia duchowości. Czas ojców Kościoła

Author(s): Jan Słomka / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Christian antiquity; spirituality; monasticism; virginity; Church Fathers

History of Spirituality attempts to capture the basic elements constituting the spiritual life of Christians in the initial five centuries of the Church’s existence. Since Christianity was born at the intersection of two worlds, Jewish and Greek-Roman, it seems indispensable to first briefly characterize the spiritual life of the said two cultural areas. This very topic is the subject of Chapter One. The subsequent chapter, in turn, discusses foundations of Christians’ spiritual life: baptism, which defines the Christian identity, the Holy Eucharist, the place occupied by the Holy Bible in the life of Christians, as well as prayer and fasting. The chapter which follows outlines the two spiritual traditions developed in the early days of the Church. First of them was for the most part eschatologically-oriented, praising martyrdom, and treating what is earthly and worldly as a mere transition period unworthy of our undivided attention. The second tradition aims to edify human spirituality based on the promise of resurrection. It likewise sees the readiness for martyrdom as Christianresponsibility, but at the same time underscores achieving perfection here on Earth. Besides, this tradition draws upon the Greek philosophy and values the state structures, thereby indicating that a Christian, exactly by virtue of adhering to his faith, is supposed to be a good citizen. Among the representatives of the foregoing tradition the book enumerates and particularly discusses Clement of Alexandria and Saint Ambrose of Milan. What is specific to Christian spirituality are the ideals of virginity and celibacy, the spiritual bases of which and the way it is enrooted in Christian life, are discussed in the subsequent chapter. Next, there are presented two spiritual doctrines of the Church Fathers who had the greatest impact on the forming of Christian spirituality, namely the ones of Origen and Augustin. From the beginnings of the fourth century onwards, the Christian spirituality becomes dominated by monasticism. Initially, it was an individual version thereof, the hermitic monasticism. Thus,in order to comprehensively discuss monastic spirituality, one has to begin with indicating the most important, specific features of anchorites’ spirituality. The spirituality of communal (coenobitic) monasticism is best described by its rules. Therefore, four representativemonastic rules are discussed, arranged by two main lines: the first including Pachomian and Benedictine monastic rules, and the second the Rule of St Basil (Basilian) and the Augustinian rule. Each of the foregoing rules has its own, clearly distinguished spiritualcharacteristics. The book’s final chapter presents two of the many erroneous spiritual paths that can be found in the early ages of Christianity: Pelagianism and Manichaeism. They were selected as warnings, for the contemporary world abounds in spiritual “offers” which arequite similar.

Undisciplined Knowledge. Meanders of Interdisciplinarity

Wiedza niezdyscyplinowana. Meandry międzyobszarowości

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Interdisciplinarity; humanities; interdisciplinary individual studies; academic education in Poland

Wiedza niezdyscyplinowana. Meandry międzyobszarowości (“UndisciplinedKnowledge. Meanders of Interdisciplinarity”) is a result of a conference under the same title, which was organized by University of Silesia College of Interdisciplinary Individual Studies in 2015. The character of the conference allowed for a meeting of students, graduates, scientists and academic teachers involved in creating different forms of interdisciplinary individual studies across Poland. Basing on these experiences, the book contains considerations upon a state of interdisciplinary colleges, the notion of interdisciplinarity, as well as some propositions of application of interdisciplinary scientific methods. First part of the volume, Wiedza i dyscyplina? Na drodze do uniwersytetu międzyobszarowego (“Knowledge and Discipline? Towards an Interdisciplinary University”) contains three articles on the subject of university practices and various forms of organization aiming to create scientific and social areas in which interdisciplinarity could be developed. Simultaneously, authors consider dangers and risk associated with these solutions. Ewelina Suszek in her text Między reżimem a anarchią. Problem specjalizacji i interdyscyplinarności (“In-Between Regime and Anarchy. The Problem of Specialization and Interdisciplinarity”)focuses on the problems with specialization in modern humanities as presented in “Enemies of promise: publishing, perishing and the eclipse of scholarship” by Lindsay Waters. Daniel Kontowski’s Co niszczy studia międzyobszarowe w Polsce? Fałszywe wyjaśnienia i poczucie wyższości (“What Destroys Interdisciplinary Studies in Poland? False Explanations and a Sense of Superiority”) presents an in-depth analysis of crisis of Polish Interdisciplinary Individual Colleges. 风 Karolina雅 Pawlik 宋 in Pomiędzy, czyli tu indziej. Kwestia dyscypliny z szanghajskiej perspektywy (“Betwixt, that is Herewhere. The Question of Discipline from Shanghai’s Perspective”), basing on her experience as a student and an academic teacher, compares conditions of higher education in Katowice and in Shanghai.Four subsequent chapters form the second part of the volume, titled Portale i prospekty. Humanistyka na przejściu (‘Portals and Prospectuses. Humanities on the Passage’). Texts in this part are focused on the issue of applications of interdisciplinary approaches to modern humanities. Ryszard Koziołek’s Filologia i John Wayne (“Philology and John Wayne”) presents a vision of new humanities as a social and political force, able to mediate and soothe conflicts. Piotr Bogalecki in his text Dyletant, amator, błazen – humanista w dobie międzyobszarowości (“Dilettante, Amateur, Jester – a Humanist in the Era of Interdisciplinarity”) thinks over different possible stances a humanist can adopt, while obliged to interdisciplinarity. Jan Zając’s Nowe perspektywy w badaniach nad recepcją – przypadek portalu lubimyczytać.pl (“New Perspectives in the Reception Studies – the Case of an Internet Portal lubimyczytać.pl”) is an interdisciplinary, psychological, sociological and philological study on a reception of literature, using opinions posted on the Internet by readers as an research material. Karolina Wycisk in her Taniec jako intersztuka. Neurokognitywiści w badaniach nad tańcem (“Dance as Inter-art. Neurocognitivists in Dance Studies”) examines the influence of neurocognitivism and its methods over the dance studies. The third and last part of the book: Nieludzkie – nieobce. Posthumanizm jako międzyobszarowa praktyka badawcza (“Non-human – Non-alien. Posthumanism as an Interdisciplinary Research Practice”) is focused on the subject of posthumanism as a particular interdisciplinary research field. In three chapters, contained in this part of the volume, authors reflect on a problem how exceeding traditional, humanistic approach could enrich or jeopardize research conducted within the humanities. Miłosz Markiewicz in Przeciw dyscyplinie. Obietnice posthumanistyki (“Against Discipline. The Promises of Posthumanism”) argues that posthumanism, complicating relations between humans and other beings, simultaneously abolishes borders between scientific field and disciplines. Jakub Gawkowski’s Ichtiologia jako nauka pomocnicza historii sztuki (“Ichthyology as an Auxiliary Science of Art History”) is an example of practical application of posthumanist methods, by using some tools of ichthyology to present fishes as a potential subject of art, rather than object, and to criticize unethical artistic practises considering fish. The last text in the volume, Marcin Kozera’s Transcendentny posthumanizm jako radykalna hybryda ducha i materii (“TranscendentPosthumanism as a Radical Hybrid of Spirit and Matter”), explores similarities and differences between posthumanistic theories and mysticism of the Far East.

Boundaries of the Freedom of Expression in the Case of an Appraiser

Granice wolności wypowiedzi rzeczoznawcy majątkowego

Author(s): Artur Biłgorajski / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: appraiser; appraisal report; freedom of expression

The aim of the following monograph is to thoroughly analyze and assess the titularboundaries of the freedom of expression in the case of an appraiser, as delineated by the law, professional standards as well as rules of professional ethics. The monograph comprises of six chapters, each of which is devoted to a particular issue: the origins of the profession of an appraiser, its legal foundations, the character of the profession, the freedom of expression and its importance for the profession of an appraiser, the boundaries of that freedom of expression, as well as the consequences of crossing the boundaries of the freedom of expression by an appraiser. The monograph ends with the conclusions, which present an attempt at consolidating and further investigating the issues debated in earlier chapters.The following monograph is directed not only at appraisers, but at all people who, due to their profession, come into contact with the results of the work of the representativesof that profession, such as judges, lawyers or solicitors.

Dissemination of Scientific Research Results in International Databases. A Bibliometric Analysis Based on the Example of Technical Sciences with Special Regard to Electrotechnics

Upowszechnianie wyników badań naukowych w międzynarodowych bazach danych. Analiza bibliometryczna na przykładzie nauk technicznych, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem elektrotechniki

Author(s): Renata Frączek / Language(s): English,Polish

Keywords: research; International Databases; Bibliometric Analysis; Electrotechnics; Technical Sciences

The issues of bibliometrics, scientometrics, informetrics and webometrics have an important place among research subject undertaken by Polish and foreign scholars. Initially,these notions were used only by researchers in the fields of library science, scientometricsand information science. However, at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, quantitativemethods became a fundamental tool for evaluation of, among others, sources of academiccommunication, academic research, research and academic centers. One of the elements ofthe evaluation is a quantitative analysis of academic publications in databases with international access. It is of particular importance in the case of technical sciences. This work is an attempt at a quantitative analysis of publications by Polish authors (affiliated to Polishtechnical universities) and Polish journals on electrotechnics in international databases. Thecontents are organized into four chapters with an introduction, conclusions, bibliography,name index and a list of figures and illustrations. Chapters one and two are devoted totheoretical issues, whereas chapters three and four – to practical issues.In the first chapter, selected issues concerning quantitative methods were presented, including an analysis of literature and a discussion over terminology carried out in book publications and journals. Moreover, selected examples of research conducted with the use of quantitative methods (including rankings and scientific reports) were discussed in this chapter). In chapter two, sources of information on academic publications, their origins and development (from bibliographic bases to citation indexes) were presented. A separate subchapter was devoted to databases of academic publications created by libraries of technical universities, and to indicators in the assessment of academic publications. Chapter three deals with electrotechnics as a field of science. An analysis was conducted with regard to the place of electrotechnics in science classifications based on selected examples, and the development of the teaching of electrotechnics at university level was shown. In this chapter, early and contemporary Polish journals on electrotechnics were presented, including journals published by technical universities themselves. Chapter four contains the results of an analysis of international databases (Scopus, WoS, CC), focusing on the representation of Polish journals, including their citations, and publications of authors with affiliation to Polish technical universities. Final conclusions of research and analyses have brought an answer to questions raised with regard to the assessment of representation in international databases of publications by Polish authors affiliated to Polish technical universities (in its various aspects, e.g., a publication type, language of publication, publication dynamics taking into account years of publications, cooperation with representatives of other European and non-European countries), and of Polish journals.

Topographies and landscapes. The cinematographical Silesia

Topografie i krajobrazy. Filmowy Śląsk

Author(s): Ilona Copik / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: landscape; cinematographical topography; Polish cinema; regional cinema; Upper Silesia

The book is devoted to the cultural phenomenon which is known as “filmowy Śląsk” [“the cinematographical Silesia”]. The author analyses and interprets films whose common theme is the landscape of region presented on the screen, in the process of its transformation: from an industrial to a post-industrial one. She treats cinematographical works as “geographical and cultural events” i.e. forms of creative activity (images/texts and artistic practices), which constitute representations/constructions of a place. The fundamental theses of the work are focused on the statements that, on the one hand, in the place which is represented on the screen, there are intersecting senses and discourses of a given culture, which one may decode in the course of an analysis, and, on the other hand, cinema participates in cultural processes, it participates in the mediatised production of culture and identity. Further chapters constitute a development of these theses in the perspective of the relations which obtain between Silesia, cinema, the landscape, identity and memory – individual and collective memory (national, regional). In this work, the keyword is landscape – a concept which links the themes of the relation between the thing which is real/mediated, aesthetic and cultural, demonstrative/experiential, etc. A cinematographical landscape here constitutes an image of a country (of a place), an object of a particular “visibility” which is accessible to the faculty of vision, and at the same time a pretext for anthropological considerations oriented toward the forms of some kind of participation in the screen-related space, of its co-experiencing and deliberation.

The Other / Alien. Transnational and transgressive motives in the work of Peter Weir

Inny/Obcy. Transnarodowe i transgresyjne motywy w twórczości Petera Weira

Author(s): Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek,Przemysław Pieniążek / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: the other; alien; Peter Weir

The book traces a change in the perception of the work of Peter Weir that has been under way in recent years, marked by a shift from interpretations focusing on spiritual themes to approaches emphasising the situation of the author immersed in the context of “Global Hollywood.” It also presents the most important aspects of wanderings undertaken by Weir’s protagonists, who search for a deeper dimension of existence that could help them define their identity and alliances in the world where “everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place.” It expresses the conviction that the origins of both motives – transgressive and transnational – may be found in the dichotomy of the Other / Alien, conspicuously present in Weir’s films. For this reason, while focusing on the figure of the outsider, the book draws attention to the nature of transgressions that are taking place in Weir’s works. On the one hand, there is confrontation with whatever is mysterious. Exploration of different states of consciousness leads through the world of dreams and myths – a path that Weir’s protagonists travel to face their own weaknesses and limitations imposed by the oppressive system of culture. On the other hand, Weir’s films never stop mediating between the points of view of national and trans-national identity, between the genre cinema and the artistic cinema, and between creativity and convention, thereby consolidating the unique position of the film director as an Alien, both in Hollywood and in Australian cinema. The dynamics of these tensions have determined the character and the form of this book. Peter Weir’s works are not discussed here in a strictly chronological order, a more important criterion being the evolution of selected story threads and their related contexts which define the unique element in his work. Chapter One is concerned with the two most famous Australian films by Weir: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and The Last Wave (1977), which established the range of themes he often returned to in later works. Next chapter offers interpretations of Gallipoli (1981) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). If the former is perceived as a realisation of the idea of Australian national cinema, the latter marks Weir’s accession to mainstream world cinema. Chapter Three is devoted to his Hollywood films. The analysis of Witness (1985), The Mosquito Coast (1986), and Fearless (1994) draws attention to the point of view of an Alien who observes America and American culture from a certain distance. This theme is then continued in Chapter Four, which focuses on the figure of the outsider – a character typical of Weir’s films, who can be seen in statu nascendi in Dead Poets Society (1989) and The Truman Show (1989). Finally, Chapter Five brings together analyses of Green Card (1990), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and The Way Back (2010), in which the transnational motives receive more prominence than in other films by Weir.The interpretations offered in this volume provide an argument for the claim that the work of Peter Weir is a fruit of the genre cinema and the artistic cinema coming together, as well as of the interaction between Australian cinema and Hollywood (and, in the background, European cinema). In the light of most recent research, it appears as a transnational phenomenon, a result of a combination of themes borrowed from various systems, not only cinematographic but also cultural.

Musical Spaces in Contemporary Polish Theatre

Przestrzenie muzyczne w polskim teatrze współczesnym

Author(s): Magdalena Figzał / Language(s): Polish

The main aim of the book Musical Spaces in Contemporary Polish Theatre is to present the various functions of music in Polish dramatic theatre and also to demonstrate the ways in which contemporary Polish theatre directors ‘shape’ the sound layer in their performances. Concurrently, the author discusses two methodologies which can be used to analyse and describe theatre music. These two complementary methodologies are the semiotics and the performative aesthetics.The monograph explores the numerous relationships between music and other elements of the mise-en-scene, including scenography, actor’s body (acting and movement) and stage lighting. However, the main focus is the relation between music and theatrical fiction. The particular chapters are connected to each other by the ‘musical space’ category which should be defined as a specific way of shaping the sound landscape in a performance.The subject of the publication involves a variety of theoretical issues such as perception of music in dramatic theatre, classification of the theatre sounds, types of musical meanings, and also the influence of technology on the sound production. All these questions are considered with regard to particular Polish performances which have been produced in the last 25 years – especially the works of Jerzy Jarocki, Jerzy Grzegorzewski, Krystian Lupa, Andrzej Dziuk,Krzysztof Warlikowski and Jan Klata.

The road to work. Proactive coping in relation with job search and adapting to a new workplace

Droga do pracy. Proaktywne radzenie sobie a poszukiwanie zatrudnienia i adaptacja do nowego miejsca pracy

Author(s): Katarzyna Ślebarska / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: proactive coping; job search behaviour; reemployment; job adaptation outcomes

The employment and unemployment structure within the labor market is shaped to a large extent by economic changes and ongoing technological progress. The development of new disciplines and technologies simplifies work and generates demand for certain specialists. Concurrently, industry’s rapid development and informatization contribute to an ever more often depreciation of the human being in favor of the machine. Redefining the concept of professional career, which can no longer be perceived through the lens of workingin the same organization and for one employer during one’s whole life (life-time career), highlights new trends on the labor market, such as temporary, short-term or part-time employment. The risk of job loss becomes realistic, which in turn frequently fosters negativephenomena in the work place such as aggressive rivalry, devaluation of values and moral rules. Unfavorable workplace atmosphere is particularly felt by organizational newcomers. In the entry phase, an employee who is new to an organization needs to gain orientationin the existing expectations regarding their functioning at the workplace at a relatively quick pace. The process of adapting to new vocational settings is often accompanied by feelings of confusion, uncertainty and insecurity. On the one hand, an individual’s adjusting to an organization is influenced by the organization itself, proposing various socializing techniques. On the other hand, new employees themselves actively seek the needed information (Bauer et al., 2007). The theory of organizational socialization (van Maanen & Schein, 1979) highlights that the goal of newcomers is reducing the uncertainty felt in the entry phase so that their environment becomes more predictable (Berger, 1979). Such an approach corresponds withthe process of adapting to a new workplace. The insecurity may be mitigated, among others, by information acquired from various sources, particularly through social interactions with supervisors and coworkers (Saks & Ashforth, 1997). Through various techniques and channels, employees are provided with information that is necessary in order do their job well (role clarification), those concerning possibilities to function well in the face of real requirements of their professional roles as well as those regarding social relations in theworkplace (Miller & Jablin, 1991). The settings that are unfavourable to job integration may lead to vocational exclusion. Phenomena such as unemployment, collective and individualredundancies, striving to reduce overemployment and inability to obtain permanent employment increase rivalry, fear of redundancy and feelings of permanent threat. The individuals who are forced to change their workplace often times face difficulties with findinga new one. Frequently the unemployment period lasts, as a result of which individuals are classified as long-term unemployed. In such circumstances the issue of efficient coping with joblessness becomes vital. In a traditional view, coping with difficulties is most frequently analyzed in the aspect of reactivity. This implies focusing on the stressful events that have already occurred. An individual is oriented towards compensating a loss or wrong that occurred in their past. Even though such mode of coping seems to be adequate while coping with joblessness, the process of seeking new employment requires individuals to go eyond sole reactivity. A question arises regarding the type of coping activity that would prove most useful in the reemployment seeking process. The present work provides empirical verification regarding a proposed answer to this question, namely: proactive coping. With regard to the proactive coping theory (Schwarzer & Taubert, 2002), the coping process is oriented mostlytowards enhancing the resources that are helpful in attaining ambitious and developmental goals. Proactive individuals view difficulties as challenges. In spite of being aware of risks and potential threats, do not perceive them as losses or wrongs (Greenglass & Fiksenbaum,2009a). Proactive coping is mostly analyzed in relation with health and general well-being. The presented research applies the proactive coping theory to a distinctive context, that is, coping with joblessness. The study’s primary focus was understanding unemployed individuals’ job search behaviors. Increased efficiency of job search behaviors leads for reemployment. However, the measure of reemployment success should not be constricted to signing a job contract – it should also involve maintaining the job. For this reason, the newcomers’ process of adapting to the workplace gains crucial importance. Career paths nowadays represent significantly lower linearity and are less connected with one workplace than it could have been observed in the not too distant past (Hall, 2004). Therefore, employees often times face a necessity to change jobs – on average even once every two years (Bauer & Erdogan, 2011). This translates into ongoing involvement in the process of adapting to a new workplace. Hence, effective adaptation to a new workplace is currently becoming an essential issue, and managing the newcomers’ entrance to an organization in a skillfulmanner seems to be the main task within human resources management.The past view on new employees described them as submissive, passive individuals who adjust to their environment and go with the organization’s flow (van Maanen, 1976). However, the concept of Proteus’s career (Hall, 2004; Turska, 2014) highlights thatemployees demonstrate an ever higher responsibility for their own professional development, which increases the significance of individual proactivity (Griffin, Neal, & Parker, 2007). In contrast with the older theorizations, employees are currently perceived as active participants involved in their own adaptation processes (Chan & Schmitt, 2000; De Vos, De Clippeleer, & Dewilde, 2009). Proactive adaptation is described as newcomers playing an active role through demonstrating initiative in learning etc. Proactivity appears to be an element that is even more significant than the support received by new employees in an organization, such as, for example, feedback or advice provided by supervisors (Savickas, 1997). A question can be posed if and in what ways newcomers’ proactivity can be boosted. This work presents results of the Author’s own research works which analyze one of the plausible answers to the mentioned question, namely: through enhancing proactive coping. The study was carriedout in a sample of newly employed workers. It employed an intervention aimed at boosting proactive coping. The research work had two primary goals: firstly, to establish the role of proactive coping in taking actions aimed at finding employment and in the process of adapting to a new workplace that follows reemployment (adaptation results: well-being, role clarification and intention to change jobs), and secondly, to provide an answer to the question if proactive coping can be acquired through training. The first goal was pursued through two independent measurements carried out in the following samples: 1) unemployed people, 2) newly employed workers. The second aim was furthered by measurements conducted in the newcomers’ sample. An important aspect of the analysis was juxtaposing the employees on the basis of their status prior to entering a new organization (unemployed versus employedelsewhere). Due to the results of remaining unemployed, an assumption was made regarding differences in proactive coping between the considered groups. The main focus was on reemployed people, which forms a continuation of the job-seeking process that was analyzedon the grounds of a cross-sectional study carried out in a group of unemployed people.The presented work comprises two parts, namely: theoretical and methodological/empirical one. The theoretical part describes a selection of issues connected with the topic of proactive coping during job search and reemployment, which constitutes the theoretical framework for the Author’s research. This part comprises three chapters. The first one isc centered on the issue of reemployment. It provides readers with an introduction to the issue of unemployment,which remains a serious psychological and social problem, and on the phase of entering a new workplace. Unemployed people were herein portrayed as ones who take actions oriented towards finding employment. Several psychosocial factors accompanying such people’sreemployment were also identified. The adopted perspective that focuses not only on the job-seeking process, but also on the adaptation to a new workplace allows grasping both the success linked with starting a job and remaining in it for a longer period. The emphasis was placed on proactive coping both during job search and adapting to new vocational settings.Chapter two provides a description of proactivity and proactive coping based on the proactive coping theory (Schwarzer, 2000; Taubert, 1999). Proactivity was portrayed in a two-way manner – as an individual’s dispositional trait and as a contextual, changeable factor.Subsequently, the contextual approach to proactivity was highlighted as one allowing a possibility to influence it. When the role of proactive coping as a remedial strategy is considered, it is expected that greater skills at performing proactive coping actions can be acquired through certain activities, for example training.The main area of interest in this work is the ways of dealing with joblessness, i.e. job search behavior (Kanfer et al., 2001), as well as with adapting to a new workplace. Hence, the following third chapter is dedicated to the topic of proactive coping, both while being unemployed and during reemployment. It outlines the predictors of reemployment, namely: job search behavior and expectations towards future job, in relation to the met-unmet expectations theory (Irving & Montes, 2009; Porter & Steers, 1973; Wanous, Poland, Premack, & Davis, 1992). The theoretical part of the work is concluded with an outline of the possible outcomes of the process of coping to a new workplace such as job satisfaction and role clarification. The second part of the work includes a presentation of the Author’s own research results. This part comprises two chapters describing separate studies. The first chapter is embedded into the area of unemployment and focuses on actions connected with job search. The second chapter analyzes the process of adapting to a new workplace following reemployment. Primary emphasis is placed on the outcomes of work adaptation. It describes the research tenets and aims, questions and hypotheses formulated in line with the described research model as well as a description of the samples and measures. While the study of unemployed people was cross-sectional in nature, the one concerning reemployment was longitudinal and also employed an intervention. The intervention, designed by the Author, was aimed at enhancing proactive coping among newcomer employees. For both studies, the outcomes of proactive coping were identified, namely: the intensity of job-seeking actions and new workplace adaptation outcomes, including perceived well-being, role clarification and intention to change jobs. The presented results point to conclusions that are both theoretical and practical in nature. Firstly, the studies test the proactive coping theory in the context of coping with unemployment and reemployment. Regarding this field, the results indicate a salient role of proactive coping in unemployed people during job search andadapting to a new workplace. Secondly, the results portray relationships in a multi-aspect manner. Thirdly, the studies reach beyond the understanding of proactivity that limits it to being a relatively constant personal characteristic. The proposed training, aimed at increasingproactive coping through gathering available resources and enhancing one’s control, indicates a possibility to boost the level of coping proactivity. The results also point out a necessity to pay proper attention to the training methods used with regard to newcomers in order for these methods to be effective in fostering proactive coping. On that account, the result of these research works serve as a useful starting point for additional intervention programs, at the same time highlighting the issues that merit being incorporated while planning such interventions.

The folk musical culture of Śląsk Cieszyński with special reference to Beskid Śląski. The song folklore of Istebna, Koniaków and Jaworzynka – sources of the repertoire and their transformations

Ludowa kultura muzyczna Śląska Cieszyńskiego ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem Beskidu Śląskiego. Folklor pieśniowy Istebnej, Koniakowa i Jaworzynki – źródła repertuarowe a ich transformacje

Author(s): Magdalena Szyndler / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: folk musical culture of Śląsk Cieszyński; folk music; Beskid Śląski

The present monograph is a reflection of the author’s interests which were pursued for many years, which eventually resulted in the research in the musical folklore of Śląsk Cieszyński (especially in places located in its southern part i.e. Beskid Śląski – Istebna, Jaworzynka, Koniaków). It constitutes a natural continuation of previous explorations devoted to the vocal folklore of the Polish minority in Zaolzie (the part of Śląsk Cieszyński which today is a part of the Czech Republic). The purpose of the dissertation was to separate the present phase of the evolution of folk musical repertoire of the aforementioned area in the folklore – folklorism – folk perspective. Therefore the author’s idea had to do with a monographical treatment of the song repertoire in the genre-related and horizontal perspective (a musicological perspective and also an analysis according to the function and the content) and the establishment of its peculiar properties by conducting a comparative analysis of the early material (songbooks which were published since the end of the 19th century), the Zaolzie material and the material that was collected during the field research conducted in the years 2011–2015 in the Trójwsie area (Istebna, Jaworzynka, Koniaków – individual and group interviews). Moreover, the publication features descriptions of the transformations of source folklore – the folk and hybrid material. The author could not disregard the historical and political perspective (hence a chapter devoted to history), which exerted a decisiveinfluence upon the development of the changes and transformations of folk culture (and ofother types of culture as well). The last chapter contains the results of research in the familiarity of the children and young people from the schools of Śląsk Cieszyński (sixth-grade elementary school pupils and third-grade gimnazjum pupils) with the folk repertoire, which complement the present state and the functioning of musical folklore in the area that was discussed. A further merit of the work consists in the fact that until now no monograph devoted to a similar theme was published.

Art and its values

Sztuka i jej wartości

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak,English,Czech,Polish,Ukrainian

Keywords: art; values; music; painting; graphic arts; education

“The monograph Sztuka i jej wartości (Art and its values) presents both art and values in three well-integrated parts: theoretical considerations focused on art, a practical approach towards art – the way it personally affects one and the way it is experienced and created – and the process of broadly understood aesthetic education. . . . Talking about art, we come very close to issues connected with its individual branches, both traditional and modern. We can also look for the values it brings on various levels: in already completed works of art, in the creative act itself, in interpretation, and in the act of reception. This multifaceted presence of values in art is evidence of both its richness and the vast possibilities it offers, and points to the need to implement it in education.” From a review by Prof. Elżbieta Szubertowska.

The inter-instance proceedings in the course of court administrative proceedings

Postępowanie międzyinstancyjne w postępowaniu sądowoadministracyjnym

Author(s): Agnieszka Ziółkowska / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: the inter-instance proceedings; the course of court administrative proceedings; cassation complaint; complaint; vertical instances

The fundamental task of Polish court administrative proceedings is to protect law and order along with subjective rights of the individual. Upholding these principles involves structuring the court administrative procedure in such a way that it shall guarantee the praxeology (efficiency) of litigation while respecting basic procedural rights of a defendant or claimant/plaintiff (the parties in a case). To name a few of these rights: the right to trial in a court of law, the right to appeal, and the principle of two instances in administrative court proceedings. In this day and age, the time duration is one of the measures in evaluating the efficiency in operation of administrative courts, and so the lawmaker constantly aims at improving it, simultaneously respecting other constitutional and procedural principles while preserving the essence of the court administrative procedure, which sometimes entails relying on foreign legal solutions. The subject of this monograph are complex issues pertaining to the inter-instance proceedings in the course of court administrative proceedings understood herein as a stage of the appeal proceedings; the said stage consists of a series of formalised, ordered, deliberate, and non-uniform actions taken by the court and the parties in a case, upon which the process of optimising praxeology of the appeal proceedings is buttressed. The extent of the investigated subject matter encompasses not only strictly procedural questions, but also systemic (that is, those related to two-instance character of the proceedings) and material ones (related to litigation laws derivative of constitutional regulations). A starting point for detailed considerations herein, are the two following notions: the instance and the principle of instances. Both the terms, despite their frequent interchangeable use, are not synonymous. The former is connected with organisationalsystemic issues (particularly: consecutive stages of proceedings) and functional ones (the scope of competence), whereas the latter is processual, since it constitutes a mechanism that allows the state to guarantee correctness and justice of the adjudications in court proceedings. Both the instance and the principle of instances may take two forms: vertical or horizontal. Presently, in accordance with the corresponding constitutional regulation, court administrative proceedings in Poland shall have at least two stages, that is, involve courts of at least two instances. However, this model of legal proceedings has been developed over an extensive period of time and, in the opinions of some of its proponents, has a revolutionary character. The principle of instances performs multiple functions that manifest the objectives of court administrative proceedings, which are both legal (including correctional, stimulating, precedent-setting, unifying legal interpretation, signalling-didactic, and instruction-related) and extra-legal. Multiplicity of court instances may, but does not necessarily have to, translate into prolonged proceedings time. Crucial in this respect seems to be the choice by the lawmaker of a model of appellate remedies. The inter-instance proceedings in the course of court administrative proceedings are a dependent procedure, particularly dependent upon filing with the court an ordinary devolutive appellate remedy: cassation appeal and complaint. In addition, it is a kind of proceedings with relatively narrow regulatory borders (Articles 173‒179 of the Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts [LPA] and Articles 194‒196 LPA). The scope of actions taken during this stage of appellate proceedings is varied and, from the court’s perspective, includes: investigating the admissibility of a given appellate remedy, utilising self-control competences when there are premises provided by the law, rulings influencing the further course of appellate proceedings, giving decisions in incidental matters, and procedural-technical actions. In turn, from the perspective of the parties of a case, the actions taken may have direct or indirect influence on the course of proceedings. The former group of actions mostly serves to implement the postulate of praxeology in appellate court proceedings in the course of court administrative proceedings, and to relieve a court of second instance. Regulations pertaining to inter-instance proceedings in selected European states (Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic) point to the already shared legal solutions and, moreover, might be an inspiration for the Polish lawmaker within the scope of reform and amendments of the court administrative procedure in its part relating to interinstance proceedings in the course of court administrative proceedings, in order to make it more efficient. Based on comparative analysis, the contemporary Polish regulations seem to be relatively sufficient, yet require some minor changes.

The Silesian Moniuszko. Mythopoeic Moniuszko narratives in Upper Silesian culture. A sociological analysis of the activities of the Silesian Association of Choirs and Orchestras and the Silesian Opera in the second half of the 20th century

Śląski Moniuszko. Tom II: Mitotwórcze narracje moniuszkowskie w górnośląskiej kulturze. Socjologiczna analiza działalności Śląskiego Związku Chórów i Orkiestr oraz Opery Śląskiej w drugiej połowie XX wieku

Author(s): Maja Drzazga-Lech / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Polishness; Upper Silesianness; cultural identity; cultural artefact; symbol

The book which is devoted to the mythopoeic Moniuszko narratives featured in Upper Silesian culture is the second and the final volume of the publication entitled Silesian Moniuszko. The reception of the figure and the output of the composer in Upper Silesia. A sociological study, which is based in its entirety on the PhD dissertation of the author entitled The construction of national identity through music. The reception of the figure and the output of Stanisław Moniuszko in Upper Silesia in the 20th century. A sociological study, which was defended at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Silesia in 2015.The book presents the results of an analysis associated with the process of the assimilation of the figure and the selected works of Stanisław Moniuszko, approached to as a cultural artefact peculiar to the intersubjective space of Polish cultural identity, to the Upper Silesian culture. What is significant is the fact that along with the transformations of Upper Silesianness which occurred in the 20th century, and especially after the Second World War, also the content which was attributed by the activists of Silesian associated amateur circles of songsters and the creators of the reception of the stage works of the composer presented in Silesia to Stanisław Moniuszko changed. The post-war Upper Silesian reception of Moniuszko formed by the authors of press statements which described the activity of the Silesian amateur choirs and instrumental ensembles – the heirs to the Association of Silesian Circles of Singers – manifested features of double-track mythologisation. On the one hand, sometimes one ascribed to Moniuszko the role of a precursor of Polish socialism, which was consistent with the agenda of the socialist Polish state. On the other hand, one maintained the narrative which rendered the figure of the composer a symbol of the Polishness of Upper Silesia, created by the Association of Silesian Circles of Songsters in the inter-war period. A particularly interesting fact is that within the framework of the activities of this amateur musical association realised after 1989 one disseminated a new Moniuszko narrative – a narrative about the friend of the Silesian team of songsters. This is interpreted as an indicator of a change of the relation which gradually came into being between Silesian culture and the cultures of other nationalities which influenced Silesianness. In the modern documents signed by the Silesian Association of Choirs and Orchestras – the heir to the Association f Silesian Circles of Songsters – Silesianness is presented not only as a value but also as a subjective space, which contains references to other nationalities, including references to Polishness.An analysis of the reception of the figure of Stanisław Moniuszko and his stage works, especially his first opera, Halka, created on the basis of a narrative which refers, respectively to: the performances of Warsaw artists conducted by Emil Młynarski in the plebiscite area in 1920, the activities of the opera stage in Teatr Polski im. Stanisława Wyspiańskiego in Katowice in 1922–1931, guest performances of Moniuszko’s works in Teatr Polski in Katowice in 1932–1939, the activities of Opera Śląska in 1945–2010, also revealed that there is a Moniuszko narrative, peculiar to this region, which refers to the first opera of the composer – “the Silesian Halka”. Another interesting thing has to do with the evolution of the content ascribed to this opera by the creators of the instances of reception which refer to the particular performance of Moniuszko’s work staged in Opera Śląski in Bytom. On the one hand, one constantly mentions the events which constitute the “Silesian heritage” of this work, on the other hand, one ascribes to the author of this work the fulfilment of social roles, whose relevance is dictated by the context of reception: a national artist in Polish music, a precursor of Polish socialism or the creator of works of universal significance.