Discussions on the social roles of modern Clio in the reception of polish historiography

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the existence in modern Polish historiography of a constant interest in the problem of reducing the social impact of professional historiography in the modern world, and in Poland in particular, and to characterize the main approaches formulated by Polish historians.

The research methodology is based on the methods of historiographical analysis and synthesis, as well as historiographical comparative studies.

The scientific novelty is that, for the first time, the question of the Polish reception of the international discussion on the social role of historiography is analyzed. It has been found that over the last two decades or so, many Polish scholars have debated this issue and off ered a variety of answers to overcome the growing alienation between academic historiography and social reality. It is shown that the use of Western historical thought has a signifi cant impact on the formulation of research ideas and proposals of Polish colleagues. At the same time, Polish historians rely on the actual Polish social and intellectual context, and their conclusions are mostly original and not overloaded with intellectual borrowings.

Conclusions. In recent decades, part of the Polish historians’ community has been thinking more and more about professional history, which is becoming less and less needed by society to restore lost positions and preserve its place in the intellectual and social life of the country. In order to increase public confidence in their profession, Polish historians are looking for ways to make historical knowledge more meaningful for the present and the future, for solving pressing problems, and for social progress. In this sense, it is oft en suggested either direct ideological support of certain social groups, processes, or phenomena (affi rmative history), or closer interaction of historians with amateurs and enthusiasts of history, and an alliance between professional and non-academic ways of presenting the past (digital history, public history), or more active use of cognitive resources embedded in professional historical knowledge (traditional academic historiography).