Books by Jan J . Blonski
Jak opowieści wpływają na życie społeczności? Jak kształtują naszą tożsamość i kulturę? Badana le... more Jak opowieści wpływają na życie społeczności? Jak kształtują naszą tożsamość i kulturę? Badana legenda pojawia się w czasie powstania Chmielnickiego wielokrotnie, choć jej poszczególne wersje mogły nieco się różnić: gdy po rozpoczęciu powstania Kozacy pod wodzą Bohdana Chmielnickiego ruszyli na Warszawę, po drodze oblegali i plądrowali napotkane miasta, takie jak Drohobycz. Nie zawsze jednak im się to udawało – Lwów, Lublin, klasztor w Sokalu czy kapliczka w Krasnobrodzie zostały cudownie ocalone dzięki nadprzyrodzonej interwencji. Praca, w której za punkt wyjścia przyjęto interpretację zjawiska powtarzających się i podobnych objawień, poświęcona jest analizie przekazów o cudownych ocaleniach miast – na ile można im wierzyć? jak się rozwijały? komu i czemu służyły? Szukano w nich pocieszenia, budowano za ich pomocą ideologię władzy i kształtowano lokalne tożsamości. Dzięki wykorzystaniu narzędzi z pogranicza antropologii i historii można zauważyć, jak opowieści poprzez ucieleśnienie ich w rytuałach religijnych wpływały na pamięć zbiorową i formowały ogląd rzeczywistości. Książka jest próbą odpowiedzi na pytanie o genezę ogólnopolskiego kultu maryjnego i dynamikę staropolskich relacji społecznych.
Papers by Jan J . Blonski
Praktyka Teoretyczna 53 (3), 2024
In the early modern period, landowners, primarily the nobility and clergy, secured exclusive righ... more In the early modern period, landowners, primarily the nobility and clergy, secured exclusive rights to produce and sell alcohol, making the so-called propination monopoly a highly lucrative income source. Being distorted in historiography, propination is now surrounded by myths. This article aims to unravel the global configurations that led to the development of the monopoly and its significance in the early modern period, laying the groundwork for a more nuanced interpretation. Revisiting debates on grain export, the evolution of the manorial-corvée economy, and shifts in global consumption patterns, the paper reframes these discussions to assess the economic impact of the propination and discern economic changes deviating from states transforming faster into emerging capitalist systems. Moreover, the article briefly explores how the examination of propination and analogous phenomena can enrich discussions on micro and global history methods.
PRZEGLĄD HISTORYCZNY, TOM CXIII, 2022, ZESZ. 2, ISSN 0 033-2186, 2022
In the article, I review and discuss recent books on people’s history of Poland. The first part i... more In the article, I review and discuss recent books on people’s history of Poland. The first part is a classic review of the books Ludowa historia Polski [A People’s History of Poland] by Adam Leszczyński, Chamstwo by Kacper Pobłocki and Siła podporządkowanych [The Power of the Subjugated] by Michał Rauszer. I draw attention, among others, to the one-sidedness of the narrative (a dichotomous division of society, focus on the violence and its continuity), interpretations that are not supported by the arguments and sources presented (strzygoń, the vampire from Slavic folklore), and to the lack of a global perspective. While in the first part the discussion is on the level of content, in the second part the key concepts, ideas, and assumptions behind the writing of people’s histories are considered — how and for whom such histories should be communicated, what is their purpose. Following Walter Benjamin and Mark Fisher, I propose that people’s history should open up the past and remind us that alternatives to the dominant system were and are possible.
Okno na przeszłość. Szkice z historii wizualnej, t. 4, red. D. Skotarczak i J. Szymala, 2022
Abstract. „Us, Catholics, We Worship Holy Images”: On the Old Polish Cult of Images in the Light ... more Abstract. „Us, Catholics, We Worship Holy Images”: On the Old Polish Cult of Images in the Light of the Tradition of Miraculous Salvations of South-Eastern Polish Cities During the Khmelnytsky
Uprising Iconolatry had for centuries spread controversies among Christian communities. Nevertheless, in the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, adoration of images became one of the most common forms of popular and official religion. The article starts with a confrontation of modern anthropological theories (Tokarska-Bakir, Gadamer) with early modern sources to examine the ontological status of holy images and their relation to what they represented. The next part focuses on the origin myths of paintings coming from South-Eastern Poland that emerged or gained popularity during the Khmelnytsky uprising (1648-1654). Elaborating on these legends, I investigate the “invention of tradition” (Hobsbawm, Ranger) and the way in which the supernatural causes gradually replaced more prosaic ones. In the last part, I indicate the possible functions of iconolatry and its role in early modern society.
Historie - Otazky - Problemy , 2019
I will present sources, inspirations, and possible precedents for the coffin portrait, then its c... more I will present sources, inspirations, and possible precedents for the coffin portrait, then its characteristics, role in the funeral ceremony and, finally, its modern reception and hanging place in Polish culture. It developed when the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the most powerful states in early modern Europe and shared its fate.
Meluzyna: Dawna literatura i kultura, 2018
In this paper I present Jacek Liberiusz’s sermons and his preaching about the last things (death,... more In this paper I present Jacek Liberiusz’s sermons and his preaching about the last things (death, last judgment, heaven, hell and purgatory) and the cult of St. Mary. I juxtapose them with the Jean Delumeau’s thesis about the common fear caused by wars, plagues and church’s teaching. Tremendal elements can hardly be found in Liberiusz sermon’s. On the contrary – worldly atrocities or God’s wrath are being mitigated by the infinite mercy and goodness of Virgin Mary. She seems to be the central figure of the cult, even more important than Jesus himself which is characteristic for 17th century polish piety. Sermons by Liberiusz may be an example of more complex and diversed reactions to surrounding cruelty. These atrocities were not necessary replicated in religion, but also in the contact with God people looked for a consolation.
Po nitce do kłębka. Triumf rozumu., 2018
Conference Presentations by Jan J . Blonski
In the introduction to the influential collection of articles "The Transmission of Culture in Ear... more In the introduction to the influential collection of articles "The Transmission of Culture in Early Modern Europe" (1990), Anthony Grafton posited that ‘transmission will never replace creation in the historian’s romantic heart.’ However, the rapid rise of post-colonial and global history has put this tenet in question. The concept of transmission has recently been applied by many contemporary historians to consider the fluidity of early modern culture. Sanjay Subrahmanyam’s Connected Histories: Notes Towards a Reconfiguration of Early Modern Eurasia (1997) made apparent the global dimension of early modern cultural interconnections. Recently, Zoltán Biedermann, while reflecting on Subrahmanyam’s work, embraced the concept of ‘connected histories’ but also reminded us that global disconnections exist and need to be discussed. According to Biedermann, the major task of current global historians is to investigate how the early modern world was connected and how it was disconnected and why.
With this in mind, the proposed conference sets out to examine social infrastructures and transfer mechanisms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1569 and 1795. A key concept for the conference is Giovanna Brogi Bercoff’s ‘polymorphism,’ or the multilayeredness, variability, and susceptibility of cultures to assimilative influences from the outside. The conference examines Polish-Lithuanian culture from the perspective of fluid communicative networks that linked the Commonwealth to the global world. It considers the adaptivity of external innovations to local needs and the exportation of local innovations beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. We invite submissions that will problematize the means, configurations, parameters, and limitations of cultural transmission that played out within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Teaching Documents by Jan J . Blonski
Syllabus for a seminar within the EUI Widening Programme
Antonina Kaweńska, uczennica I LO w Rzeszowie: W debatach ciekawe jest występowanie po stronie pr... more Antonina Kaweńska, uczennica I LO w Rzeszowie: W debatach ciekawe jest występowanie po stronie przeciwnej swoim poglądom. Dzięki temu nauczyłam się, że nawet ugruntowane spojrzenie na świat może się zmienić poprzez odwrócenie punktu widzenia. Marcin Skobrtal, nauczyciel II LO w Wałbrzychu: Debatowanie buduje drużynę, pozwala nawiązać przyjaźnie, zżyć się, łączy uczniów o podobnych zainteresowaniach z różnych roczników, tworząc wielką debatancką rodzinę. Weronika Mazur, uczennica ZSP w Kaliszu Pomorskim: Udział w debatach to doskonałe przygotowanie do matury ustnej. Po takim doświadczeniu łatwiej jest przedstawiać argumenty na dany temat-zebrać swoje myśli i sprawnie ubrać je w słowa.
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Books by Jan J . Blonski
Papers by Jan J . Blonski
Uprising Iconolatry had for centuries spread controversies among Christian communities. Nevertheless, in the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, adoration of images became one of the most common forms of popular and official religion. The article starts with a confrontation of modern anthropological theories (Tokarska-Bakir, Gadamer) with early modern sources to examine the ontological status of holy images and their relation to what they represented. The next part focuses on the origin myths of paintings coming from South-Eastern Poland that emerged or gained popularity during the Khmelnytsky uprising (1648-1654). Elaborating on these legends, I investigate the “invention of tradition” (Hobsbawm, Ranger) and the way in which the supernatural causes gradually replaced more prosaic ones. In the last part, I indicate the possible functions of iconolatry and its role in early modern society.
Conference Presentations by Jan J . Blonski
With this in mind, the proposed conference sets out to examine social infrastructures and transfer mechanisms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1569 and 1795. A key concept for the conference is Giovanna Brogi Bercoff’s ‘polymorphism,’ or the multilayeredness, variability, and susceptibility of cultures to assimilative influences from the outside. The conference examines Polish-Lithuanian culture from the perspective of fluid communicative networks that linked the Commonwealth to the global world. It considers the adaptivity of external innovations to local needs and the exportation of local innovations beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. We invite submissions that will problematize the means, configurations, parameters, and limitations of cultural transmission that played out within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Teaching Documents by Jan J . Blonski
Uprising Iconolatry had for centuries spread controversies among Christian communities. Nevertheless, in the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, adoration of images became one of the most common forms of popular and official religion. The article starts with a confrontation of modern anthropological theories (Tokarska-Bakir, Gadamer) with early modern sources to examine the ontological status of holy images and their relation to what they represented. The next part focuses on the origin myths of paintings coming from South-Eastern Poland that emerged or gained popularity during the Khmelnytsky uprising (1648-1654). Elaborating on these legends, I investigate the “invention of tradition” (Hobsbawm, Ranger) and the way in which the supernatural causes gradually replaced more prosaic ones. In the last part, I indicate the possible functions of iconolatry and its role in early modern society.
With this in mind, the proposed conference sets out to examine social infrastructures and transfer mechanisms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1569 and 1795. A key concept for the conference is Giovanna Brogi Bercoff’s ‘polymorphism,’ or the multilayeredness, variability, and susceptibility of cultures to assimilative influences from the outside. The conference examines Polish-Lithuanian culture from the perspective of fluid communicative networks that linked the Commonwealth to the global world. It considers the adaptivity of external innovations to local needs and the exportation of local innovations beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. We invite submissions that will problematize the means, configurations, parameters, and limitations of cultural transmission that played out within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth