Academic Сelebration of the 190th Anniversary of Polish Philology at Lviv University

About 50 Polish researchers from Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic and Belarus took part in the academic conference “Polish Studies in the twenty-first century: between local and global”, dedicated to the 190th anniversary of Polish Philology at Lviv University.

Professor Alla Kravchuk, the Chairperson of the Department of Polish Philology, welcomed the participants of the conference.

Talking about the history of launching of the Department of Polish Philology at Lviv University, the Professor noted: “On April, 1, 2004, the Department of Polish Philology was launched at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. By that time, Polish Studies had developed in the framework of the activities of the Department of Slavic Philology. In fact, Polish traditions at Lviv University date back to November, 4, 1817, when Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria signed the order on the launching of the Department of History of the Polish Language and Literature at Lviv University. And since Mykola Mykhalevych has been appointed to the post of the Professor of the Department on January, 9, 1826, the first Polish Department at the University started functioning.”

According to Alla Kravchuk, later on other Departments were launched at the University: the Department of the History of Polish Literature (1903), the Department of the Polish Comparative Literature (1926). After the reorganization of the University in 1939 the only Polish Department was the Department of the History of Polish Literature, which existed until 1941 and then in the autumn of 1944 until June of 1946.

“At different times Polish Departments at Lviv University were headed by famous Polish historians of literature – Anthony Malecki, Roman Pilat, Piotr Chmielowski, Józef Kallenbach, Juliusz Kleiner, Wilhelm Bruchalski, Kazimierz Kolbuszewski etc. Consequently, a school of researchers of Polish literature was formed at Lviv Univesity. After World War II,  Polish Studies, as foreign Philology,  developed within the framework of Slavic Studies and the formation of Polish environment for half a century took place at the Department of Slavic Philology. On April, 1, 2004, a separate Department of Polish Philology was launched by division of the Department of Slavic Philology,” added Alla Kravchuk.

After the opening session of the conference, the participants continued working in plenary sessions, during which Ukrainian and Polish  researchers delivered the reports, placing greater focus on urgent issues of contemporary Polish Studies.

Colleagues from Poland Alicja Nagórko, Tadeusz Zgółka and Eva Zengel raised the issue of ethnolinguistic grounds of Polish didactics and the regional and social features of the modern Polish language in Ukraine. In addition, the researchers considered the Warsaw structuralism in the context of  Halina Kurkowska’s figure.

During the breakout sessions the issues on achievements of local Polish centres and the challenges facing them; the cooperation of the University’s Polish Studies with the school practice; contemporary horizons in linguistic, literary and cultural researches in the field of Polish Studies were discussed. In particular, the researchers discussed the issues related to the peculiarities of teaching Polish as a foreign language, the possibilities of using dictionaries and multi-media tools in this process; linguistic aspects of etiquette, stereotype; errors in the speech of learners of the Polish language. They stressed the importance of the development of Polish-Ukrainian literary contacts and held comparative parallels between Polish and Ukrainian literature of the XXI century.

In the framework of the academic conference “Polish Studies in the twenty-first century: between local and global” a meeting “I Polonistyczna Biesiada” was held, where teachers of the Polish language had the opportunity to deliver the speech before academics of University Departments.

It is to be recalled that the conference was held with the support of Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv on the initiative of the Department of Polish Philology of Lviv University.