Italians in Poland, Poles in Italy 18th-21st centuries 3223-WPPW-OG

The lecture is aimed at those interested in international affairs: politics, culture, literature, and international relations over the last four centuries, with particular emphasis on Poland and Italy. The two countries share historical political, military, cultural, and literary links. The presentation of the great promoters of mutual understanding and rapprochement between Poles and Italians will follow a chronological sequence: beginning with the presence of Poles at Italian universities in the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance (Queen Bona and Italian artists during her reign) and the Enlightenment (the era of Stanisław August Poniatowski, including the role of Italians temporarily residing there: Casanova, Marcello Bacciarelli, Bernardo Bellotto, and other politicians and artists, including Polish political missions to Italy (Niemcewicz, Poniatowski—the king's nephew—and others), the multifaceted 19th century, and continuing through the present day.
The reflection on their role will proceed along two tracks: Italians in Poland and Poles in many Italian states and principalities (until 1861), as well as in the Kingdom of Italy (until 1946) and then in the Republic of Italy. The 19th century was not only about relations in the field of culture and literature, but also about a very important brotherhood in arms, i.e. military contacts (Garibaldi, Mierosławski, Langiewicz) and diplomatic contacts (contacts between Tommaseo, Mazzini and Mickiewicz, diplomacy after the January Uprising (Marco Minghetti). The next part of the lecture will discuss profiles, including political and military activities during World War I (the role of Michał Lityński) as well as the intensification of diplomatic contacts between Poland and Italy in the 1920s and 1930s (here the figure of Gian Galeazzo Ciano and Luciana Frassati will come to the fore, and in the field of culture and literature Enrico Damiani) as well as the Polish presence in Italy during World War II (General Anders). We will also highlight the role of such intellectuals and writers as Gustaw Herling-Grudziński and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz.
The period after 1989 is a new page in the history of Polish-Italian contacts, so the last part of the lecture series will be devoted mainly to diplomats, the presence of Polish cultural institutions in Italy (the role of those managing the Institutes of Polish Culture and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Warsaw and Krakow, the Accademia Polacca in Rome), as well as people who made particularly distinguished contributions to Polish-Italian contacts in the 21st century.

Term 2025L:

Mode

Remote learning

Prerequisites (description)

The lecture will outline the activities, over the centuries, of great figures from the worlds of politics, science, culture, art, and literature—both Poles and Italians—who have made a timeless contribution to the rapprochement and mutual understanding of both nations. Profiles of renowned politicians, military personnel, scientists, artists, and writers who have gone down in history in building intercultural and trans-civilizational bridges through the creation of monumental works of art, scientific works, and outstanding diplomatic activities in individual historical eras to the present day.

Course coordinators

Anna Tylusińska-Kowalska

Type of course

general courses

Learning outcomes

Knowledge:
- The student has structured, in-depth general knowledge, encompassing the terminology, theories, and methodology in the field of literary studies and culturology (K_W03)
- The student has structured, in-depth, detailed knowledge in the field of literary studies and culturology, leading to specialization (K_W04)
- The student knows and understands advanced methods of analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and problematization of various cultural products, specific to selected traditions, theories, or research schools in the field of literary studies and culturology (K_W07)
Skills:
- is able to search for, analyze, evaluate, select, and integrate information from various sources and formulate critical judgments based on this information in the field of literary studies and culturology (K_U01)
- is able to conduct critical analysis and interpretation of various types of cultural products using original approaches, taking into account new achievements in literary studies and culturology, in order to determine their meanings, social impact, and place in the historical and cultural process (K_U05)
- is able to formulate critical opinions about cultural products based on linguistic knowledge and experience, and is able to present critical studies in various forms and media (K_U07)
Social competences:
- is able to adequately identify and resolve dilemmas in interlingual communication caused by the asymmetry of language systems and cultural differences, within literary studies and culturology, as well as disciplines dealing with the cultural realities of countries where the languages are spoken (K_K04)

Assessment criteria

Grading is based on attendance (60% required) and the final test (60% correct answers required). Alternatively, students may submit a short paper on a designated topic and present it orally, including detailed references to the bibliography. Scoring criteria for the ongoing assessment:

Bibliography

Strzałka Krzysztof, Między przyjaźnią i wrogością. Z dziejów stosunków polsko-włoskich w latach 1939-1945, Kraków 2003
I rapporti tra Italia e Polonia nel corso della storia, Wyd. Ambasc. della Rep. di Polonia in Italia, Roma 2002
Czubiński, A. Europa XX w., Włochy a Polska Warszawa 2003
Piekarniak, A. Polsko-włoskie kontakty kulturalne w latach 1945-1980, Warszawa 2021
Zins H, Polska a Europa. Włoskie inspiracje w kulturze polskiej, Kraków 1992.
Gash Richard G., Grand Tour in European Context, Oxford 2001.
Łojek J., Polacy we Włoszech: Ślady obecności na przestrzeni wieków, Warszawa 1985.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3223-WPPW-OG in USOSweb