“A Conversation from a Specific Place”. On Fantazmaty skolonizowanych Polaków by Dariusz Skórczewski

Abstract

The article is a scientific review of Dariusz Skórczewski’s monograph Fantazmaty skolonizowanych Polaków (Fantasies of colonised Poles), which is an attempt at a critical reading of selected themes of Polish culture and literature from the last two hundred years in the context of the postcolonial theory. Skórczewski’s considerations – summarised and reflected upon in this review – cover an exceptional broad research material ranging from Polish romanticism and the works of Joseph Conrad, through analysis of women’s diaries, to the pop culture of the Polish People’s Republic and contemporary filmmaking by Wojciech Smarzowski. Following Skórczewski’s monograph, the reader looks into the possibilities of working out one’s own language for describing a local historical experience and its limitations which one may not always be aware of. The monograph closes with the postulate of Polish studies’ social responsibility which should transcend current disputes for the benefit of a critical reflection on the condition of the community. For the reviewer, the book becomes a reason to ask a number of questions which may open new research and teaching perspectives.