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Title
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Summary of articles / Polska Sztuka Ludowa - Konteksty 1990 t.44 z.2
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Description
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Polska Sztuka Ludowa - Konteksty 1990 t.44 z.2, s.63-64
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Date
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1990
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Format
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application/pdf
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Identifier
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oai:cyfrowaetnografia.pl:2109
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Language
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pol.
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Publisher
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Polski Instytut Sztuki
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Relation
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oai:cyfrowaetnografia.pl:publication:2273
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Text
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SUMMARY
Zbigniew
R a s z e w s k i , INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY
OF J O K E
OF
ARTICLES
t h r o u g h s h o w i n g its absurdity or surreality. T h u s t h e h a p p e n i n g
manifestations w h i l e b e i n g
peaceful and, in respect of
the
The t e r m " k a w a ł " (joke) is n o t semantically related t o t h e terms
p r o p a g a n d a slogans, olften neutral or even in f a v o u r of t h e
" w i t t i c i s m " , " a n e c d o t e " being more like t h e German " W i t z " , It is
g o v e r m e n t (the previous o n e of c o u r s e ) , w e r e at t h e same t i m e
in t h i s c o u n t r y a sort of story, based o n a f i c t i o n a l event, spread
significant political events. T h e y became a ludistic, specifically
almost exclusively b y w o r d o f m o c h , a n d it appeared in the Polish
Polish t y p e o f reaction t o t h e regime reality. T h e m o v e m e n t
language relatively late, the early dictionaries d o n o t define it in
spread over m a n y t o w n s t h r o u g h o u t Poland.
this m e a n i n g . A n d t h o u g h it does have literary c o n n o t a t i o n s ,
despite its great p o p u l a r i t y it has not been given a proper s t u d y
yet. In recent years t h e y have been c r o p p i n g u p extensively,
especially in Slav c o u n t r i e s w h i c h the author explains by t h e great
s i g n i f i c a n c e of social c o n v e r s a t i o n s in these countries. They are
a n d have been usually local ( p r o d u c e d mainly in W a r s a w ) , b u t
some of t h e m " i m p o r t e d " as w e l l ( m a i n l y f r o m the East, e.g. t h e
jokes of Radio Erivan). By their very nature t h e y are a n o n y m o u s ,
a l t h o u g h m a n y of t h e m have been attributed, q u i t e rightly, t o
people of the literary circles. They q u i c k l y cease b e i n g t o p i c a l ,
t h o u g h t h e y also t e n d t o adapt themselves t o n e w circumstances.
In general terms t h e y may be d i v i d e d i n t o the entertainment a n d
e n g a g e d ( p o l i t i c a l ) ones. T h e latter w e r e a sort of p o l e m i c s at t h e
t i m e w h e n "all t h e newspapers w e r e u n a n i m f l u s " . The text w a s
w r i t t e n in 1 9 6 6 b u t t h e n it w a s n o t d e s i g n e d for p u b l i c a t i o n .
Aleksander
J a c k o w s k i , T H E F O L K - L O R E OF C O N T E S
TATION
P i o t r K o w a l s k i , S C R I B O ET D E C O R O ERGO S U M . S O M E
R E M A R K S O N T H E M E A N I N G OF T H E T O W N G R A F F I T I
The fresh w a l l s in a h o u s i n g - e s t a t e , covered w i t h graffiti, gave
t h e author the idea t o s t u d y these d r a w i n g s a n d w r i t i n g s . He
assumes t h e a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l p o i n t of v i e w a n d tries t o discover
their f u n c t i o n . The main o n e , in his o p i n i o n , is t o make t h e w o r l d
familiar, a safe place t o exist in. B y m a k i n g it familiar t h e y also
a t t e m p t t o make it leas f o r b i d d i n g . S u c h a f o r b i d d i n g place m a y
be b o t h a forest a n d a n e w h o u s i n g - e s t a t e w i t h its official
inscriptions, orders and a n n o u n c e m e n t s . T h u s t h e space covered
b y graffiti assumes a sense, becomes an a n t h r o p o c o s m o s . There
is a value attached t o t h e m . So for instance the obscene
inscriptions by s a y i n g amore profano may signify t h e d e f e n c e
( t a b u ) of the amore sacro. A n d always t h e y are a c o n f i r m a t i o n of
one's o w n existence, hence it m a y be said t h a t t h e y are not
a n o n y m o u s after all, since w h a t stands b e h i n d t h e m is always: I,
w e in o p p o s i t i o n t o - t h e m .
The author points t o some of f o l k - l o r e ' s very s i g n i f a n t features.
These are: f u n c t i o n a l i s m , universality, a n o n y m i t y , direct delivery
f r o m m e m o r y , c o n e c i o u s c u l t i v a t i o n of its o w n identity. One of
t h e essential characteristics of the c o n t e s t a t i o n f o l k - l o r e
(the
W o j c i e c h M i s z c z u k , " W E ' R E S O R R Y FOR B E I N G S O R R Y "
A report o n t h e alternative m o v e m e n t in C r a c o w o n A p r i l t h e
3rd 1 9 8 9 .
political o n e ) is its b e i n g in o p p o s i t i o n . T h e author stresses t h e
fact that the ludistic b e h a v i o u r - p o l i t i c a l jokes made f u n of a n d
Jacek Olędzki,
CONSOLATION
depreciated t h e enemy, o c c u p a n t , persecutor - helped in a w a y t o
endure t h e hard times. T h e article c o n t a i n s also a considerable
a m o u n t of material, i n c l u d i n g political jokes p u b l i s h e d in t h e
Russian " L i t e r a t u r n a j a G a z e t a " , as w e l l as items d a t i n g f r o m t h e
past years.
W a l d e m a r Ł y s i a k , THE POLITICAL FOLK-LORE
" T h e political f o l k - l o r e " is just the folkloristic area w h i c h is
m o s t sensitive t o political, e c o n o m i c a n d social events. It is
created b y t h o u s e of t h e m w h i c h are in t h e p o p u l a r feeling
extraordinary, unusual. These m a y be alarming events w h i c h at
t h e same time arouse some hope in society a n d therefore attract
a t t e n t i o n . A l o n g w i t h t h e texts of f o l k o r i g i n there are also those
w r i t t e n by particular a u t h o r s . B y b e c o m i n g f o l k l o r i z e d , that is
T h e article is o n a specific creation w h i c h came i n t o b e i n g in t h e
last years in Poland ( u n d e r t h e martial l a w first of a l l ) . Walls came
t o be covered w i t h all sorts of slogans a n d e m b l e m s of " S o l i d a r i
t y " , a l w a y s hastily covered w i t h paint. A n d just t h i s k i n d of
d a u b i n g called " t h e Polish g r a f f i t i " , is t h e object of the a u t h o r ' s
study. It is d o n e in a n u m b e r of w a y s : t h e graffiti are f r e q u e n t l y n o t
covered w i t h a o n e - c o l o u r rectangle patch b u t t r a n s f o r m e d b y
particular ludistic a d d i t i o n s . T h e a u t h o r seeks an affinity of this
k i n d of p a i n t i n g t o t h e c u s t o m of p a i n t i n g w i n d o w - f r a m e s a n d
p r o d u c i n g h u m a n - l i k e figures, the so called " k r a c o k i " , in t h e
houses of marriageable maids. The g e o g r a p h i c a l d i s p o s i t i o n of
these p a i n t i n g s in W a r s a w a n d their seasonal appearance, t h e y
t o o y i n t h e a u t h o r ' s o p i n i o n , indicate their plebeian o r i g i n .
losing their a u t h o r s h i p a n d b e c o m i n g society's o w n e r s h i p , t h e y
are w e l l - k o n w in all social classes. A n d yet t h e y d o retain,
Krzysztof
because of their political c o n t e n t , t h e necessity of a n o n y m i t y d u e
OURS"
t o their political c o n t e n t , t h e necessity of a n o n y m i t y d u e t o their
conspiratorial existence.
S a b a k . " T H E SOFS A R E Y O U R S , T H E W A L L S
T h e a u t h o r deals w i t h a n e w p h e n o m e n o n w h i c h since t h e
m i d - e i g h t i e s c a n be seen o n W a r s a w ' s walls. These are spray-
The Polish f o l k - l o r e after 1 9 4 4 has been referring t o almost
- m a d e daubs. Those y o u n g s t e r s w h o make t h e m ( o f the 1 5 - 1 8
e v e r y t h i n g that has been g o i n g o n in Polish society in its historical
years of age) m a y be d i v i d e d mainly into t w o g r o u p s : those
d e v e l o p m e n t . It has never been officially s t u d i e d or p u b l i s h e d .
c o n n e c t e d w i t h the e c o l o g i c a l m o v e m e n t a n d the s k a t e - b o a r -
This particular text, w h i l e o n l y t o u c h i n g u p o n t h i s p h e n o m e n o n ,
dists. T h e d r a w i n g are m o s t l y copies f r o m f o r e i g n magazines
is o n e of t h e f e w attempts t o s t u d y it in the Polish science.
( U S A ) , y o u t h u n o f f i c i a l journals
("fantazinas")
a n d are o c
casionally an original p r o d u c t of their a u t h o r s .
Akos
Engelmayer,
"WE DEMAND
DISTORTIONS
WIT
H O U T S O C I A L I S M ! " H I S T O R Y OF T H E O R A N G E A L T E R
Czesław
N A T I V E , i.e. O N T H E S O C I A L I S T S U R R E A L I S M
FOLK-LORE (1982)
Robotycki,
THE A R T A VISTA. THE
STRIKE
The alternative m o v e m e n t w a s initiated b y a series of hap
The article is an a t t e m p t at an e t h n o l o g i c a l analysis of t h e strike
p e n i n g s held in W r o c ł a w a n d called " T h e Orange A l t e r n a t i v e " .
as a specific artistic-cultural p h e n o m e n . The material o n w h i c h
The f o u n d e r of t h e m o v e m e n t w a s W a l d e m a r Frydrych, " M a j o r " .
the analysis is based has been p r o v i d e d by t h e Gdańsk S h i p y a r d
T h e a c t i o n s organized by h i m in the city's central places, referred
in 1 9 8 0 . By e t h n o l o g y t h e a u t h o r s means a science c o n c e r n e d
t o the paradoxes of our p r e s e n t - d a y reality. They often made use
w i t h t h e processes t a k i n g place w i t h i n a culture, a science
of the w o o d e n Stats language w h i c h t h e y t r a n s f o r m e d or placed
" p r o w l i n g in t h e b o r f d e l a n d s of other s c i e n c e s " . T h e title " T h e Art
in a n e w c o n t e x t a c h i e v i n g thereby a paradoxically n e w s i t u a t i o n
a V i s t a " suggests the s p o n t a n e i t y of the artistic creation w h i c h
a n d d i d it n o t so m u c h t h r o u g h t h e n e g a t i o n of t h e o l d situation as
a c o o m p a n i e d t h e strike a n d w a s a reaction t o t h e official culture,
63
I
a creation t h a t w a s folklorized and kept in a carnival spirit. The
protests w e r e marked by three main motives: t h e
t h e army servicemen he d i s t i n g u i s h e s three levels at w h i c h t h e
national-
i n i t i a t i o n is t a k i n g place. A t t h e social level t h e w h o l e service in
- p a t r i o t i c , c h u r c h - r e l i g i o u s a n d t h e f o l k one. This art manifested
t h e army is treated as an initiation. In t h e army itself t h e initiation
itself in graffiti, g r a p h i c arts, political p o e m s ( i n c l u d i n g p a r a p h
is related t o t w o spheres, t h e official a n d unofficial structure of t h e
rases of t h e r o m a n t i c poetry, analysed by M . J a n i o n ) , ballads a n d
service.
cabaret songs.
In prisons there are t w o types of initiation: t h e first c o n c e r n s all
the inmates, t h e s e c o n d
J e r z y S z c z e p k o w s k i , I N I T I A T I O N I N T H E A R M Y A N D IN
JAIL
The a u t h o r uses in his interpretation t h e t h e o r y of c u s t o m s by A.
van G e n n e p d e v e l o p e d s u b s e q u e n t l y b y L. S t o m m s . As regards
64
has t o d o w i t h the initiation
into
a superior g r o u p of those w h o call themselves " m e n " (an a n a l o g y
w i t h primitive c o m m u n i t i e s in w h i c h t h e tribe's name means also
" p e o p l e " , " m e n " ) ; t h e y are separated f r o m t h e rest of t h e inmates
a n d f o r m a hierarchical g r o u p g o v e r n e d by its o w n ethics.
