The article is based on a thorough reading of one of the latest anthropological contributions to the study of demographic behavior and a demographic change. Reviewing the essays contained in the book is a springboard for exploration of the nature of a presumed "epistemological crisis" within demography and the possible refreshment of the discipline that might have come from anthropological theories and methodologies. By doing so, the examples of anthropological reformulations of the fundamental demographic concepts, presumptions and methods are presented, and the benefits and pitfalls of the liaison between anthropology and demography are discussed.
The Author of this review presents the newest book by Maciej Dymkowski on historical psychology. Paweł Jednacz recognizes historical psychology as a new discipline in Poland and he discusses its value from this point of view. The reviewer emphasises introductory character of the book. He pays special attention to Dymkowski's opinion on interrelations between history and psychology, as well as on the craft of a historian and psychologist. Jednacz agrees with the criticism expressed by the author towards psychohistory. He concludes that Dymkowski's work can be used as a textbook of historical psychology, at least until a new dissertation which will show more achievements, research tasks and methods in a fuller and wide-ranging way appears in print.
The Author discusses a book "The Robin G. Collingood s philosophy of History" by Witold M. Nowak. He considers it as well done monographic picture of Collingwood's thinking. Nowak regards the philosophy of history of famous English thinker as a hermeneutical philosophy rather than philosophy of history itself including such basic ideas essential for the understanding of his philosophy like theory ofquestioning and answering, the method of the re-enactment, the concept of the absolute conditions. The book written by Nowak provides also to the Polish readers many precious biographical data and an interesting analysis of the cultural context ofColingwoodian thinking. It pays special attention to the late period of his work and its meaning.
The Author discussed in his article the problem of ethic foundations of promoters of psychohistory. He, argues that psychotherapeutic inclinations of scholars resulted in the alienation of this approach within historical sciences, what - in the end - did not prevent psychohistorians from becoming active outside the closed circle of the discipline.
In this article Author discusses the problem of false interpretations of the earliest history of the Slavic people undertaken by Polish 19th century historians. He also analyses the attitude of various historians towards their colleagues' forgeries.
In her article the Author follows the gradual change in Feliks Koneczny's approach to history and its understanding. Feliks Koneczny, a Polish historian from the turn of I 9th/20th centuries, started as a professional historian, to include philosophical reflections in his works and end with a work devoted to moral issues.
In the article the Author discusses the problem of works devoted to the January Uprising of 1863, prepared by Polish historians for the 50th anniversary of the event. She asks what was the character of the various publications printed on consecutive anniversaries of the uprising, and - more broadly - what were the social functions of these texts. Answering the question. Author claims that these publications had social role going far beyond the traditional, scientific function of a typical historic text
In the article the Author presents the typology of alternative history and un its light he characterises the historical writings of Jerzy Łojek, in particular his approach towards history of November Uprising, 1830-1831.
Ewa Borzęcka's film Arizona presents contemporary life in a post-collectivised village. This film is an excuse for the author to wander into world of audio-visual historical narrative and the ethic implications of it.
The article deals with the problem of the national consciousness of Polish peasants in the Congress Kingdom of Poland in the 19th century. Author's analysis is based on historical research carried out in the last century.
The article presents Polish historians and their work in the times of the Saxon kings of Poland. In particular the Author seeks an answer to the problem what was accepted and what the Polish authors of the first part of the 18th century condemned.
In his article Author analyses two different approaches to Polish philosophy of the second half of the 19th century represented by Tadeusz Kroński and Andrzej Walicki.
On the base of Emil Cioran's philosophical concepts, the Author undertakes an attampt to interpret the ethic and intellectual tensions between the traditional and Enlightenment ideas of Polish eighteenth century thinkers: Hugo Kołłątaj, Stanislaw Staszic, Jan Śniadecki and Tadeusz Czacki.
The article is devoted to a book by David lnving. Goebbels. Mózg Trzeciej Rzeszy (Goebbels, Brain of the Third Reich) published in the Polish translation in 1998.
The paper On the Psychohistory as a Historiographical Paradigm reviews a book by Tomasz Pawelec: History and the Unconsciousness. Theoretical Premises and Research Practice of Psychohistory, Katowice 2004. The book includes both the reconstruction of the theoretical and methodological assumptions shared by psychohistorians based on the psychoanalysis or the neofreudian conceptions and the characteristics of their actual studies of the history. The psychohistory is presented by T. Pawelec as a vivid and constantly changing paradigm in historiography of 20th century. His book is recommended to psychologists interested in the psychoanalysis and, even more strongly, to historian.
The presented article is a review of the book Spór o prawa dziejowe: kontrowersje wokół Henry'ego Thomasa Buckle'a w Polsce w dobie pozytywizmu (Debate Over the Laws of History: Controversy Concerning Henry Thomas Buckle's Views in Poland in the Age of Positivism) by the late Andrzej Grabski. The book, published after Grabski's death by his students is an important analysis of Thomas Henry Buckle's views and their reception in Poland and abroad.
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