Humoreski, felietony, drobiazgi satyryczne – formy publicznego intelektualizmu Janusza Korczaka

Abstract

The purpose of this text is to draw attention to the intellectual and emotional potential of that part of Janusz Korczak’s work which is not often the subject of pedagogical analysis, namely the content of the columns and humorous sketches published in the satirical magazine Kolce. The addressees of this content were adults, which makes us realise that Korczak was a writer for everyone and addressed his “guidelines” to people of all ages. The text attempts to prove the thesis that Janusz Korczak was a public intellectual, and one of the instruments he used to provoke reflection and expose personal and systemic limitations was the comic strip, satire, and grotesque. Editorial forms – humorous columns – turn out to be an attractive means of criticising hypocritical morality and stimulating pedagogical reflection to this day. Although gelotological approaches are in the field of pedagogical interest, using its instruments in reading Janusz Korczak’s thoughts and messages, especially addressed to adults, requires in-depth analysis. It is one of the conditions for understanding the specificity of Korczak’s public pedagogy and applying it for the sake of the present and the future.