2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Olga Tokarczuk's Poetic Anthropology: Spheres and Intertexts
| Project/Area Number |
22K00480
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| Research Institution | University of Tsukuba |
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Principal Investigator |
ヘーゼルハウス ヘラト 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 准教授 (40375382)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Keywords | Olga Tokarczuk / Polish Literature / Poetic Anthropology / Spherology |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Because of the continuous adverse influence of the pandemic and of the new problems of war refugees in Poland, I thought it unproductive to travel there in 2022. Therefore, I needed to exchange the research topic of the first year (2022) with that of the second year (2023). This means, I focused in 2022 on research and analysis of the novel “Prowadz” and its intertextual relationship with H. Jonas’ two lengthy theses on ecological ethics (“The Principle of Life” and “The Principle of Responsibility”). A long research trip to Germany allowed me (according to plan) to deeply investigate Jonas’ theory and I could clarify the connections between his works and Olga Tokarczuk's novel. I made enormous progress in the understanding of Jonas’ philosophical theory of ecological ethics and in particular of his quite opaque concept of metabolism. I also investigated various concepts of “immunity" and "community” in the theories of other philosophers (as planned) in relationship with the novel. In addition to the planned objects to be analyzed, a second fieldtrip, I paid privately, on alternative spheric conceptualizations in popular world pictures present in Europe and Poland helped me realize the spheric dimension of emotions and how Tokarczuk is using them. I disseminated my research results partly directly in various classes on Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. levels. I also presented parts of my insights in a conference lecture and in a paper, presently in print.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
In response to adversary continued pandemic and new refugee effects on Poland in 2022 which made a successful research trip unlikely, I quickly changed the order of research year topics mentioned above. Thus, I could basically keep the level of progress. In 2023, I will still need to contemplate the philosophical concepts of metabolism and immunity/community and the extent of their impact on Tokarczuk, but both were expected because of their philosophical complexity. Furthermore, this new research topic (Polish literature) partly demands a change in presentation venues and journals for publication on my behalf. I will continue to spend time in finding those.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
There will be no change in the overall research scheme as it was developed at the time of application, just the necessary replacement of the annual research plan of 2023 with 2022. This means that in 2023 I will focus on the novel “Prawiek” and Hans Jonas’ conceptualization of “Gnosis”. I have already secured one national and two international conference presentations for 2023. I am planning to publish papers based on these presentations in 2023. I will continue to try and find alternative national and international venues for presentations suited for the special topic of this research. I am also planning research trips to Germany and Poland and an opportunity to interview the author Olga Tokarczuk herself.
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| Causes of Carryover |
I will use the money for two research trips in 2023 (as planned), one to Germany for research on Hans Jonas' "Gnosis", and one for research and an interview with the author Olga Tokarczuk in Poland. With the price-rise in air fares this will cost a lot of money.
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Research Products
(4 results)
