Komparatystyka na rozdrożu?

The author of the article attempts to present the situation of comparative studies as a field of research and a way of thinking about the contemporary world on the basis of the analyses presented in Comparative Literature at a Crossroads? in the monographic issue of “Comparative Studies” 2006. Much attention is paid to the phenomenon of the crisis of comparative studies connected with a noticeable reluctance towards great theoretical models shared by many researchers, the extensiveness of the topic area and resulting methodological problems but also the fact that comparatists abandon the studies of other languages. This results in a need of searching for a satisfactory definition of this field of study, its scope of research and applicable research methods. Among the specific issues raised in the article there is, e.g. the case of world literature seen in the context of the classical contradiction between cultural hegemony and cultural pluralism. Moreover, an interesting review of the picture of the Polish culture from the perspective of postcolonial theories and intracultural differences is presented.

IInformacyjne wspomaganie oświaty

In view of a constant growth of writings on didactic and educational problems it is necessary to create an efficient system of scientific educational information. This system will provide creative teachers with materials that will facilitate the selection and access to materials that will enrich the teachers' methodological base and their own intellectual potential by means of a network of school and pedagogical libraries. Such well-organized and efficiently operating system at the level of the school superintendent's office, whose links will be educational institutions as well as those that improve teaching methods of the teaching staff, may be of great information and practical importance in the present age of rapid transformations. It will become an instrument that will make contact with pedagogical writings and improvement of qualifications of the teaching staff possible.