Karykatura polityczna jako źródło do badań nad historią Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej. Postulaty badawcze

Abstract

Political caricature as a source material for the research on the history of the Second Polish Republic. Research suggestions

In this article author presents his research (methodological) suggestions concerning the political caricature, considered as the source materiał for the research on the history of the Second Polish Republic. It is hard to overvalue the role of cari­cature as an iconographic and visual source. Caricature teaches, warns, amuses, but also creates a catalogue of typical behavior. Itcan become a weapon in political fight. The author has indicated the following functions of caricature: entertaining, sociological, creatingand organizingthe socio-political reality, psychological and communicative. Every researcher is entitled to presenthis own methodological proposals. In author’s opinion, a number of elements can be distinguished in the research on cari­cature. At first, the sender of the information should be defined - "who speaks?” Secondly, the researcher has to answer the question "what?” and "when?” the caricature says (the content of the information). Thirdly, the ąuestion "who does it speak to?” (the receiver of the information) should be asked. The last essential ąuestion to be answered is: "Whatis the result?” (the outcome of this communication process). The issues addressed in Polish political caricatures in the period of the Second Polish Republic, presented a very broad spectrum, ranging from the current domestic policy to the International affairs. We are still waiting for the in-depth and complex analysis of the Polish political caricature (1918-1939).