Uniwersytet zaangażowany a kultura lokalna

Abstract

The text focuses on the relations between the university and culture, and on methods of cultural animation in a local milieu. The author defines the term „engaged university”, then reviews the concepts of higher education formulated by some 20th century scholars: Karl Jaspers, Allan Bloom, and Bill C. Readings. The author of the text reviews some attempts at improving the situation of the present-day academia, and gives examples of laudable practices such as the cooperation between schools and local society. In the next section of the text the author describes the activities of Fabryka Bestsellerów Association (Bialystok, Poland) and draws attention to the university’s capacity for animating cultural practices, which is a necessary tool for the cooperation between science and local culture. In the author’s opinion, the first priority of each local university should be meeting the needs of local society.