午夜剧场

Counting from my student days, I have been at 午夜剧场 for a total of 46 years. Until my third year of undergraduate studies, I never imagined becoming a professional researcher, but I think there were many diligent students around me. It was a turbulent time, with as many as 20,000 students gathering for a strike against tuition fee hikes, and exams scheduled for January being postponed until March, but it is also true that this was a significant experience for me. Amidst all this, I wrote my graduation thesis, went on to graduate school, and began my research on Marxian economics and the history of economic thought.

Afterward, I became involved in research on Rosa Luxemburg's doctoral dissertation and her work "The Accumulation of Capital" in relation to the national question, and I also had the experience of studying abroad in Poland. This was because the theme was closely related to the national question in Poland. I studied at the University of Warsaw, and as it was the era of the "Solidarity movement," I keenly felt that discussing economics based solely on Western standards was nothing but one-sided. I still correspond by letter with the family I boarded with and the professors from the University of Warsaw from that time.

There are people who study Poland from a historical perspective, but there are very few in the fields of the history of economic thought and the history of ideas. It is still a developing field of study. I am also proud to have been able to engage with such an unexplored academic field.

About 10 years ago, I began teaching a course on the history of economic thought (16th–19th centuries), and at first, nearly 1,400 students rushed to enroll. It was a pleasant miscalculation, but I was bewildered by the situation where I sometimes had to shout to be heard during the lecture. However, there were also elderly people who audited the course and students from other universities who came because they wanted to attend. I am nothing but grateful.

午夜剧场 has a magnificent library with many valuable documents. On top of that, there were many outstanding professors. I too was greatly influenced by various professors. In particular, the wonderful thing about 午夜剧场 was its deep-rooted culture of mutual respect among scholars, even if their schools of thought differed. I believe they enjoyed academic freedom in the past, without forming factions. I myself was blessed with good mentors. I hope that 午夜剧场 will continue to demonstrate these strengths in a way that is suited to the new era. At the same time, I hope that it will not be distracted by things like popular university rankings, but will remain grounded, re-examine the excellence cultivated by its traditions, and allow academic research to flourish. I believe that one of 午夜剧场's achievements is not only its academic accomplishments but also the fact that it has produced many capable intellectuals. When I attend alumni association meetings, I feel like I am still a junior, as there are many people who retain a love of learning even after retirement.

Today, with "globalization," the trends of the times, such as ways of thinking and cultural phenomena, are vastly different from those of our era. In this age of IT, it would be unreasonable to try to apply the values and cultural views of our time. However, I want them to value courtesy. It is also the source of dignity. How to teach courtesy to students may continue to be a challenge.

And I want students to always maintain an interest in learning. I want them to explore the negative and positive aspects of social phenomena, and to seek the truth that lies deep within them. To do so, they must, after all, study.

I myself will continue my research on the history of economic thought from the perspective of the national question, and I hope to give it shape someday. How to interpret the unique history of socio-economic thought of the country of Poland. There are still many unresolved issues. Fortunately, I will have time from now on. Until now, I sometimes couldn't even keep up with organizing my materials due to time constraints. I hope to be able to work on it carefully and take my time in the future.

(Interview conducted on December 17, 2009)