Oblicza autorytetu w dyskursie pedagogicznym .......... 123

FACES OF AUTHORITY IN PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE

The aim of the analyses presented in the text was to reconstruct the ways in which authority is conceptualized in pedagogical discourse. The pedagogical sense of understanding authority was considered in relation to contemporary pedagogy, which focuses on education in a broad sense – as a series of educational processes and discourses, as well as a lifelong process open to the entire culture, serving as a potential space for encounters with authority. Among the significant educational changes relevant to pedagogical thinking about authority, two key shifts were highlighted: the transition from teaching to learning (placing initiative on the learner and requiring personal engagement) and the transformation of the educator’s role – from a “legislator” who directs goal-oriented educational processes of instruction and upbringing to a “translator”, one of many agents shaping social reality. Regarding contemporary pedagogy, following Teresa Hejnicka-Bezwińska, the text adopts the thesis that there is no single, universal pedagogy, and consequently, no universal model of authority. This perspective aligns with the approach to authority proposed by Lech Witkowski, who emphasizes the ability to establish a meaningful personal relationship with the “significant Other” and the “great spirits of culture”. The question of how authority is represented in contemporary pedagogical discourse was addressed through critical analysis and interpretation of the sources. The corpus of materials consisted of titles of academic publications and pedagogical texts (monographs, collective works, book chapters, and journal articles) published after 2000 and collected up to May 2024 (a total of 232 items). The analyses results reveal two key facets of authority, primarily associated – through the figure of the teacher – with the institution of the school and the domain of the family. The primary subjects of influence are young people. The dominant ways of presenting authority in the analysed titles are closely linked to the goal-oriented educational process of upbringing. The interpretation of the findings is framed through the lens of the “superstitions” in thinking about authority, as distinguished by Witkowski. This section is complemented by the author’s proposal of a “new profile of authority for pedagogy”, in which the markers of a personally understood relationship with the significant Other are presented as valuable for educational reflection and promotion, not only among young people.