The Apostasy of Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay (1845-1929)

Abstract

The great Polish linguist Jan Baudouin de Courtenay was the founder of the “Kazan School” of linguistics in imperial Russia. Baudouin’s work was seminal in the development of linguistics in Poland and Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition to linguistics, Baudouin’s career encompassed political activism, as exemplified by his unsuccessful candidacy for the presidency of Poland in 1922. This paper focuses on Baudouin’s uncompromising personality as a social activist during the latter part of his long life. This was brought to the fore in a dramatic episode: in 1927 Baudouin committed an explicit and public act of apostasy by petitioning the Catholic Church and the municipal authorities of the city of Warsaw to expunge his Catholic identity from his official government ID. Even to this day, apostasy is a controversial and taboo topic. I examine the reasons behind Baudouin’s daring act. I then extrapolate from this historical incident to the present-day situation of apostasy in Poland, where it has recently been trending as a social movement of protest against abortion law.

Keywords

abortion law / antisemitism / apostasy / canon law / Catholic Church / European Union / feminism / Gabriel Narutowicz / history of linguistics / history of Poland / identity documents / Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay (1845-1927) / Polish-Jewish relations / presidency of Poland / social activism / social media / social movements / Yiddish language

References

[1] Apostasy in Islam. (n.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[2] Article 10. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion. EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Title II (Freedoms), Article 10. Vienna, Austria: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. https://fra.europa.eu/en/eu—charter/article/10—freedom—thought—conscience—and—religion, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[3] Baudouin de Courtenay, Jan. (1911). W sprawie “antysemityzmu postępowego”. [On the issue of rising antisemitism.] Kraków: Odbitka z “Krytyki”, nakładem autora. (Reprinted in Baudouin, 2007.) https://polona.pl/item/w—sprawie—antysemityzmu—postepowego,MTA5OTI5NTI/4/#info:metadata, retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.

[4] Baudouin de Courtenay, Jan. (1927). Mój stosunek do Koscioła. [My attitude towards the Church.] Warszawa: Nakładem spółdzielni wydawniczej “Bez Dogmatu”. https://pl.wikisource.org/wiki/M%C3%B3j_stosunek_do_Ko%C5%9Bcio%C5%82a/ca%C5%82o%C5%9B%C4%87, retrieved on 17 February 2021.

[5] Baudouin de Courtenay, Jan. (2007). Miejcie odwagę myślenia.. Wybór pism publicystycznych z lat 1898—1927. [Have the courage to think.. A selection of publicistic writings from the years 1898—1927.] Compiled by Mirosław Skarżyński. Kraków, Księgarnia Akademicka: Ośrodek Myśli Politycznej.

[6] Gabriel Narutowicz. (n.d.) Wikipedia — Wolna encyklopedia. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Narutowicz, retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.

[7] IAICS Online 2021. (12—13 March, 2021). The 26th International Conference of the International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies. http://iaicsmanipal.com/call—for—papers.html, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[8] Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay. (n.d.) Wikipedia — Wolna encyklopedia. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Niecis%C5%82aw_Baudouin_de_Courtenay, retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.

[9] Kriwaczek, Paul. (2005). Yiddish civilisation: The rise and fall of a forgotten nation. London: Phoenix.

[10] Krzywiec, Grzegorz. (2016). Przeciw antysemityzmowi i narodowym iluzjom: Przypadki Jana Baudouina de Courtenay. [Against antisemitism and national illusions: The case of Jan Baudouin de Courtenay.] Nigdy Więcej, N^o. 22. https://www.nigdywiecej.org/pdf/pl/pismo/22/przeciw_antysemityzmowi_i_narodowym_iluzjom.pdf, retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.

[11] Kryński, Adam Antoni. (1921). Jan Ignacy Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay. Życie i prace J. Baudouina de Courtenay. [The life and works of J. Baudouin de Courtenay.] In: Prace lingwistyczne ofiarowane Janowi Baudouinowi de Courtenay dla uczczenia jego działalności naukowej, 1868—1921. [Linguistic works offered to Jan Baudouin de Courtenay to honor his scientific activity, 1868—1921.] (pp. xii-xvi) Kraków: W drukarni Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. https://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/publication/37446/edition/44088/content, retrieved on 24 May 2021.

[12] “Maria Renata Mayenowa — Rachela Gurewicz(ówna?).” (n.d.) Jewish Białystok. https://www.jewishbialystok.pl/Maria—Renata—Mayenowa—Rachela—Gurewicz—(%C3%B3wna),5400,7803, retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.

[13] Mortensen, Antonia (CNN) & Reuters News Agency. (2021, 28 January). Poland puts new restrictions against abortion into effect, resulting in a near—total ban on abortions. CNN World News. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/28/europe/poland—abortion—restrictions—law—intl—hnk/index.html, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[14] Poland abortions: Top court bans almost all terminations. (2020, 23 October). BBC World News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world—europe—54642108, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[15] Poland ‘slammed the door shut’ on legal and safe abortions: Human rights experts. (2020, 27 October). UN News: Global Perspectives — Human Stories. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/10/1076332, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[16] Polonsky, Antony. (1972). Politics in independent Poland, 1921—1939: The crisis of constitutional government. London and New York: Oxford University Press.

[17] Prokop—Janiec, Eugenia. (2013). Pogranicze polsko—żydowskie: Topografia i teksty. [The Polish—Jewish border: Topography and texts.] In series: Studia Polsko—Żydowskie. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/xmlui/bitstream/handle/item/11953/prokop—janiec_pogranicze_polsko—zydowskie_2013.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[18] Protestant Reformed Cemetery, Warsaw. (n.d.) Wikipedia — The free encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformed_Cemetery,_Warsaw, retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.

[19] Radwańska—Williams, Joanna. (1991). Baudouin de Courtenay and his place in the history of linguistics. Historiographia Linguistica 18(2/3), pp. 349-367.

[20] Radwańska—Williams, Joanna. (2006). Examining our patrimony: The case of the Kazan School. Historiographia Linguistica, 33(3), pp. 357-390.

[21] Radwańska—Williams, Joanna. (2011). The relationship between Jan Baudouin de Courtenay and Mikołaj Kruszewski in its psychological and biographical aspects. LingVaria 6(1), pp. 229-239.

[22] Radwańska—Williams, Joanna. (forthcoming). The Kazan School: Jan Baudouin de Courtenay and Mikołaj Kruszewski. In B. Elan Dresher & Harry van der Hulst (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of the history of phonology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

[23] Sidorski, Andrzej K. (2020, 23 November). Apostaci to apostołowie świeckiego państwa wolnego od dominacji kleru. [Apostates are apostles of a secular state free from the domination by the clergy.] OKO Press. https://oko.press/apostaci—to—apostolowie—swiecego—panstwa—wolnego—od—dominacji—kleru/, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[24] Uchwała nr 20/370/2015 Konferencji Episkopatu Polski z dnia 7 października 2015 r. dotycząca wydania Dekretu Ogólnego Konferencji Episkopatu Polski w sprawie wystąpień z Kościoła oraz powrotu do wspólnoty Kościoła. [Resolution no. 20/370/2015 of the Conference of Polish Bishops from 7 October 2015 in regard to the issuance of the General Decree of the Conference of Polish Bishops on the question of leaving the Church and returning to the communion of the Church.] (2015). Akta Konferencji Episkopatu Polski Nr 27/2015. https://episkopat.pl/dekret—ogolny—konferencji—episkopatu—polski—w—sprawie—wystapien—z—kosciola—oraz—powrotu—do—wspolnoty—kosciola/, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[25] Wiosna Biedronia uruchamia w internecie stronę LicznikApostazji.pl. [Biedroń’s Spring establishes an apostasy counter website on the Internet.] (2020, 9 December). Polsat News. https://www.polsatnews.pl/wiadomosc/2020—12—09/wiosna—biedronia—uruchamia—w—internecie—strone—licznikapostazji—pl/?ref=article, retrieved on 6 March 2021.

[26] Wybory prezydenckie w Polsce w 1922 roku (9 grudnia). [Presidential elections in Poland on 9 December 1922.] (n.d.) Wikipedia — Wolna encyklopedia. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wybory_prezydenckie_w_Polsce_w_1922_roku_(9_grudnia), retrieved on 17 Feb 2021.