Scholar to unpack philosophical battle at Colloquium

A Charles Darwin University student will speak of a philosophical battle for the hearts and minds of a nation during the Golden Age of Polish culture at the Annual History Colloquium in Darwin this Saturday.

PhD candidate Aleksandra Glabinska Kelly said that professors at Poland’s prestigious Jagiellonian University had desperately wanted to reform the Aristotelian Scholastic curriculum in favour of a liberal arts paradigm that recognised society’s growing acceptance of humanism.

“The professors saw the value in humanistic subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, history and music, but their attempts to change the status quo were met with strong resistance from leaders aligned with the church,” Ms Glabinska Kelly said.

“These tensions intensified over several years prompting radical behaviour before several academics went on strike in 1546, refusing to take the Aristotelian seminars.”

Ms Glabinska Kelly, who is exploring the concept of human dignity in the Polish Renaissance for her PhD, will be one of three historians from CDU to address the Colloquium.

Associate Professor George Frazis will speak about the Greek Orthodox Church in the early days of Darwin and co-organiser of the Colloquium, Dr Steven Farram will deliver a talk titled “The Tiwi, the Portuguese and slavery”.

“We’ll be showcasing current research by established and emerging historians from the Northern Territory and interstate on a range of diverse themes from flying padres to cross-dressing,” Dr Farram said.

“We will also be hosting the launch of John Strehlow’s historical biography, ‘The Tale of Frieda Keysser’.”

This free event has been coordinated by the Professional Historian’s Association (NT) in partnership with Charles Darwin University, The Australian National University and Library & Archives NT. It will be held at the Northern Territory Library in Parliament House where Covid-19 protocols and social distancing measures are in place.

See program here: W: https://ntl.nt.gov.au/system/files/uploads/files/2020/History-Colloquium-2020-Program-FINAL.pdf