EDITION OF THE DIARY OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL CARAVAN OF THE EXPEDITION TO CENTRAL AFRICA IN 1907–1909 BY JAN CZEKANOWSKI

The aim of this article is to present a new Polish publishing initiative related to the publication of the Diary of the anthropological-ethnological caravan of the expedition to Central Africa in 1907-1909, by Jan Czekanowski, an eminent Polish anthropologist. This publication contains rich source material, which has been provided with the necessary editorial apparatus and published in the original languages (German, French and fragments of texts in local languages) together with a translation into Polish. The two volumes of this publication, supplemented by a selection of photographs by the author, contain a total of 2350 pages. The descriptions of the material and spiritual culture of the peoples studied in the pages of the diary are a valuable source of research: the measurements taken for physical anthropologists, the extensive dictionary listings for linguists and the musical notations for musicologists. The myths about the origins of the peoples and dynasties under study recorded by Czekanowski provide excellent material for a comparative study of the role of myths in the formation of social bonds. The historical data recorded forms a valuable basis for the study of the history of the countries in this African region, and the observations of social relations at the turn of the century constitute a valuable contribution to the analysis of contemporary ethnic conflicts in the region.