Alexander Carolus Curtius (1659–1661), Rector of the Latin School of New Amsterdam (New York): Deconstructing the Myth of American Polish Historiography

Abstract

Abstract. The article analyses the 1930s–1960s. The myth of the “Polish intellectual pioneer”, created by the Polish historiography in the USA, is devoted to the newcomer from Lithuania educator Alexander Carolus Curtius, the rector of the Latin school in New Amsterdam (New York) (1659–1661). The deconstructive approach aims to reconstruct the historical, cultural and political contexts of its creation, to identify its creators (M. Haiman et al.), and to establish its relationship to sources and other historiography.