Learning in crisis: the war related perspective of poles’ epistolary narratives to Ukrainians

Abstract

The article explores how humans make sense of and perceive war as a crisis, emphasizing the values attributed to it. It focuses on learning in the face of war, which creates internal imbalance but also offers improvement opportunities in various dimensions. The qualitative research is based on the technique of epistolary narrative analysis of 49 letters written by Poles to unknown Ukrainians. The findings (generated code tree) reveal three dimensions of war experiences: the educational lesson in patriotism (the war as a lesson for the people who learn through their own and others’ experiences); the war as a trial prompting support and resistance; an emotional experience marked by shock and chaos. The analysis concludes that the absurdity and horrors of 21st-century war have undermined democratic values, and thus calls on the world’s community to seek mechanisms and strategies revitalized after this drastic war. Learning in crisis situations illustrates how flexible and adaptable human nature is, how society can become more united and ready to take action to protect the common good. The study brings about implications for value formation education, community and solidarity building, as well as emotional and psychological insights into the tolls of war, helping to address the issues of war trauma and psychological well-being.

Keywords

• Crisis situation
• learning
• epistolary narrative
• letters
• war experiences
• Intercultural Communication