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Contact

Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology 
University of Warsaw

Żurawia 4, 00-503 Warsaw
tel. +48 22 55 316 11/ fax. 22 55 316 12
etnologia@uw.edu.pl

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Professor Anna Malewska-Szałygin

President of the Scientific Board of the Institute
Head of the Political and Economic Anthropology Section of the Institute

Contact

a.malewska-szalygin@uw.edu.pl
+48 22 55 316 11; tel.fax +48 22 55 316 12

My research interests include anthropology of politics and anthropology of common sense knowledge. My work focuses on common sense notions, imaginaries, metaphors produced, shared, and transformed in local discourses. In the contemporary variety of voices, I am mostly interested in the voice of uneducated people living in rural areas (often omitted or marginalized within public debate). I have conducted my fieldwork in Poland: in regions: Roztocze, Masuria, and Podhale. In subsequent research projects, I worked on: stories on the past of the countryside (1984-1986), local discourse on local government (1994-1996), images of power, state and democracy (1999-2005). My current research project is Ethnography of Media Audience and Local Common Sense.

 

Area of interest

 Political anthropology, local  knowledge, common sense, social  uses of media, digital ethnography

Biography

Education

Habilitation 29 April 2009 the University of Warsaw, Faculty of History. Habilitation thesis: Wyobrażenia o państwie i władzy we wsiach powiatu nowotarskiego 1999-2005, [Social Imaginaries on the State and Central Authorities in Polish Highland Villages 1999-2005].

PhD 03 March 1999 the University of Warsaw, Faculty of History, Dissertation title: Wiedza potoczna o sprawach publicznych. Wizerunek lokalnej sceny politycznej w latach 1989-1995 na podstawie badań prowadzonych w wybranej gminie mazurskiej, [Common-sense Knowledge about Public Affairs. The Perception of Local Authorities in Mazurian Villages].

MA 04 September 1986 the University of Warsaw, Faculty of History, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. Thesis: Historia w świadomości mieszkańców Narola, [Knowledge about the Past of the Narol Villagers].

Employment

October 2011 - till now Associate Professor, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw

October 1999 -  September 2011 Assistant Professor, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw

October 1987- September 1999 Assistant, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw

Faculty and Institute Service:

Faculty:

2008 - present             Member of the Faculty Board, Faculty of History, University of Warsaw

2012 - present             Member of the Financial Committee of the Faculty of History, University of Warsaw

Institute:

2015- present             President of the Scientific Board of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw  

2017 – present            Head of the Political and Economic Anthropology Section, of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw

2009-2016                  Head of the Cultural Anthropology Section of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology,  University of Warsaw

2012 – 2016                Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology,  University of Warsaw

2000-2004;2008-2012 Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology  University of Warsaw

Lectures and courses

All courses thought at the University of Warsaw, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology:

Lectures:

Introduction to Ethnology (2006-present);

Political Anthropology (2007-2012);

Ethnography of Europe (2003-2011)

Seminars:

Digital Activism (2016),

Anthropology of Media Audience (2014-present)

Anthropology and Politics (2009-2015)

Interpretation of Cultural Phenomena (2007-2012)

Europe and Identity (2009-2012)

Common-sense and the Mythical Thinking (1999-2003)

Classical Anthropological Texts – workshop (1987-2004)

Texts about European Medieval Cullture – workshop (1987-2002)

Workshop Fieldwork methods for Network of Humanitarian Action, Master Programme at the University of Warsaw (2015)

Laboratories (8 weeks fieldwork with the group of students and 2 years lasting workshop of data analisys ):

1999-2000 Ethnopolitology – Local Discourse about the State and Power

1995-1996 Local Knowledge about Rural Community’s Political Scene

1992-1993 State Institution in Rural Community – Introdution of Self-governement

1989-1990 Partisan Ethos within Rural Community

 

Coordinator and Supervisor

 

Current doctoral supervisions: 6

Recently awarded Ph.D.: 2

Supervisor of MA theses: 35

 BA theses: 37

 

 

 

 

 

Selected publications

Publications in English

 

Democracy and the Highlander. On the Diversity of Meanings, w: Twilight Zone Anthropology. Voices from Poland, (ed.) Michał Buchowski, Canon Pyon: Sean Kingston Publishing, 2019. The RAI Country Series, Volume Two, (ed.)  David Shankland, ISBN 978-1-912385-06-5.

https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Anthropology-Voices-Country/dp/1912385066

 Social Imaginaries of the State and Central Authority in Polish Highland Villages, 1999-2005, translated by A. Korzeniowska, S. Sikora, Newcastle upon Tyne UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2017, ISBN  1-5275-0026-8.

Chris Hann's review:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/slavic-review/article/social-imaginaries-of-the-state-and-central-authority-in-polish-highland-villages-19992005-by-anna-malewskaszalygin-trans-aniela-korzeniowska-and-stefan-sikora-newcastle-upon-tyne-cambridge-scholars-publishing-2017-x-299-pp-appendix-bibliography-6199-hard-bound/AF26FD56D80752988D1A0C2226B34124

 

 Cultures or identities: analytical categories in action, in Colloquia Anthropologica. Issues in Contemporary Anthropology,  A. Bentkowski, M. Buchowski (eds), Poznań: Wydawnictwo Nauka i Innowacje 2014, pp. 259-268 (ISBN 978-83-63795-86-3).

 

Evergreen Ethnographies, „Polish Sociological Review”  2012, vol. 179 (3), pp. 431-441, ISSN 1231 – 1413.

Post-socialism as a Diagnostic Tool. Common-Sense Concepts of Power and State in Southern Poland, “Ethnologia Europea”, 2011 vol. 41:2, pp. 71-80, http://www.mtp.hum.ku.dk

Is the phrase “post-socialist mentality” appropriate? Reflections on mountain-dwellers’ image of the state and the authorities, „Ethnologia Polona” 2010.

 www.iaepan.edu.pl/czasopisma/ep.html

Local discourse on matters of the state: A Podhale case. In Exploring home, neighboring and distant cultures, eds. L. Mróz, A. Posern-Zielinski, Warsaw: DiG, 2008, pp. 41-58.

Market View of the Polish Political Scene, "Anthropology Matters", 2006, vol. 1

Tradition of the Usage of the Notion of Discourse and its Usefulness in the Studies in Anthropology of Modernity, "Etnografia Polska", 2004, vol. 48:1-2, pp.81-98,

http://www.etnografiapolska.pl/images/volume/48/Malewska_dys...

Ethnopolitology — Talking with Highlanders about Politics. In: Between Tradition and Postmodernity. Polish Ethnography at the Turn of the Millennium, eds. L. Mróz, Z. Sokolewicz, Warsaw: DiG, 2003, pp. 37-52.

Common Knowledge of Public Affairs. The Image of Local Political Scene, "Etnografia Polska", 1996, vol. 40:1-2, pp.19-39.

http://www.etnografiapolska.pl/images/volume/40/Malewska_wie...

Research projects

Fieldwork

Completed research projects:

2012 -2014 Ethnography of Media Audience and Local Common Sense - ethnographic fieldwork in Podhale Region, Poland. Research project financed with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education funds

The aim of the project is to document and interpret mass media influence on common-sense knowledge of less educated people and particularly of the ways, in which they appropriate the content and images produced by the media. The research will employ methods of ethnographic fieldwork and will be based in villages of Nowy Targ County.  I would like to determine how do the less educated village inhabitants adapt resources of knowledge and symbolism imposed by the media to the local common-sense knowledge. How do they use them? How do they appropriate them in their own local discourses? How do they utilize them within different activities? How elements of media content are used within the dynamic process of identity construction, be it individual, local, regional or national? What role do they play in establishing power relations within the family, local community or the nation?

Research projects carried out at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw, Funded by Ministry of Science and Higher Education:

1999-2005      Ethnopolitology - Local Discourse about the State and Power - ethnographic fieldwork in Podhale Region, Poland.

1995-1996      Local Knowledge about Rural Community’s Political Scene - ethnographic fieldwork in Mazury Region, Poland.

1992-1993      State Institutions in Rural Community – Introduction of Self-government - ethnographic fieldwork in Milki, Mazury Region, Poland.

1989-1990      Partisan Ethos within Rural Community- ethnographic fieldwork in Goniądz, Podlasie Region, Poland.

1985-1986      Local Knowledge about the Past - ethnographic fieldwork in Narol, Roztocze Region, Poland.

Conferences and visiting lectures

Conferences

English language conference presentations:

24-25 września 2019 Conference „Migration and the generational experience”, Prague, Czech Republic. Paper:  Media Usage in remote Communications: migratory situations.  Organisers: Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague and  Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (V4Net).

https://www.eth.mpg.de/5310535/Conference-Programme_Prague.pdf

https://www.eth.mpg.de/4638135/Visegrad_Network

https://iss.fsv.cuni.cz/en/news/migration-and-generational-experience

 August 2019 Inter-Congres  IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences) „World Solidarities” (ok. 800 participants),  Poznań. Poland. Paper: Political Identities as strategic solidarities and their polarising power.[Panel : Beyond Identities? Strategic solidarities in/on the political].

April 2019 Cambridge University (Great Britain) BASEES conference (British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies). Paper: How Pre-modern Social Imaginaries Underpin Anti-liberal Rhetoric: Perceiving the State, Power, and Labour in Rural Poland, Panel: Digging Its Own Grave? Postsocialist Liberalism and the Counter-Movement in the Visegrád State conducting by prof. Chris Hann

http://basees.org/conferences/2019/4/12/basees-annual-conference

 

October 2015             Postsocialist or Postpeasant? Images of Power and State in Southern Poland. Conference:  Ethnology without Borders, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw and Visegrad Foundation.

November 2014 Post-socialist or post-agrarian? Contemporary images of power and the state among country dwellers in the South of Poland. Conference: Polish Anthropology Day, Royal Anthropological Institute and Polish Anthropological Institute, London UK.

September 2014 Images of the Nation-state in Highlanders’ Local Discourses at the beginning of 21 st century. World Congress of the IUAES: State Origins and Related Subjects, Wigry (Poland).

 

 

Awards and Scholarships

Awards

Scientific prizes and awards:

November 2009           Individual award „Clio” of 2nd degree by the Rector Rector of the University of Warsaw and Members of the Scientific Advisory Board of the History Faculty, Warsaw University for the monograph Wyobrażenia o państwie i władzy we wsiach powiatu nowotarskiego 1999-2005 [Social Imaginaries on the State and Central Authorities in Polish Highland Villages 1999-2005], Warszawa: DiG 2008.

December 2003          Individual award „Clio” of 1st degree by the Rector and Members of  the Scientific Advisory Board of the History Faculty, Warsaw University for the monograph Wiedza potoczna o sprawach publicznych. Rozmowy o władzy lokalnej w wybranej gminie mazurskiej w latach 1994-1995   [Common-sense Knowledge about Public Affairs. The Perception of Local Authorities in Mazurian Villages 1994-1995], Warszawa: DiG 2002.

International internships

2017-04 Erasmus program visit in Prague (Czech Republic). Lectures:  The Term Postsocialism as an Analitical Tool ; Digital Activism.

2026-04 Erasmus program visit in Granada (Espange). Lectures: Evergreen Ethnographies - lecture about ethnographic monographies; The term Postsocialism as a Analitical Tool.

19.10-14.11.2004 Research stay at the Centre for Political Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leuven University (Belgium), funded by the Belgium government. Lecture: Talking with Highlanders about Politics held during a meeting of research group dedicated to post-socialist countries.

14-23.05.2004 Study visit at the Institute of Ethnology and Archeology, University of Copenhagen (Denmark), funded by the Danish government .

 

Member of scientific organizations

Professional bodies

Professional Memberships:

2017 Member of the Network "V4Net” switch at the Max Planck Institute for Social Sciences in Halle (Germany)

http://www.eth.mpg.de/4638135/Visegrad_Network

2019 -2020 Member of BASEES -  British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies

2019 till now Memeber of International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences

2015- till now President of the Scientific Board of the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw 

2019 - till now Member of the Scientific Board of the Discipline 'Sciences about Culture and Religion', University of Warsaw

2016 - present      Vice-President of the Committee of Ethnological Sciences, Polish Academy of Science

2011- present       Member of the Scientific Board of the Polish Anthropological Institute

2011- till now  Member of the Editorial Committee of the journal Ethnologia Polona

2014 – till now  Expert of Polish Accreditation Committee

2014- 2019        Member of the Scientific Board of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Science

 


 

External Expertise:

May 2019 – a rearrangement of the Exhibition in the Zofii Ryży Memory House, in Adampol- Polonezköy, in Turkey after renovation done by Foundation of the Common Heritage „Terpa”, funded by Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and Institute of the Polish Heritage Abroad 'Polonica'.  The exhibition was arranged in  2002

http://polonika.pl/co-nowego-/dom-cioci-zosi-w-adampolu-zakonczenie-prac-remontowo-konserwatorskich

https://stambul.msz.gov.pl/pl/aktualnosci/uroczyste_otwarcie_domu_pamieci_im__zofii_ryzy_w_adampolu__1;jsessionid=4AB4C8F459792256999FA553DCD125F2.cmsap5p

2014       Cultural Preferences of the Employees in one of the Warsaw Corporations and their Perception of National Museum in Warsaw. For the National Museum in Warsaw co-authored with E. Klekot, P. Cichocki. (Fieldwork conducted with a students’ group).

2013        Polish Shopping Customs. For Carrefour Inc. Poland. (Fieldwork in five Polish cities conducted with a students’ group).