Prof. Ryszard Herbut passed away
We were saddened to learn that prof. Ryszard Herbut, an eminent political scientist, long-standing employee of the Institute of Political Science at the University of Wrocław and its director, passed away on 2 October 2024. On behalf of the dean’s authorities and the staff of the Faculty of Social Sciences, we extend our condolences to his family and loved ones.
The funeral ceremony will take place on 4 October 2024 at 2.30 p.m. in the cemetery chapel at ul. B. Prusa in Szczawno-Zdrój.
Ryszard Herbut (born 8 February 1951 in Wrocław, died 2 October 2024 in Wałbrzych) – Polish lawyer, political scientist, specialising in political participation, sociology of parties, political systems and contemporary political systems; academic teacher, associated with universities in Wrocław, Legnica and Wałbrzych.
He started his professional career at the University of Wrocław in 1975 at the Institute of Political Science. From 1984, he spent the next six years in Australia. In 1987 he undertook studies there (postgraduate) within the specialisation ‘Migration Studies’. In 1990 he returned to Poland and was once again employed by the UWr Institute of Political Science, where he progressed through the academic career ladder to the position of associate professor, which he obtained in 1997. In 2003 he was awarded the title of professor of humanities.
In 1997 he became Head of the Department of Administrative Policy and Public Services. He was a member of the Senate of the University of Wrocław. From 1996 to 1997 he was the coordinator of the so-called European Structural Project (JEP), which involved five western universities (Vienna, Marseille, Brussels, Brighton and Athens) and three Polish universities (Lublin, Warsaw and Wrocław). From 2005 to 2013 he was director of the Institute of Political Science at the University of Wrocław.
In addition, he taught at the following universities: the Institute of Pedagogy at the DSW TWP in Wałbrzych (1998-2005), the Witelon College in Legnica (currently: the Witelon College) (1998-2008) and the Angelus Silesius College in Wałbrzych (currently: the Angelus Silesius Academy of Applied Sciences) (2008-2024).
Academic achievements of Ryszard Herbut include several dozen positions, among which fifteen are authorship or co-authorship of books in the field of political science. Of particular note are two works that stand out in Polish political science: Leksykon politologii, edited by Andrzej Antoszewski and Ryszard Herbut (6th edition, Wrocław 2002), awarded by the Ministry of National Education and the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science of the University of Warsaw; and Systemy polityczne współczesnego świata, co-authored also by Andrzej Antoszewski (Gdańsk 2001), awarded by the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Professor Herbut’s work is characterised by a modern approach to the subject of research He was one of the first in Polish political science to introduce and then develop a number of categories related to parties and party systems (including sociopolitical divisions, the format and mechanism of the party system or functional and structural approaches to the political party). He goes down as a co-founder of the so-called Wroclaw school of political systems His non-academic interests included nautical science, modelling and sailing
