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Summary of the National Interdisciplinary Conference of Silesian Researchers

On April 25, 2025, the first — and, according to the organizers, certainly not the last — National Interdisciplinary Conference of Silesian Researchers took place at the University of Wrocław. The student-run Interdisciplinary Research Association, affiliated with the College for Interdisciplinary Individual Studies, organized the event.

As one might expect, the main theme of the conference was Silesia — but it is important to emphasize that it was approached holistically, without drawing distinctions between Upper and Lower Silesia, or between the Opole and Cieszyn regions. According to Michał Tórz, CEO of the Interdisciplinary Research Association:

Our main goal was, first and foremost, to create a platform for integrating the scientific community of Silesian researchers. We believe that there are still relatively few spaces dedicated to the exchange of experiences in research focused on the region we live in, after all.

The event was held as part of the celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of the Interdisciplinary Research Association, which began the year before. Its members promote an interdisciplinary approach to science, and for this reason, the conference itself had a distinctly cross-disciplinary character. Three thematic panels featured presentations and reports by young researchers representing both the humanities (including history, art history, musicology, literary studies, linguistics, and sociology) and the natural sciences (such as geography, microbiology, and ecology). The program also included contributions from emerging yet dynamic fields like digital humanities. As a result, the range of topics discussed was remarkably broad.

The conference was held in a hybrid format, allowing researchers from the farthest corners of Poland to present their scientific achievements. Some chose to present remotely, while others opted for in-person presentations. In total, there were 11 speakers, representing institutions such as the University of Wrocław, the University of Silesia in Katowice, the Silesian Institute in Opole, Jagiellonian University, the University of Łódź, the University of Białystok, and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków.

The event also featured two guest lectures. The conference was inaugurated by dr Grzegorz Joachimiak from the Institute of Musicology at the University of Wrocław, who delivered a lecture titled Muzyka jako nośnik pamięci zbiorowej: »Heilige Seelen-Lust« Angelusa Silesiusa w kulturze Śląska XVII wieku (eng. Music as a Medium of Collective Memory: »Heilige Seelen-Lust« by Angelus Silesius in the Culture of 17th Century Silesia). Among other topics, he discussed the importance of protecting the multicultural heritage of Silesia, emphasizing that this is the mission of younger generations of scholars. The participants were also intrigued by a lecture on Silesian dialect, presented by professor Wojciech Soliński from the UWr Institute of Polish Studies. During the lecture, attendees had the opportunity to learn about literary works in Silesian, hear the differences between pniok, krzok, and ptok, and explore the characteristics of both direct and indirect literary translations.


The event also featured fruitful discussions. Interesting questions arose after nearly every presentation, and the speakers’ answers provided an extremely valuable complement to their papers. The breaks between panels always seemed too short to grab a coffee or something from the conference buffet while also engaging in lively discussions.

The organizers encourage attendees to keep an eye on the website of the Interdisciplinary Research Association (www.kbi.uwr.edu.pl). Photos from the event and recordings of selected presentations will be available there soon. Additionally, some speakers will be invited to record a scientific podcast related to their presentation topic. The recording will be produced and published in collaboration with Academic Radio Luz in Wrocław, the media patron of the conference.

We would like to thank all the speakers and attendees for their participation and invite them to our upcoming events.

Photo: Dobrochna Wojciechowska and Klaudia Sobolewska

Translated by Zuzanna Sobkowiak (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.

Date of publication: 13.05.2025
Added by: M.K.

The project “Integrated Program for the Development of the University of Wrocław 2018-2022” co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund

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