Wrocław Branch of the Polish Sociological Association and the Institute of Sociology of the University of Wrocław, in cooperation with Wrocław Institute of Culture, have the pleasure of inviting you to participate in SocioPerception vol.37 | If not us, then who? About solidarity and commitment in the midst of crisis. The event will take place on the 13th of December (Wednesday) at 6:00 PM (18:00) in Recepcja (café-club) at ul. Ruska 46 in Wrocław.
Guests:
dr hab. Paweł Rudnicki, pedagogue, political scientist, professor at the Faculty of Applied Studies DSW University of Lower Silesia. His scholarly interests are critical pedagogy and the dimensions of the activities of non-governmental organizations and informal groups in education. He collaborates with non-governmental organizations which are involved with global education, anti-discrimination education and human rights. Author of the following monographs: Kto, jak nie my? Wspólnota i działanie na Dworcu Głównym we Wrocławiu (marzec-kwiecień 2022), Oblicza buntu w biografiach kontestatorów… (2009), Pedagogie małych działań. Krytyczne studium alternatyw edukacyjnych (2016), and a co-author (along with M. Pogorzelska) Przecież jesteśmy! Homofobiczna przemoc w polskich szkołach – narracje gejów i lesbijek (2020).
dr Kamil Łuczaj, sociologist working at the University of Łódź, researcher of higher education and migration. He specializes in qualitative methods (including narrative interviews, in-depth interviews, participant observation). He is a graduate of Jagiellonian University and the AGH University of Krakow. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology of Culture at the University of Łódź. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Committee on Migration Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He has published his work in Studies in Higher Education, Polish Sociological Review, Slovak Sociological Review, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. He was the head of research projects dealing with academic migration to Poland, social advancement of lecturers, and Polish hospitality towards war refugees from Ukraine.
Host: dr Justyna Kajta (SWPS University), sociologist
It will soon be two years since the war in Ukraine began. During this period we have seen not only the cruelty of war, but also acts of solidarity and hospitality offered to refugees. Especially the first months of the war was the time when Polish society offered various forms of support to Ukrainian women and men at mass.
The serial event in December, “SocioPerception in Recepcja”, will be focused on stories about people who actively joined the previously mentioned aid activities. We will talk about the experiences of short-lasting communities, mutual aid, hospitality and grassroots efforts in the face of crisis.
The starting point for our conversation will be Pawel Rudnicki’s book Kto, jak nie my? Wspólnota i działanie na Dworcu Głównym we Wrocławiu (marzec-kwiecień 2022) (If not us, then who? Community and Action at the Wrocław Główny railway station (March-April 2022)). The main characters of the book are people who joined volunteer activities at the Wrocław railway station during the first months of the war. Why did they decide to act, what was the experience like for them, how did they organize themselves and, finally, what are the individual costs of volunteer and activist work? Similar themes will be discussed with regard to people who have welcomed refugees in their homes, and with whom Kamil Łuczaj, among others, is conducting research.
Translated by Karolina Szmidla (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
