The current Department of Cultural Studies continues the traditions of the previous Department of Culture Research, established at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in 1995 as part of the Institute of Sociology. Its founding Head was prof. Janusz Mucha. Just as culture is complex and dynamic, past and current research interests of the staff at the Department are quite heterogeneous, although with many points in common.
Prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Olechnicki – Professor of Sociology and the Head of The Department of Cultural Studies in the Institute of Sociology. Major research areas: visual sociology and visual anthropology, sociology of culture, sociology of religion, sociology of social movements. His recent research projects have focused on the role of new cultural institutions and changes in the cultural practices of Poles, photography as a social phenomenon, and the superclass distinction of chess. Https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8828-9635
Prof. dr hab Tomasz Szlendak – Prof. Szlendak’s research interests include the transformation of social functionality of romantic love, changing masculinity and women-men relations in a comparative perspective and changes in cultural practices. Prof. Szlendak is the director of the Doctoral School in Social Sciences – Academia Rerum Socialium. Dr hab. Michał Wróblewski, NCU Prof, conducts research in the sociology of medicine, science and technology studies, and environmental sociology. His recent projects are focusing on attitudes toward vaccination and environmental activism related to air quality.
Dr Beata Bielska’s research interests include the sociology of education, the sociology of sexuality, and social science methodology and ethics. Her recent research project has focused on the methodological and ethical challenges faced by social scientist during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her upcoming research project will attempt to explore the role of LGBT+ employee networks in the workplace in Poland and the UK. Currently, she is a part of the COST Action CA1913 LGBTI+ Social and Economic (in)Equalities (https://www.cost.eu/cost-action/lgbti-social-and-economic-inequalities/) and the international network GENERA (Gender Equality Network in the European Research Area: https://genera-project.com/). Her publications are available on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Beata_Bielska3
Dr Wojciech Goszczyński a radically inconsistent and inconsistently radical sociologist. A shy lover of intellectual, spatial and cultural peripherality. At the moment, he focuses on the study of alternative food practices, the cultural construction of rurality, the specificity of Central and Eastern Europe. Principal investigator of national and international research projects. Additionally a trainer, animator and talking head.
Dr. Malwina Krajewska’s research interests are located on the border of the sociology of religion, culture, and migration. They concern Tibetan Buddhism, its social dimension, changes in religious practices, and adaptation to new cultural contexts.