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Institute of Literary Research, PAS

Institute of Literary Research PAS

Name: Institute of Literary Research, PAS

Address: ul. Nowy Świat 72, 00-330 Warsaw, Poland

Website: https://ibl.waw.pl/en/start

Description:

The Institute of Literary Research (IBL) is a highly recognised humanities research centre in Poland. From a narrow focus on literary studies concentrating on Polish literature and literary theory it has become a modern cultural studies centre encompassing a wide range of research fields.

The Institute is a nationally leading institution in research on Polish literature and culture, past and present, including specialised philological and lexicographic research. It is also one of the country’s leading institutes for the documentation and bibliography of Polish literature and its scholarly editions.

Recently, the Institute has developed strong, often multidisciplinary teams in innovative research areas like gender studies, memory and Holocaust studies, and studies on communism. It was also an early adopter of digital humanities with its vibrant, internationally active Digital Humanities Centre.

The Institute actively participates in international, mainly European, projects and networks, including DARIAH-ERIC, CLARIN-ERIC, OPERAS, ERASMUS+, COST Actions, and ECHIC. It is a doctoral-level teaching centre. A crucial part of IBL’s mission is the sharing of research findings and knowledge with society at large through collaboration with cultural and educational institutions. For more than 50 years, IBL has organized the Polish Literature and Language Olympiad for schools, which have had significant educational impact.

IBL continues to build an active and dynamic research community with diverse research interests and approaches. We aim to challenge disciplinary boundaries, producing innovative work that advances traditional methods of literary exploration. In 2016, the European Commission awarded the Institute the ‘HR Excellence in research’ certificate.

Disciplines: literary studies (from Middle Ages to present times) and cultural studies

Fields of activity:

  • History of literature also in a comparative perspective,
  • Literary theory, literary criticism,
  • Scholarly editing,
  • Documentation and bibliography,
  • Holocaust studies,
  • Memory studies,
  • Gender studies,
  • Studies on communism,
  • Architectural Humanities,
  • Digital humanities.

Latest achievements:

  • Since 2017 IBL coordinates and chairs the research network New Exploratory Phase in Research on East European Cultures of Dissent, NEP4DISSENT (COST Action 16213). The Action includes researchers representing 36 countries from Europe and beyond.
  • IBL is an active partner of Horizon2020 funded projects: Shaping interdisciplinary practices in Europe (SHAPE-ID); Transforming Research through Innovative Practices for Linked interdisciplinary Exploration (TRIPLE); and Preparing open access in the European research area through scholarly communication (OPERAS-P).
  • In 2019, the Critical Edition Series of Old Polish Literature was completed. It includes 20 volumes of texts in Polish and in Latin written in the lands of the Polish state between the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Several volumes have been published in digital form.
  • A substantial part of IBL’s budget comes from external grants obtained in competitive procedures, mainly from the National Research Centre, the National Programme for the Development of the Humanities, and the National Centre for Research and Development.

Research facilities:

  • IBL Library is considered Poland’s largest and best humanisties library. It holds expanding collections of foreign books and journals, and offers access to digital databases such as EBSCO (eBook Academic Collection).
  • IBL Publishing House publishes peer reviewed monographs and edited volumes by leading Polish researchers in the humanities, including those from outside of the Institute; it is also a publisher of several peer-reviewed scholarly journals in literary history, theory and criticism.
  • IBL’s headquarters are located in the Staszic Palace (Pałac Staszica), a historical building, that has hosted Polish scientific societies since the 1820s. The Palace is located in the heart of historic Warsaw, adjacent to a metro station. It is also close to the University of Warsaw and its Library, the National Library, and national and municipal archives. The Institute offers office space to fellows, as well as assistance through the HR department and Research Support Office.
  • There are Regional IBL research centres in Wrocław, Poznań and Toruń.
  • In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute launched a digital educational platform addressed to school and university students providing structured access to useful resources: on-line reference publications and compendia in literary and cultural studies (e.g. New Panorama of Polish Literature), and to digital resources on individual writers and topics. These existing resources are complemented by dedicated lectures (Master Lectures) by leading Polish literary studies scholars from IBL and other academic institutions.

Contact person:

Dr. Grzegorz Marzec
Associate Professor
Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs
grzegorz.marzec@ibl.waw.pl
(+48 22) 826 99 45