Iwona Kurz

Iwona Kurz is a historian of modern Polish culture, film scholar, and researcher of visual culture, with a focus on gender, the body, and memory studies. She has held leadership roles at the Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw, including Director (2016–2024), Deputy Director (2012–2016), and Head of the Department of Film and Visual Culture (2006–2014). Currently serving as Dean of the Faculty of Polish Studies (2024–2028), she teaches courses such as Anthropology of Visual Culture and The Memory of Auschwitz.

• Key Affiliations:
  • Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw
  • Faculty of Polish Studies, University of Warsaw
  • SOWA (Social Circulations of Academic Knowledge) research network

Research Interests span visual culture, film studies, gender and sexuality, cultural animation, and Holocaust memory. Her work interrogates the interplay between historical narratives, visual media, and societal practices.

Recent Publications and projects emphasize visual epistemology, museum studies, and postmodern cultural practices. She co-founded the journal Widok. Theories and Practices of Visual Culture and contributed to debates on Polish cultural policy.

Scientific Awards

• Nike Award nomination (2005)
• Michałek Award for film studies (2005)
• Rector's Award of the University of Warsaw (2008)

Grants and Collaborations include EU-funded cultural animation projects (ANIMA, ANIMUS, ANIMATOR) and NCN research initiatives like 'Visual Culture in Poland' and 'Social Circulations of Academic Humanities.'