Izabella Kimak

Dr Izabella Kimak is a Lecturer at the Department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. Her work focuses on ethnic minority literature in the U.S., corporeality in American culture, and urban narratives, with a particular emphasis on Polish-American and South Asian American writing. She holds a PhD (2011) and MA (2003) from UMCS, both examining diasporic female identity.

• PhD: Women at Cultural Crossroads (UMCS, 2011)
• MA: Native American Women in Their Own Eyes (UMCS, 2003)

Her research explores intersections of ethnic identity, gender, and urban spaces, evidenced by her 2023 grant Sweet Home Chicago? on Polish migration literature and 2021 Kosciuszko Foundation fellowship at Northwestern University. Publications span analyses of Bharati Mukherjee, Chicago’s racial dynamics, and edited volumes on post-millennial cultural exhaustion.

Key publication trends include Polish-American migration (2024), diaspora myth-making (2022), and postcolonial urbanism (2014). She contributes to editorial boards of Polish Journal for American Studies (2015–2024) and WiN (2019–2023), and co-leads the EAAS Women’s Network (2024–2026).

Active in academic collaborations and co-authoring works like the 2023 Memory, Identity, Belonging, she has participated in conferences and research exchanges, including the 2009 JFK Institute Library fellowship in Berlin and the 2007 HCA Spring Academy in Heidelberg. Her expertise also extends to translation between Polish and English.