Katarzyna Wyrzykowska

Dr. Katarzyna Wyrzykowska is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS PAN) in Warsaw, where she conducts research on the sociology of music, cultural stratification, and lifestyle studies. She is a member of the Team for Research on Social Structure and has held significant leadership positions within the Polish Sociological Association, including her current role as a Member of the Board of the Art Sociology Section since 2025.

Dr. Wyrzykowska earned her PhD from the School of Social Sciences at IFiS PAN with a dissertation on youth participation in musical culture as an element of lifestyle. Her academic journey began with a Master's degree in Sociology from the University Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski in Warsaw, where she specialized in intercultural communication and completed research on Erasmus program participation and cross-cultural perception.

Her research primarily focuses on how musical tastes function as markers of social distinction in contemporary Poland. In her current OPUS13 grant project 'Musical Distinctions,' she examines the relationship between musical preferences and social stratification, investigating how historical transformations since 1989 have shaped Polish musical culture. Her work challenges simplistic notions of cultural democratization, revealing complex patterns where musical taste continues to function as a mechanism of social distinction despite apparent cultural leveling.

Dr. Wyrzykowska's publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory of scholarly contribution to the sociology of culture, with particular emphasis on music. Her recent work explores topics such as class distances in Polish television consumption, educational practices and cultural transmission in families, and the homology of musical tastes in Poland.

• 'Wszyscy ludzie są równi, a ja nie jestem snobem…': O strategiach różnicowania i oceny w obszarze muzyki (2025)
• Dla kogo Thermomix, a dla kogo Bentley? Symboliczne i "obiektywne" dystanse klasowe w Polsce (2025)
• Seriale telewizyjne a dystanse klasowe w Polsce (2023)
• Praktyki wychowawcze a transmisja wzorów kulturowych w rodzinie (2022)
• The Homology of Musical Tastes in Poland (2020)

As an educator, Dr. Wyrzykowska has taught sociology students at the University Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski (2012-2016) and the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Techniques (2016). Her teaching experience spans cultural anthropology, contemporary sociological theories, and social informatics, demonstrating her commitment to sharing knowledge about cultural sociology with students across disciplines.

Dr. Wyrzykowska is also an active participant in academic discourse, regularly presenting at national and international conferences on topics ranging from the sociology of music to cultural participation and social stratification. Her research has practical implications for cultural policy and music education in Poland, bridging theoretical insights with real-world applications.