Dr hab. Iwona Kurz (1972) is a historian of Polish modernity; her main fields of interest are: history of modern Polish culture in visual perspective, anthropology of body and gender, anthropology, and history of visual culture. In the years 2016-2024, director of the Institute, previously its deputy director (2012–2016) and head of the Department of Film and Visual Culture (2006–2014). In 2019–2024, chair of the Academic Council for Culture and Religion Studies and Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology UW. Dean of the Faculty of Polish Studies in term 2024–2028.
Classes taught: anthropology of visual culture, history of 19th century culture, history of 20th century culture, From photography to Facebook. Modern subject and visual media, Memory of Auschwitz, Photo-identity. Body and memory in visual culture (MA and BA seminar), workshop Media in culture, workshop of a critique, workshop Visual archives.
Author of Twarze w tłumie [Faces in the Crowd. Views of the heroes of collective imagination in Polish culture 1955–1969; Bolesław Michałek Award for the best film studies book in 2005; Nike Literary Award: short-listed for the best book in 2005] co-author of Obyczaje polskie. Wiek XX w krótkich hasłach [Polish Customs. The 20th Century in Short Entries, 2008], editor of Film i historia. Antologia [Film and History. Anthology, 2008; Rector of the University of Warsaw Prize]; co-author and co-editor of collective monographs Ślady Holokaustu w imaginarium kultury polskiej (Traces of the Holocaust in the imaginary of Polish culture, 2017), Ekspozycje nowoczesności. Wystawy a doświadczanie procesów modernizacyjnych w Polsce 1821–1929 [Displays of Modernity. Expositions and the experience of modernization processes in Poland 1821–1929; 2017] and Kultury antycypowanych przyszłości [Cultures of Anticipated Futures; 2020]; co-editor of readers Antropologia ciała (Anthropology of the Body, 2008) and Antropologia kultury wizualnej (Anthropology of Visual Culture, 2012), editor and co-translator of Jonathan Crary’s Suspension of Perception (2009). She is also a co-author of schoolbook for high schools Człowiek w kulturze (Man in culture, 2006).
In 1994–2008 she was a member of a team organising “Animacja Kultury” – special line of studies in culture animation – and coordinating international projects in this field financed by EU programme “Leonardo da Vinci”: ANIMA (1998–2001), ANIMUS (2001–2004) and ANIMATOR (2006–2008). Co-editor and co-author of publications on culture animation and participation: Culture Animation (2002), Now! Culture animation (2008), Locally: culture animation and community arts (2008). Member of the Program Council of The Forum for the Future of Culture (2016–2024) and Congresses of Culture in 2016 and 2024. Co-author of the cultural policy in Warsaw adopted in 2020.
Principal investigator of the research project „Visual Culture in Poland: language, concepts, meta-pictures” (NCN, programme OPUS, 2012/05/B/HS2/03985, 2013–2016). The main aim of the project was an „archeologic” reflection on seeing and its practices in Polish culture since the end of 19th century till nowadays. She was also a co-leader of project „Making and analysis of documentary sources in performing arts” (NPRH, 11H 11 017080) and participated in projects devoted to research on 19th century expositions and memory of Holocaust. Currently, she participates in the activities of the SOWA (Społeczne Obiegi Wiedzy Akademickiej – Social Circulations of Academic Knowledge) research network, which, among others, implements the grant “Social circulations of knowledge in practices of academic humanities” (NCN Opus-19, AMU).
She was a co-founder and co-editor (2013–2020) of academic journal View. Theories and Practices of Visual Culture”. She regularly publishes popular articles on visual arts in “Dwutygodnik.com”, “Kino” and “View”.
She is currently working on a book on visual forms of memory of Auschwitz and on narratives and representations of drinking alcohol in Polish culture.