The Section specializes in research on Polish and international (audio)visual culture and in critical reflection on images in their various ontological forms and cultural contexts. Our members explore visual and audiovisual narratives—from painting, photography, and film to digital imagery—focusing on their anthropological, historical, and theoretical dimensions. Our primary methodological inspiration comes from visual culture studies, but we also draw on the work of other authors interested in visual practices, the history of vision, and the intersection of politics and the visual sphere. We seek to understand the role of the image and confront the widespread conviction about the dominant role played by images today. We regard images not only works of art, but primarily as “sociocultural facts.”
Key research areas include the history of cinema and other audiovisual media, film analysis, visual representations of race, class, and gender, as well as the different areas of contemporary digital culture—such as video games and social media. We also investigate visual imaginaries of scientific and technological changes and their cultural significance.
Faculty
dr hab. Justyna Jaworska, ja.jaworska2@uw.edu.pl
mgr Agata Koprowicz, a.koprowicz@uw.edu.pl
dr hab. Iwona Kurz, prof. ucz., i.kurz@uw.edu.pl
prof. dr hab. Seweryn Kuśmierczyk, s.kusmierczyk@uw.edu.pl
dr Konrad Sierzputowski, k.sierzputowski@uw.edu.pl
dr hab. Magda Szcześniak, (Deputy Director for Academic Affairs), magda.szczesniak@uw.edu.pl
dr Matylda Szewczyk, (Head of Section), mszewczyk@uw.edu.pl
dr Łukasz Zaremba, lukasz.zaremba@uw.edu.pl
dr Agata Zborowska, a.zborowska@uw.edu.pl, on leave 2023-2026
Graduate students
mgr Antonina Gugała, antonina.gugala@uw.edu.pl
mgr Łukasz Kiełpiński, l.kielpinski@uw.
mgr Rita Müller, rj.muller@uw.edu.pl
mgr Bartosz Nowak, bj.nowak2@uw.edu.pl
mgr Michał Piasecki, piasecki.michal2@gmail.com