OUR TEAM'S RESEARCH

In August, Joanna Degler was in Vilnius conducting research, from where she brought back some very interesting materials, and a few months earlier, in April, Justyna Lisak conducted research in Vienna.
Below is a detailed description of her stay in the Austrian capital.

Archival and library research in the Austrian capital

In April this year, I had the pleasure of conducting archival and library research in beautiful Vienna. My trip was part of my research on discourses about the body in Jewish culture in the Austrian partition. Let me remind you that in our project, I deal with the context of German language and culture. I undertook the research trip to the imperial city primarily in the hope of finding materials in the central archives of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy concerning local administration within the monarchy, especially in Galicia. On this occasion, I also had the opportunity for the first time not only to learn about, but also to experience first-hand how Austrian bureaucracy works in terms of using the above-mentioned institutions. Among the institutions I visited were the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv (State and Court Archives), the Kriegsarchiv (War Archives), the Allgemeines Verwaltungs-, Finanz- und Hofkammerarchiv (General Administrative/Internal Affairs Archives), the Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv (Vienna City and State Archives) and the Archiv der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Wien (Archive of the Jewish Community in Vienna).

I also extended my archival research to include library research – I particularly enjoyed working at the Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek). The impressive library building, equipped with a spacious three-storey reading room, attracts crowds of visitors – from students and researchers to tourists. Thanks to my visits to this institution, I gained access to valuable literature in German on the topics I was analysing, such as the body and health in the context of the First World War.

Since a doctoral student's life is not all about work, during my research stay I was also able to immerse myself in the richness of Viennese – and at the same time Habsburg – history and culture. I am extremely pleased that during my three-week stay I was able to visit museums that I had not had the opportunity to see during my previous private visits to Vienna, such as the wonderful Museum of Literature and the house museums of prominent figures associated with the city, such as Freud and Beethoven.

As a great enthusiast of funerary art, I could not resist visiting two legendary Viennese cemeteries: the Zentraler Friedhof (Central Cemetery – the second largest cemetery in Europe) and the Friedhof der Namenlosen (Cemetery of the Nameless). I will certainly remember my research trip to the capital on the Danube with great fondness. I am very happy that my participation in the project Discourses on the Body in Jewish Culture in the Polish lands between 1880 and 1939 allowed me to experience the wonderful adventure that was my trip to Vienna, as well as to broaden my still relatively modest experience in the field of archival research.

CHANGES!

Dr hab. Mariusz Kałczewiak left our team on 31c July, but he will finish his tasks - he will write an article and will edit selected sources for our anthology.
From October we are going to have a new team member. We are also going to expand our team with new members.

Stay tuned!

OUR RESEARCH AT THE CONFERENCE IN SZCZECIN

8-9 May we are in Szczecin, where we are going to talk about our research at the Committee of Women's History Conference History of Health and Body from the Gender Perspective from the Middle Ages till Now.
More info: https://40.usz.edu.pl/konferencja-pt-historia-zdrowia-i-ciala-w-perspektywie-plci-od-sredniowiecza-do-wspolczesnosci/