Organizers

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, UNIVERSITY OF SILESIA

The Institute of Culture Studies was established in 1991 as a unit of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Silesia. Currently, following the reorganisation, it belongs to the Faculty of Humanities. The Institute’s name reflects the scope of research conducted at the Faculty, which addresses cultural issues from the perspective of such diverse disciplines as media studies, anthropology, social communication, aesthetics, theatre studies, literary studies, and film studies.

From its inception, the Institute has been known for its extensive and active collaboration with local, national, and international academic institutions, conducting and promoting interdisciplinary cultural research, organising events such as conferences, symposia, and art festivals, participating in prestigious publishing projects, promoting the Silesian region in Poland and abroad, and supporting education in the field of cultural studies.

Cultural Studies was established as a separate discipline at the University of Silesia in the mid-1970s to reflect and accommodate the growing interest in comprehensive research on all artistic matters. The range of interests of the Department of Culture Studies’ Faculty justified the creation of an autonomous, critically-informed academic program within the humanities. Over the years, Silesian Cultural Studies has become a hallmark. It is valued for its unique combination of anthropological reflection and a comprehensive approach to media across generations.

FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology is the leading university institution in the Upper Silesia region for the education of architects and urban planners, and one of Poland’s most thriving architecture schools. It continues the work of the pre-war Lviv Polytechnic, one of the oldest and most renowned scientific and technical institutions in Poland and Central Europe. The Silesian University of Technology has offered architectural studies almost since its inception in 1945, initially as the Department of Architecture within the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and then, from 1971, as the Institute of Architecture within the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture. The autonomous Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology was established in 1977.

The Faculty of Architecture is widely recognised for its role in promoting the Silesian School of Architecture, for its rational and functional approach, rooted in the rich tradition of the industrial and largely urbanised Upper Silesian region. The Faculty is currently one of Poland’s most influential and inspiring architectural communities. Since 1996, it has also served as a centre for qualitative research in architecture, establishing the renowned Silesian School of Qualitative Research. It is one of the best architecture schools in the annual national university rankings for research and practical education.