dr hab. Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska
For years: 2022–2027
Project number: 101041946
ERC Starting Grant
Ghosts are often presented as the spirits of the dead haunting the living. But what if we understood them as material remains, bringing to light overlooked past and enabling us to grasp the experience of the otherness? We propose such an approach in research on displacement, on territories previously inhabited by one culture but after a forced migration resettled by another one.
The displacement comprises expulsion and resettlement. While the former is well-researched, much of the latter remains understudied: especially the settlers’ experiences with things previous inhabitants had left behind. Things act as “ghosts” of previous culture and force settlers to interact with the “spectral” presence of the expellees. Hence, we will operationalize the category of “post-displacement” as a form of afterlife, based on archival records and fieldwork, in 3 regions in Slavic Central Europe where the traces of previous German cultures remained visible, regardless of the efforts to remove them. With hauntology as the proposed research framework and introduction of the category of recycling, we will establish a novel approach in research on the post-displacement regions. Hauntology, a spectral theory of being, shows how the present is pervaded by the past and enables us to engage with unresolved questions, becoming a tool to investigate unexplained phenomena. Recycling is a mechanism of reintroducing the things that were left by expellees into the life of the settlers. Our approach will bring fresh insights into everyday life in the post-displacement regions by providing a more nuanced and coherent understanding of forced migration processes and their continuous reinterpretations in different political and ideological regimes. In understanding what post-displacement things are and the attitude of people towards them, the project presents a showcase study of what we can learn about the emergence of new cultures from the experiences of Central Europe.
Discover Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska’s thoughtful vignette exploring how the idea of Pomerania is shaped both personally and politically. Drawing on her own memories and experiences, she reflects on shifting perceptions of the region and offers fresh insights into what Pomerania means today. Read the full post to see how intimate stories and administrative borders come together to define a place.
Link to the blog post you can find here.
In the latest issue of the Acta Universitatis Carolinae – Studia Territorialia you can find an article written by Magdalena Bubík, titled “Cieszyn Friendship Bridge and its ghosts: the changing role of a bridge that unites and divides two countries”.
Magdalena’s article explores the changing symbolic and social role of the Friendship Bridge in Cieszyn, a town divided between Poland and Czechia by the Olza River. Once part of a militarized border zone, the bridge has evolved into a space of remembrance, reconciliation, and everyday cross-border connections. Drawing on interviews, autoethnography, archival research, and media analysis, the study shows how major political events – from the fall of communism to European integration and the COVID-19 border closures – have left their mark on the bridge’s landscape and meaning. Using the concept of hauntology, the article examines the “ghosts of the bridge”: the memories, stories, and urban traces that shape local identity and reveal how contested histories continue to influence collective belonging.
Link to the article you can find here.
Last Wednesday, following the Polish Day of Independence, our team gathered to read and discuss Spectral Borders: History, Neighbourliness and Discord on the Polish-Belarusian Frontier by Aimée Joyce (Sean Kingston Publishing, 2024). The session resulted in a heated exchange around the book’s main arguments and methods.
The discussion began with a short round of first impressions on the content of the book, followed by an open conversation about its key themes. We reflected on how the author’s approach relates to our research and considered how the book’s ideas might inform our project. Particular attention was given to the way the text handles questions of specters, visions of borderlands, and ethical challenges of anonymization and presentation of the fieldwork. Our debate was influenced by the fact that two of our team members (Karolina and Karina) conducted a fieldwork in the eastern Polish borderlands as well. We discussed how our positionality and our relationship with the region affected our reading of the book.
The conversation concluded with reflections on how this book contributes to ongoing questions about hauntology as a metaphor, method, and theoretical framework. Overall, the meeting provided space for thinking collaboratively about how scholarship continues to evolve through shared reading and discussion.
At the beginning of November, Magdalena spent a week in Vienna as part of the “Young Researchers in Vienna – 2nd Edition” program. Her stay in the capital of the former Habsburg Monarchy provided an excellent opportunity to explore the University of Vienna’s library resources. Still, the highlight of her visit was a research lecture in the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Vienna, during which Magdalena presented the theoretical and methodological framework of her doctoral work and shared a case study on the painting of Jesus in Liberec. The presentation sparked a lively discussion with students, faculty members, and guest listeners — in English, Polish, and Czech. This time in Vienna was exceptionally productive and inspiring, offering valuable feedback and new ideas for the next stages of her research.
The visit was made possible thanks to the support of the Polish Academy of Sciences Scientific Station in Vienna and the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Vienna, represented by Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Stefan-Michael Newerkla.
