What's New in our Journal, the Polish American Studies?

One of the most important projects of the Polish American Historical Association is the publication of its peer-reviewed scholarly journal that appears twice per year and is now printed by the University of Illinois Press.  The Polish American Studies journal is edited by Dr. Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann (Eastern Connecticut State University), supported by the following team of scholars.  

• Book Review Editor: Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University
• Book Review Editor for Poland: Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk, Poland

Editorial Board

• M. B. B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University
• Tobias Brinkmann, Pennsylvania State University
• John J. Bukowczyk, Wayne State University
• Silvia Dapia, John Jay College, CUNY
• William J. Galush, Loyola University Chicago
• Ann Hetzel Gunkel, Columbia College Chicago
• Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College
• Karen Majewski, University of Michigan
• Thomas J. Napierkowski, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
• Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
• Angela Pienkos, Polish Center Wisconsin
• James S. Pula, Purdue University
• John Radziłowski, University of Alaska - Southeast
• Francis D. Raška, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
• Suzanne R. Sinke, Florida State University
• Dariusz Stola, Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw, Poland
• Adam Walaszek, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
• Joanna Wojdon, University of Wrocław, Poland

The tables of contents  for the past four issues from 2015 and 2016 are copied below.  In order to read recent articles, you have to be a member of PAHA. Older texts may be ordered from JSTOR (the cost of JSTOR subscription is included in the full membership fee, or you can pay per each article).

Polish American Studies, Vol. 72, no 1 (Spring 2015)

Articles:

• Troubles with “Mela”: A Polish American Reporter, the Secret Services of People’s Poland, and the FBI – by Paweł Ziętara
• Cold War Airwaves: The Polish American Congress and the Justice for Poland Campaign – by Robert Szymczak
• Leaving Kożuchów, a Village in Dobrzechów Parish, Galicia – by Patricia B. Yocum
• The Khaki Boys Series: Images of Polish Americans, 1918-1920 – by Thomas J. Napierkowski

Polish American Studies, Vol. 72, no. 2 (Autumn 2015)

Articles:

• The Polish Political System in Exile, by Sławomir Łukasiewicz
• Exiles and the Homeland: The State of Research, by Paweł Ziętara
• Polish Political Emigration in the 1980s: Current Research, Perspectives and Challenges, by Patryk Pleskot
• Political Emigration from East Central Europe During the Cold War, by Anna Mazurkiewicz
• Perspectives on Research on the Post-1939 History of Polish Americans, by Joanna Wojdon 

Polish American Studies Vol. 73, no. 2 (Fall 2016):

Articles:

• James S. Pula: Bibliography of Works, by Thomas Duszak
• Introducing the Polish Experience into American History, by James S. Pula
• “So They Will Know their Heritage:” Reflections on Research post Polish Americans, by Mary Patrice Erdmans
• Has the “Salt Water Curtain” Been Raised Up? Globalizing Historiography of Polish America, by Adam Walaszek
• Writing Poland and America: Polish American Fiction in the Twenty First Century, by Grażyna J. Kozaczka
• Polonia’s Ambassador to the United States:  The Mystery of Jerzy Jan Sosnowski, 1917-1918, by M. B. B. Biskupski

Polish American Studies Vol. 73, no. 1 (Spring 2016):

Forum:

• Bringing the Notion of “Ethclass” to Life: Victor Greene’s Contributions to the History of American Industrial Workers, by Ewa Morawska
• Victor Greene, the Immigration and Ethnic History Society, and Urban Studies, by Ronald Bayor
• Victor Greene: Colleague, Friend, and Mensch, by Dominic A. Pacyga
• Victor Greene, the Polish Immigrant Miner, and the Origins of the New Labor History, by James R. Barrett
• Remembering Victor Greene, by James S. Pula
• Victor Greene as Immigration Historian: Themes and Contexts, by Dorothee Schneider

Articles:

• Were There Really Poles in New-Netherland? by James S. Pula and Pien Versteegh
• Crossing the Boundaries of Modernity: The Post-Abolition Journey of Polish Peasants to the United States, by Marta Cieślak
• Nationally and Religiously: Commemorations in the Life of the Polish Diaspora in Sweden, 1945-1989, by Arnold Kłonczyński

List of articles from the earlier volumes of the Polish American Studies may be found on the PAHA website.

Nominate Scholars, Artists, Writers, and Community Activists for PAHA Awards - by June 1, 2017

Painting by Julian Stanczak, winner of the 2014 Creative Arts Prize

The PAHA Awards Committee seeks nominations for awards and prizes to be granted by the Polish American Historical Association at its 75th Anniversary Meeting in Washington D.C. in January 2018. We ask all interested parties to send nominations until June 1, 2017, so a slate of candidates may be presented at the PAHA Board Meeting in Kraków in June 2017.

Self-nominations will be accepted. The nomination should consist of name of the candidate, his/her biography note and the reason that they deserve the specific award they are nominated for, as well as the contact information for the candidate (in case of awards being made).

All nomination should be sent by email to the Chair of the PAHA Awards Committee, Dr. Iwona Drag-Korga: I.korga@pilsudski.org

PAHA seeks nominations for the following awards:

• Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.
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• Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.
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• Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.
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• Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.
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• Creative Arts Prize  recognizes the contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas.

• Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish-American experience and/or have made significant contributions to Polish or Polish-American community and culture.

In addition at its 75th Anniversary Meeting in Washington, D.C., PAHA will also present the Swastek Prize for the best paper published in the Polish American Studies, and the Graduate Student Travel Grant that was announced earlier.

Letter from the President, Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz

Dear Members of PAHA,

It is with great delight that I address this letter to you in the newly assumed capacity of a President of the Polish American Historical Association. As the first President of PAHA who  permanently lives and works in Poland I consider it a great personal honor and a sign of trust that Poland and its academics are free, independent and equal partners to their American colleagues.

As with any academic organization my primary task is to serve its membership.I am indebted to my esteemed predecessor – Dr. Grazyna Kozaczka - who provided an outstanding service to our organization and I hope I will be able to live up to standards she set for this position. I would like to welcome new council members who will be joining the PAHA Board for the term 2017-2018: Dr. Dominic Pacyga, Bożena Nowicka McLees, Dr. Joanna Wojdon; and thank these esteemed scholars who had completed their service. Dr. Thomas Napierkowski, Dr. Ann Gunkel, and Marta Cieślak all gave their time and skills to PAHA – a voluntary, professional organization established to study and promote the Polish American history and culture – Thank You!

I am taking over the presidency at the time PAHA is in excellent shape – thriving academically as evidenced by our conferences and the content of the peer-reviewed academic journal Polish American Studies proficiently edited by Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann. With young and emerging scholars as well as fellow academics studying other ethnic groups joining us for the conferences and publications, PAHA’s network is expanding. At the same time interest in our activities among Polonia grows largely due to untiring efforts of our Communications Director Dr. Maja Trochimczyk. Our Facebook page maintained by Dr. Stephen Leahy has already attracted close to five thousand users.

Taking all of this into consideration, my main task is to keep the momentum going – with the help of the talent of our newly elected First Vice President – Dr. Anna Muller, management skills of our Executive Director – Dr. Pien Versteegh and the financial genius of Treasurer Dr. James Pula.

The new term opened with a PAHA Annual Conference held in Denver in January 2017.  In addition to the most interesting papers delivered at the Convention Center, PAHA’s meeting in the “Mile-High City” meant also meeting the Polonia of Colorado. The PAHA Awards Ceremony was held at the Dom Polski in Denver. It’s president Katarzyna Zak opened the doors of the Polish Home to PAHA offering its outstanding hospitality to the members and invited guests of honor. With the assistance of the Polish consulate in Los Angeles (consul Ignacy Zarski) the awards ceremony was enriched with a concert by two Polish American musicians: Karolina Naziemiec and Robert Lewandowski.

Writing this letter in Gdansk, I have to add that I plan to use the opportunity resulting from my location to strengthen the already established bridges of academic collaboration to promote PAHA and its accomplishments among wider audiences in Poland.PAHA’s mid-year meeting will take place in Kraków in conjunction the 6th World Congress of Polish Studies which will be held on June 16-18, 2017 in Krakow. PAHA is also co-sponsoring a conference organized by the Emigration Museum in Gdynia on September 21-22, 2017 which will be entirely devoted to the Polish diaspora in North America.

Should you have any ideas for the PAHA Board and Officers, or wish to initiate a project related to the Polish American experience - I certainly would like to hear from you. After all, any professional organization can only be as strong as its membership!

Anna Mazurkiewicz
University of Gdansk, Poland
President of the Polish American Historical Association


NOTE: This letter is reprinted from the Spring 2017 Issue of PAHA Newsletter.