Calls for Proposals from Our Friends - PSA and PIASA

CFP FROM THE POLISH INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES OF AMERICA DUE BY APRIL 15, 2018

The Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences of America is pleased to invite presentation proposals for our 76th Annual Conference to be held at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University in New York City, June 8-9, 2018.

Proposals are solicited for complete sessions or individual papers in any of the disciplines in the liberal arts, sciences, or business/economics. Since the Institute values comparative sessions, individual papers need not focus on Poland or the Polish diaspora, but it is hoped that at least one paper in each session will do so. Sessions including presenters from more than one nation are encouraged. Each session is scheduled for 90 minutes to accommodate three/four papers (20 minutes each).

The conference language is English and all conference rooms will be equipped with AV for the use of PowerPoints and CD/DVD presentations. It is expected that acceptable conference papers will be submitted for possible publication in The Polish Review subsequent to the conference.

To submit a paper or complete session, please send the name, e-mail address, institutional affiliation, a tentative paper title and brief abstract for all presenters to the chair of the program committee at alicia.brzyska1@gmail.com. The deadline for proposals is April 15, 2018. All participants are expected to pay the conference registration fee


CFP FROM THE POLISH STUDIES ASSOCIATION DUE ON MARCH 15, 2018


ATTN: YOUNG SCHOLARS WORKING ON POLAND

The Polish Studies Association is pleased to announce its inaugural Dissertation Research Award. This award, in the amount of $2000, aims to assist dissertation research on any topic in the humanities and social sciences that makes significant contributions to the study of Poland and/or
Poland in a global context. Applications and letter of recommendation are due
03/15/2018.

Grant Requirements:
1) A two-page, single-spaced research proposal that outlines the project, methodologies and sources, and contribution to existing literature, as well as specifies how research funds will advance project (e.g., for obtaining sources in archive X or conducting interviews in Y)
2) CV
3) A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s dissertation advisor

Grant Regulations:
1) Applicants must be PhD students working on a topic related to Poland.
2) There are no citizenship requirements for this grant.
3) Applicants must be members of the Polish Studies Association at the time of their application.
4) Graduate students at any stage in their program are invited to apply, though preference will be given to those who have reached ABD status.
5) Grant monies are to be used for research-related purposes, e.g. travel, research materials, visas, etc. and should not be used to pay for tuition at their home institutions.
6) Research is expected to be conducted within 12 months of receipt of funds.

The Polish Studies Association (PSA) is an organization of scholars,  publishers, librarians, archivists, and journalists who specialize in the history, culture, art, politics, economics, and society of Poland. To submit  applications, CVs, and letters of recommendation, or for information about the Award or membership, please contact Michał Wilczewski (mwilcz5@uic.edu  [1]) or Kathleen Wroblewski (mwroblew@umich.edu [2])

Ambassador Piotr Wilczek Welcomes PAHA at 2017 Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C.

The 75th Annual Meeting of the Polish American Historical Association in Washington D.C. featured PAHA's Awards Ceremony held on January 6, 2018 at the Residence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Prof. Piotr Wilczek.  The event began with a welcome by the Ambassador himself, reproduced below, with his permission. The list of awards and awardees may be found on this blog.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

Let me start by saying that I am very happy to be the host this evening of the annual Polish American Historical Association Gala dinner. As a Professor of the history of literature, I am both honored and pleased to welcome for the first time PAHA members to my residence.

We are meeting today to present the Polish American Historical Association’s Prizes and Awards. These include: the Haiman Award for sustained scholarly effort in the field of Polish American Studies, the Halecki Prize for the best book on a Polish American topic, and the annual Swastek Prize for the best article appearing in Polish American Studies, which are all widely recognized in the community of Academic Historians.

Events such as today offer us an opportunity to celebrate all that PAHA and its members accomplished this past year, and to recommit ourselves to work even harder for our common good in the year to come. I would personally like to take a moment to thank all those gathered here this evening, as well as those who could not make it but who nevertheless have contributed to the storied history of the Polish American Historical Association. Your dedication and hard work are known, appreciated, and very important for the Polish-American community.

Since its founding during the tumultuous and uncertain days of World War II to today, PAHA has become a modern, interdisciplinary academic and professional organization with a diverse, international membership of individuals and institutions. As a scholar and Ambassador, I can attest that PAHA is an organization that all of Polonia can be proud of, and should appreciate for their important work.

Ladies and gentlemen, all of you here in the audience need no reminder that we have just inaugurated our centennial year of Poland’s rebirth, and what an incredible opportunity this presents for Poles everywhere to celebrate our history. As the Ambassador in Washington, D.C. I look forward to this centennial not only to celebrate with Polonia, but also to remind our American friends and partners the rich history of our relations. I am sure that many of you know that Monday is the anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points Address. Anniversaries such as this present scholars, teachers, but also diplomats and journalists opportunities to reinvigorate public memory of these momentous events and their lasting ramifications.  Throughout the year and years to come we will celebrate those great heroes on whose shoulders we stand today, especially those with ties also to the United States. Here specifically I am thinking  about Ignacy Jan Paderewski – a great pianist, composer, statesman, prime minister, close friend of President Woodrow Wilson. I am pleased that PAHA has also decided to commemorate Him this evening.

In closing, I wish you a memorable evening and very productive meeting tomorrow. I hope that when you return home from this 75th jubilee conference in Washington you will again take up the challenge of uncovering Polish American history and bringing Poland and the United States closer together.

On the beginning of a new year I wish you all the best in your personal and professional life. I believe that your professional successes are the best possible way to promote Polish history and culture, and to shape the image of Poland – a country which is worth visiting, getting to know, and cooperating with.

Madame President Mazurkiewicz, the floor is yours.

AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND

PROFESSOR PIOTR WILCZEK

Ambassador Piotr Wilczek

Photo: Karolina Siemion-Bielska/MSZ

Ambassador Piotr Wilczek was born on 26 April 1962, in Chorzów, Poland. A prolific literary scholar, intellectual historian, writer, and translator, he graduated in 1986 from the University of Silesia in Katowice, where he also received his Ph.D. (1992) and Habilitation (2001). Recruited by his Alma Mater, he remained there until 2008 as a professor and Faculty Dean. His interests include comparative literature, philology, and intellectual history that form the culture and geography of knowledge across time. In 2006, he received the title of Professor of the Humanities from the President of the Republic of Poland.

In 2008, he joined the University of Warsaw faculty at the new, experimental Artes Liberales program. He became the Founding Director of Collegium Artes Liberales (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) where he helped establish and chaired Centre for the Study of the Reformation and Intellectual Culture in Early-Modern Europe. Since 2010, he has also been at the helm of the Artes Liberales Doctoral Studies Program. An international scholar active in Europe and the United States, he has been promoting liberal arts education, which breaks the existing barriers between narrow fields of specialization traditionally favored in the continental Europe.

His commitment to interdisciplinary approach to learning draws on his own engagement with international studies, scholarly exchanges, and cultural diplomacy. A recipient of numerous grants and scholarships, he conducted postgraduate research in intellectual history at Oxford’s St Anne’s College in 1988 and completed two postdoctoral projects at the Warburg Institute, University of London, in 1996 and 1998. Twice, he was visiting translator at The British Centre for Literary Translation, University of East Anglia. In the United States from 1998 to 2001, he taught Polish literature and language as a visiting professor at Rice University, the University of Illinois, and the University of Chicago. He was invited to give public lectures at Harvard University and the University of Texas at Austin and conducted research as a visiting scholar at Boston College and Cleveland State University.

Piotr Wilczek is an active member of the Warsaw-based non-partisan American Study Group at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, which brings together experts, journalist, and academics who comment on political and cultural developments in the United States and analyze their implications for Poland, Europe, and the trans-Atlantic alliance. Until his diplomatic appointment in the US, he was Representative in Poland of the New York-based Kosciuszko Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educational, cultural, and artistic exchange between the United States and Poland. He also served as President of the Foundation’s affiliate in Warsaw.

Piotr Wilczek authored and edited 22 published monographs and more than 100 journal articles which appeared in Poland, the UK, and the United States, both in English and Polish. He belongs to a number of professional groups and associations and is a board member of various international scholarly journals, book series, advisory councils, and academic and educational initiatives in Europe and the United States.

On 21 October 2016 the President of the Republic of Poland nominated him Ambassador to the United States and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

"PAHA: A 75th Anniversary History" by James S. Pula

PAHA: A 75th Anniversary History of the Polish American Historical Association

Edited by James S. Pula (PAHA, 2017). 212 Pages. Available on Amazon.com

In 2018, PAHA is celebrating its 75th Anniversary.  Established in 1943 as a Commission for Research on Polish Immigration within the newly formed Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, the organization assumed its current name and incorporated as an autonomous nonprofit scholarly association in 1948.  PAHA's Mission is described as follows:

• To promote the study of Polish American history and culture as part of the greater Polish diaspora.

• To encourage and disseminate scholarly research and publication on the Polish American experience in the fields of history, the social sciences, the humanities and the arts, and advance scholarly collaboration across disciplines

• To support collection and preservation of historical sources regarding the Polish past in America

In order to fulfill this mission, PAHA publishes a scholarly journal, Polish American Studies, and a semiannual newsletter, sponsors books on Polish American experience, organizes annual conferences, and researches the activities of the American Polonia and the Polish diaspora on other continents.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The PAHA 75th Anniversary History was edited by James S. Pula to commemorate the history, changing goals and lasting achievements of the organization. The volume contains reprints of earlier histories of PAHA published in the Polish American Studies by Konstantin Symmons-Symonolewicz, Anthony F. Turhollow, John J. Bukowczyk, Anna D. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann. These histories are   complemented with the update bringing the account to the present era by James S. Pula.  A valuable section of the Anniversary History consists of appendices listing PAHA founding members, presidents, and award winners. 

PAHA 75th Anniversary History and Books by PAHA Members

CONTENTS

Preface, by Anna Mazurkiewicz, PAHA President (2017-18) - p. vii
Introduction, by James S. Pula - p. xi
A Special “Thank You” to the Skalny Family - p. xv

CHAPTERS

1. Polish American Studies, 1942-1970: An Overview, by Konstantin Symmons-Symonolewicz - p.1

2. The Polish American Historical Association: An Act of Faith, by Anthony F. Turhollow - p.17

3. “Harness for Posterity the Values of a Nation”: Fifty Years of the Polish American Historical Association and Polish American Studies, by John J. Bukowczyk - p. 25

4. The Polish American Historical Association: Looking Back, Looking Forward, by Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann - p. 129

5. Celebrating the Past, Preparing for the Future, by James S. Pula - p. 155

APPENDICES

6. Appendix A: List of Members of the Commission for Research on Polish Immigration - p. 181
7. Appendix B: The Polish-American Historical Commission - p.182
8. Appendix C: Presidents of the Polish American Historical Association  -p.  183
9. Appendix D: Editors of Polish American Studies - p. 184
10. Appendix E: The Mieczysław Haiman Award - p.184
11. Appendix F: The Oskar Halecki Prize  - p. 185
12. Appendix G: The Joseph Swastek Prize - p. 189
13. Appendix H: The Distinguished Service Award - p. 191
14. Appendix I: The Skalny Civic Achievement Award - p. 192
15. Appendix J: The Creative Arts Prize - p. 194
16. Appendix K; The Amicus Poloniae Award  - p. 194
17. Appendix L: The Graduate Student Award - p. 195
18. Appendix M: The Kulczycki Prize - p. 195
19. Officers and Council for 2017-2018 - p. 196

THE EDITOR

James S. Pula is Professor of History at Purdue University North Central. The author and editor of more than a dozen books on the Polish diaspora and the American Civil War, he served as editor-in-chief of The Polish American Encyclopedia and was the editor of the academic journal Polish American Studies for some 33 years. He has for many years been a member of the Boards of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association and the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences of America. His work has been honored with the Mieczysław Haiman Award for sustained scholarly contributions (1988), the Distinguished Service Award from the American Council for Polish Culture, and three Oskar Halecki Prizes for: The Polish American Encyclopedia (Editor, 2011), Polish Americans: An Ethnic Community (1995), and United We Stand: The Role of Polish Workers in the New Mills Textile Strikes , 1912 and 1916, co-authored with Eugene E. Dziedzic (1991). He is the recipient of the Rudewicz Medal, and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2014).

PAHA's 2017 Awards Presented at its 75th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.

The Ambassador Prof. Piotr Wilczek welcomes guests, Photo by Marcin Szerle.

The 75th Annual Meeting of the Polish American Historical Association in Washington D.C. featured PAHA's Awards Ceremony held on January 6, 2018 at the Residence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Prof. Piotr Wilczek.  The event began with a welcome by the Ambassador himself who praised PAHA for its contributions to scholarly research and promotion of Polish American history and culture.  Ambassador Wilczek reminded the audience that the year 2018 marks the centennial of Poland's independence.

Ambassador Wilczek with  art installation honoring Paderewski

PAHA President, Prof. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdansk, presented the rich and fruitful history of PAHA and its role in stimulating and expanding the field of research into Polish American topics - history, culture, sociology, politics, and more.  Prof. Mazurkiewicz stated: "2018 is a very special year – it marks the centennial of Poland’s rebirth. It also marks 75 years since the establishment of PAHA. During our meeting tonight we shall begin to celebrate both. In my capacity as PAHA’s President I would now like to officially inaugurate the observance of the 75th Anniversary of PAHA’s founding. That is, the founding of the oldest, continuously existing, scholarly organization devoted to the study and promotion of the Polish American experience."

Prof. Anna Mazurkewicz, PAHA President. Photo by Marcin Szerle.

Prof. Mazurkewicz also reminded the listeners that "The membership in PAHA is not restricted to historians. One does not have to be an academic. One does not have to be of Polish origin to join. Polish language is not required either. What is required is the passion for the study, preservation and promotion of the Polish experience in the Americas."

Prof. Mazurkiewicz  presents PAHA History edited by James S. Pula. Photo by Marcin Szerle

Finally, she discussed current PAHA projects and the ways the organization will celebrate its 75th Anniversary: "Among the anniversary celebrations we have planned for 2018 there is: a conference at Loyola University in Chicago which will be held on September 7-9, 2018. There is also a special Anniversary publication initiated and edited by James Pula, published with the support of the PAHA Board that covers the entire history of PAHA . The 75th years described in this volume are presented through the eyes of PAHA members at various periods of Association’s history – including texts by former presidents who continue their work for PAHA, Prof. John Bukowczyk, Prof. Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann and the editor of the volume Prof. James S. Pula. Together with appendices listing the former officials and awardees – for the first time gathered in a single publication, I am not shy to say, we have a complete account of the 75-year long history with all the historical flavors of the times and phases this organization went through."

Dr. Maja Trochimczyk reads Paderewski-themed poems, with Paderewski piano rolls as decoration.

Prior to presenting PAHA Awards and Awardees, Prof. Mazurkiewicz invited Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, PAHA Board Secretary and Communications Director to present a program: "Poland 1918-2018: Remembering Ignacy Jan Paderewski." The presentation featured Paderewski playing Paderewski on piano rolls recorded on CD and in a fragment of "The Moonlight Sonata" film of 1937, a display of Paderewski piano rolls and vintage postcards, and a recitation of Paderewski-themed poetry celebrating his advocacy on behalf of Poland that resulted in adding Poland's independence as point 13 to President Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points for the Paris Peace Conference in 1918. Poignantly, Paderewski's last composition was the 1917 hymn for the Polish troops gathered in Canada and the U.S., "Hej Orle Bialy!" He sacrifices his musical talents to serve the Polish cause. His role as Poland's "savior" was praised by American poets Robert Underwood Johnson, John Huston Finley and Charles Phillips. (See the images and full text of this presentation on Trochimczyk's Chopin with Cherries blog, or watch Paderewski play in  the film The Moonlight Sonata of 1937).

Assisted by PAHA's Executive Director, Prof. Pien Versteegh, PAHA President presented the following Awards and Prizes to distinguished individuals selected by the Awards Committee chaired by PAHA's Second Vice-President and Executive Director of the Pilsudski Institute, Dr. Iwona Drag-Korga.

Katalin Kadar Lynn accepts Halecki Prize for Joanna Wojdon. Photo by Maja Trochimczyk.

1. OSKAR HALECKI PRIZE - DR. JOANNA WOJDON

The 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 award.  The 2017 Halecki Prize was presented to Joanna Wojdon for White and Red Umbrella: The Polish American Congress in the Cold War Era 1944-1988 (Helena History Press, 2017). The award was received by the publisher, Katalin Kadar Lynn, Publisher of Helena History Press and faculty member at Eotvos Lorand University. (For the list of past winners visit this page of PAHANews blog)

The White and Red Umbrella recounts the goals and everyday activities of the Polish American Congress under the presidencies of Charles Rozmarek (1944-1968) and Aloysius Mazewski (1968-1988) who shaped the organization's image in the Cold War era. It deals with the issues of both the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the PAC in representing Polish American interests, as a coordinator of various Polish American endeavors, as a lobbying organization, and as an institution providing cultural and social unity for Americans of Polish descent in America. It discusses internal and external factors that influenced the Congress and portrays the personalities of it’s activists and examines the PAC’s achievements and failures.

Joanna Wojdon is an Associate Professor at the Institute of History, University of Wroclaw. The history of Polish Americans after World War II is one of her major research interests, alongside the history of education under communism. Her research in the Polish American archives was made possible thanks to a Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship(2003) and a Fulbright Senior Award (2014).

2. MIECISLAUS HAIMAN AWARD - DR. JOANNA WOJDON

The Miecislaus Haiman Award of the Polish American Historical Association is "offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans."  These Awards commemorate a historian, writer, journalist, translator and Polonia activist, Mieczyslaw Haiman (1888-1949), who was the first director of the Polish Museum of America, and the first historian of American Polonia. (For the list of past winners visit this page of PAHANews blog).

The Haiman Award Joanna Wojdon's seminal works on the Polish American Congress ["W imieniu sześciu milionów..." Kongres Polonii Amerykańskiej w latach 1944-1968 (Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2005) and "W jedności siła!" Kongres Polonii Amerykańskiej w latach 1968-1988 (Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2008)] have both been reviewed positively and are major contributions to the understanding of that organization. In addition, some of her other works over the years have also addressed with excellently documented research issues essential to understanding the Polish American experience. Not the least of these is “Polish Americans in the Press of the People's Republic of Poland (1952-1989) [Polish American Studies, Vol. LIX (2002), No. 2] which reverses the usual view of studying the Polonia press in order to see how Polonia was actually portrayed abroad, and “The Image of Tadeusz Kościuszko in Postwar Polish Education” (The Polish Review, 2014).

Dr. Marta Cieslak accepts her Swastek Prize from Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz

Photo by Marcin Szerle.

3. JOSEPH SWASTEK PRIZE - DR. MARTA CIESLAK

The Swastek Prize is awarded annually for the best article published in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association. This award, established in 1981, is named in honor of Rev. Joseph V. Swastek (1913-1977), the editor of Polish American Studies for many years, and a past president of the Polish American Historical Association. (Read the list of past winners posted on this blog).

For the Swastek Prize for the best article in volume 73 (2016) of Polish American Studies, the Editorial Board nominated Marta Cieślak's "Crossing the Boundaries of Modernity: The Post-Abolition Journey of Polish Peasants to the United States." As some of the board members noted, this original piece is based on the author's 2014 dissertation and does not only reflect extensive archival research but also a thorough understanding of the social and economic conditions in mid-19th century Poland, of the transatlantic migration, and the social and economic situation of emancipated slaves in the postbellum South. Cieślak's argument is original and compelling, and constitutes a historiographically significant project.

Dr. Kozaczka with Dr. Mazurkiewicz and her Award, Photo by Marcin Szerle.

4. JAMES  S. PULA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD - DR. GRAZYNA KOZACZKA

Given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization, the Distinguished Service Award was renamed in 2017 to honor Prof. James S. Pula, a long-time editor of the Polish American Studies, PAHA's past president, current treasurer, awards recipient, and the editor of two PAHA flagship publications, the critically acclaimed Polish American Encyclopedia (McFarland, 2011) and PAHA: The 75th Anniversary of the Polish American Historical Association (PAHA, 2017). (For the list of past winners visit this page of PAHANews blog).

Professor of English at Cazenovia College in New York state, Dr. Kozaczka is a long-time PAHA Board Member, PAHA  President in 2015-2016 and a faculty member at Cazenovia College since 1984. She currently directs the college-wide Honors Program and took a leadership role in securing trademarks for PAHA's logo and name, organizing many PAHA conferences, and representing the organization at international events, especially in Poland. Dr. Kozaczka's research interests include ethnic American literature, women's literature, literature of the Holocaust as well as traditional Polish folk dress and adornment. She has published scholarly essays, short fiction and popular articles in both English and Polish. She is currently working on a monograph devoted to the representation of immigrant and ethnic women in Polish American literature after World War II.

Robert Synakowski discusses his award with Dr. Mazurkiewicz. Photo by Marcin Szerle

5. SKALNY CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS - JERALD RACHFAL AND ROBERT SYNAKOWSKI

The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards honor 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. The two 2017 Skalny Awards were presented to Jerald Rachfal and Robert Synakowski. (For a list of past winners visit this page).

5a. SKALNY AWARD - JERALD RACHFAL

For many years now, Jerry Rachfal has been a recognized leader of the Rochester, NY Polonia. He has been associated with the  Polish Historical Society of Rochester, NY and currently serves as board member of this organization taking an active role in promoting Polish history and culture. As a close associate of Dr. Frederic Skalny, he has also been associated with the Skalny Foundation and Charitable trust. Jerry Rachfal's commitment to serving others goes beyond his involvement with the Polish American organization. He is a former member of Boler School of Business Advisory Committee at his Alma Mater, John Carrol University and together with his wife Janice Rachfal, works with the Flower City Habitat for Humanity in Rochester, NY.

Robert Synakowski (center) with Prof. Neal Pease. Dr. Ewa Barczyk, Prof. Grazyna Kozaczka, Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Mr. Stanley Kozaczka. Photo by Marcin Szerle.

5b. SKALNY AWARD - ROBERT SYNAKOWSKI

Robert Synakowski has dedicated his life to promoting Polish American culture and serving Polish American communities in New York State and nationwide. As the President of The Polish Home in Syracuse, NY he works tirelessly to both secure the physical well- being of this historic home and to make it into a welcoming educational space for Polish Americans and their friends. Under the directorship of Robert Synakowski, The Polish Home became a new location for the Polish Heritage Society of Syracuse which Robert also leads as its president. His focus on education is also evidenced in his involvement with The Polish Scholarship Fund which annually awards college scholarships to students of Polish descent. Robert Synakowski also serves his second term as a PAHA board member and as the First Vice-president of American Council for Polish Culture, a national organization uniting groups and individuals in cities across the United States in promoting Polish culture, heritage and history, and intercultural understanding.

Therese Clarke receives Amicus Poloniae Award from Dr. Mazurkiewicz. Photo by Marcin Szerle.

6. AMICUS POLONIAE AWARD - THERESE CLARKE

The Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.  (For a list of past winners visit this page of PAHANews blog).

Therese Clarke was born in Buffalo NY to an Irish Father and French Mother. Therese graduated from D’Youville College with Honors in Buffalo NY and Majored in French Education. She was a career French Teacher in the Williamsville NY School District. A founding member, (the only original member actively involved since 1990) of the 1990 creation of Pomost International, a local organization which has been sending volunteers annually to Rzeszów, Poland, Buffalo's Sister City. Therese went to Rzeszów alone (not knowing any Polish) to make the arrangements. She returned 15 times as leader of the program. Since 1991 more than 125 Americans (many non-Poles) have gone to Poland to facilitate a two-week Intensive English Language and American Culture. Therese regularly attends the Chopin Singing Society Concerts, UB Polish Student’s Association, Polish American Congress of WNY & Polish Arts Club of Buffalo Wigilias and Swieconkas. Dyngus Day, Paczki Day, Dożynki, Kosciusko Foundation of Buffalo, Orchard Lake Seminary Fundraising, Polish Businesswomen's Association, Casimir Pulaski Association, Polish Genealogy Associations.

7. CREATIVE ARTS PRIZE - DR. CZESLAW KARKOWSKI

PAHA's Creative Arts Prize, established in 1999, "recognizes contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas."(For a list of past winners visit this page of PAHANews blog).

Czeslaw Karkowski  philosopher, journalist, novelist and an academic, has been a prolific writer authoring novels, memoirs, collections of essays, and creative nonfiction. His long and distinguished career as a journalist began in the early 1980s in Berlin where he found himself with other political exiles of the Solidarity era, and was followed up by many years in the editorial offices  of the New York City's Polish language newspaper, Nowy Dziennik. His publications include contemporary interpretations of The Iliad by Homer , a historical novel entitled Drugi w Sztuce, as well as a novel of immigrant experience Kamienna Drabina. This immigrant experience returns in his Dziennik Jednego Roku and Na Emigracji. Czeslaw Karkowski using his own emigrant/immigrant experiences provides a sensitive commentary on immigrant identity and the immigrant connection to the home country.

Sarah Moxy Moczygemba receives Travel Grant from Dr. Mazurkiewicz. Photo by Marcin Szerle

8.  GRADUATE STUDENT TRAVEL GRANT - MS. SARAH 'MOXY' MOCZYGEMBA

Established in 2008, the Graduate Student Research Paper Award recognizes outstanding research into Polish-American history and culture by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences. In 2017, it was replaced by the the Graduate Student/Young Scholar Travel Grant. The winner receives a travel grant to present the paper at the PAHA Annual Meeting. (For a list of past awardees see this page).

Sarah “Moxy” Moczygemba is a Religious Studies doctoral student at the University of Florida. Her dissertation will focus on ethnic identity, historical memory, and Catholicism in the Silesian Polish Texan community. Ms. Moczygemba presented a lecture during PAHA conference in Washigton DC in January 2018 exploring the relationship between space and memory in the contemporary Polish American Catholic community in South Texas associated with the Panna Maria settlement, focusing on efforts to remember and commemorate the experience of immigration by emphasizing its historical and present-day ties to Roman Catholicism.

Dr. Grazyna Zebrowska of the Polish Embassy and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk. Photo by Marcin Szerle

Attendees with award winners or their representatives at the Awards Ceremony. Residence of Ambassador Wilczek, Washington. D.C.

Lots of Topics for Discussion: PAHA's 75th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The 75th Annual Meeting of the Polish American Historical Association started with a roundtable on Teaching Polish and Polish-American History on Thursday, January 4, 2018, and ends on Sunday, January 7, 2018, with a session on new books on political activism of Poles.

In between, we talked about teaching, researching, and promoting Polish American history and culture; discussed issues in immigration history, identity and gender studies; learned about how Americans saw Poland and represented their views in novels and on stamps; discovered the unique artistic activities of Wladyslaw Benda, art group Sztuka, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki and Ignacy Jan Paderewski; and found out about the role of Poles in the American Civil war, the daily lives and memoirs of Polonia members,  female friendships portrayed in writing, and more, much more. 

Below you will find the program, as it was actually delivered, illustrated with photos from our sessions.

Thursday, January 4, 2018 at 1:30 pm-3:00 pm 
Roundtable: Teaching Polish and Polish-American History
Polish American Historical Association 1
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Anna Muller, University of Michigan–Dearborn

N.D. Wood presents, with Anna Muller and Patrice Dabrowski

Elizabeth Morrow Clark

Papers:
1) "Surveying Polish History" - Patrice Dabrowski, independent scholar;
2) "Poland Is Europe, Poland Is the World" - Elizabeth Morrow Clark, West Texas A M University;
3) "Red, White, and Gray: Modern Polish History" - Nathaniel David Wood, University of Kansas;
4) “But My Babcia Says” - Michal Janusz Wilczewski, University of Illinois at Chicago

Comment: The Audience

Michal J. Wilczewski

___________________________________________

Thursday, January 4, 2018 at 3:30 pm-5:00 pm
PAHA Board Meeting 
Polish American Historical Association

___________________________________________

Friday, January 5, 2018 at 8:30 am-10:00 am
Americans on Poland
Polish American Historical Association 2
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk

Jill N. Walker Gonzalez, with Anna Mazurkiewicz.

Papers:
1) "Rupert Hughes’s Ode to Poland" - Jill Noel Walker Gonzalez, La Sierra University;
2) "US Third Army and the Displaced Persons: The G-5 Reports to the Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, 1945–47" - Wojciech Kruczkowski, University of Gdańsk;
3) "Philatelic Iconography of Poland and America" – John P. Dunn, Valdosta State University
4)  "The Myth of the Third: Henryk Mikołaj Górecki in California” – Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press

Comment: The Audience

Maja Trochimczyk with Jill N.Walker Gonzalez and Wojciech Kruczkowski.

John P. Dunn discusses his paper with Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann.

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Friday, January 5, 2018, at 10:30 am-12:00 pm
National and Ethnic Identity Construction in Transatlantic Context
Polish American Historical Association 3
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair:Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Jesse Kauffman with Neal Pease and Claire Orenduff-Bartos

Claire Orenduff-Bartos

Papers:
1) "Race, Nation, and Self-Determination in Poland and Germany, 1918–39: The Case of Danzig" - Jesse Kauffman, Eastern Michigan University;
2) "The Uncertainty of Empire: Polish, American, and Polish-American Responses to the Austrian Pavilion at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition" - Claire Orenduff-Bartos, Santa Fe College;
3) "Becoming Polish: Growing Nationalism of Polish Migrants in the United States, 1870–1940: - Pien Versteegh, Avans University of Applied Sciences;
4) "From 'Low Polish' to 'Proud Kashubian': The Case Study of David Shulist" - Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf, University of Gdańsk

Comment: The Audience

Pien Versteegh with PAS; Neal Pease and Claire Orenduff-Bartos.

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Friday, January 5, 2018 at 1:30 pm-3:00 pm 
Race and Ethnicity on the Battlefields of the Civil War
Polish American Historical Association 4
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Christian Keller, United States Army War College

Piotr Derengowski and James Pula

Papers:
1) "The 'Springtime of Nations' Comes to America" - James Pula, Purdue University Northwest;
2) "The Shadow of Slavery and Racial Discrimination in the Experience of African American Soldiers" - Joseph P. Reidy, Howard University;
3) "'Brothers in Arms' or 'Beastly Set of Men': Poles on the US Colored Troops during the Civil War" - Piotr Derengowski, University of Gdańsk;
4)  ""In the Community but Not of It:” Polish Migrants, Urban Poverty, and American Nation after the Civil War" -  Marta Cieślak, University of Arkansas, Little Rock

Comment: The Audience

James Pula and Christian Keller

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Friday, January 5, 2018 at 3:30 pm-5:00 pm
Ethnic Political Mobilization
Polish American Historical Association 5
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Iwona Korga, Józef Piłsudski Institute of America

Francis Raska and Iwona Drag Korga

Papers:
1) "Call to Fight for Independence Recorded in the Artworks of Polish Artists Living and Working in the United States" - Anna Rudek-Śmiechowska, Polish Institute of World Art Studies;
2) "Military Mobilization Movements in Exile: From the Hungarian Legion to the Löveszek Movement, 1942–70" - Katalin Kadar Lynn, Eotvos Lorand University;
3) "Sixty-Eight Publishers: A Czechoslovak Exile Publishing House in Toronto" - Francis D. Raska, Charles University;
4) "Migrants Mobilizing for the Homeland: The Relation between Political Activism in Poland and the United States in the 1980s" - Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University

Comment: The Audience

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Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 8:30 am-10:00 am 
Daily Lives in the Polish American Communities
Polish American Historical Association 6
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University

Mary Patrice Erdmans

Papers: 1) "Difficult Beginnings in a New Land: Social and Ethnic Relations in the Americas in the Memoirs of Polish Immigrants" Marcin Szerle, independent scholar;
2) "Memories of Immigration: Rearticulation of Ethnoreligious Identity in the South Texas Polish Community" - Sarah Moxy Moczygemba, University of Florida;
3) "Stills in the Hills: Moonshine Memories from Canada’s First Polish Community" - Joshua Blank, independent scholar;
4) "The Holler House: Beer, Bowling, and Bras on Milwaukee’s Polish South Side" - Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Comment: The Audience

Mary Patrice Erdmans, Marcin Szerle, Sarah Moxy Moczygeba

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Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Female Friendships: Emotions, Experiences, Memory, and Narratives 
Polish American Historical Association 7
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Eastern Connecticut State University

Anna Muller

Papers:
1) "Female Friendship in Homosocial Context: Sociological and Historical Perspective" - Anna Muller, University of Michigan–Dearborn;
) "Between Friends and Enemies: Women’s Same Gender Relationships in Recent Polish American Fiction" - Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College;
3) "Cloud Beauties and Flower Sisters: The Role of Female Friendship in the Emerging Identity of Chinese-American Women" - Patrycja Kordel, University of Gdańsk

Comment: The Audience

Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann

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Saturday, January 6, 2018, at 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm 
Polish Immigrants in the United States since the 1970s 
Polish American Historical Association 8
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Karolina Łukasiewicz, New York University

Anna Fin, Jerome Krase and Anna Sosnowska

Papers:
1) "Not All in the Family: American Polonia in the Decade of the 1970s" - Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Eastern Connecticut State University;
2) "Between Now and Then: Contemporary Processes of European Migration to the United States" - Anna Fiń, Pedagogical University of Kraków;
3) "Seeing Greenpoint Change: Polish Americans and Gentrification in Brooklyn" - Jerome Krase, Brooklyn College, City University of New York;
4) "Polish Greenpoint and New York City: Gentrification, Ethnoracial Relations, and Immigrant Labor Market at the Turn of the 21st Century" - Anna Sosnowska, University of Warsaw

Comment: The Audience

The Annas: Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Anna Sosnowska, Aleksandra 

Kurowska-Susdorf, Anna Fin, and Anna Mazurkiewicz.

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Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 3:30 pm-5:00 pm 
Polish Immigrants in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: Exploring the Transformations of a Polish Ethnic Enclave 
Polish American Historical Association 9
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)
Chair: Jerome Krase, Brooklyn College, City University of New York


Papers:
1) "Greenpoint, Brooklyn Then and Now: A View from the Street" - Judith DeSena, St. John’s University;
2) "'Living Is Simply Different Here': The American Dream in Greenpoint"- Ewa Dżurak, College of Staten Island, City University of New York;
3) "Aging in an Ethnic Enclave: Barriers and Opportunities for Older Polish Migrants in Greenpoint" - Karolina Łukasiewicz, New York University; Marta Pawlaczek, New York University;
4) "Tadeusz Chabrowski and Greenpoint: The History of Polish Neighborhood Seen through the Biography of Its Prominent Resident" - Izabela Barry, College of Staten Island, City University of New York; Ewa Maliga, College of Staten Island, City University of New York

Comment:The Audience

Scholars from Gdansk at PAHA Meeting.

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Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 7:00 pm
PAHA AWARDS CEREMONY 
Residence of the Ambassador of Poland, Prof. Piotr Wilczek
Washington, D.C.

Anna Mazurkiewicz and Maja Trochimczyk with Paderewski Piano Rolls and Portraits.

http://pahanews.blogspot.com/2018/01/pahas-2017-awards-presented-at-its-75th.html

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Sunday, January 7, 2018 at 9:00 am-10:30 am 
The Wish to Be a Red Indian: The Native American Dream in East-Central Europe 
Polish American Historical Association 10
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)

Chair: Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College

Papers:
1) "The Figure of the Native American in East-Central European Literature" - Katarzyna Jerzak, Pomeranian University in Słupsk;
2) "The Poet Maurice Kenny in Prague" - Derek Maus, State University of New York, College at Potsdam;
3) ”Building Relationships between Native American Communities and European Museums” – Annaick Keruzec, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, Washington, D.C. 

Comment: The Audience

Omni Shoreham Hotel seen from the bridge.

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Sunday, January 7, 2018 at 11:00 am-12:30 pm 
New Books on the Transnational Political Activism of Poles: From World War II to the Fall of Communism
Polish American Historical Association 11
Governor's Boardroom (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby)

Chair: Katalin Kadar Lynn, Eotvos Lorand University

Papers:
1) "Catholics on the Barricades: Poland, France, and 'Revolution,' 1939–56" - Piotr H. Kosicki, University of Maryland, College Park;
2) "Third Europe: Polish Federalist Thought in the United States, 1940s–70s" - Sławomir Łukasiewicz, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and IPN;
3) "Political Exiles from East Central Europe in American Cold War Politics, 1948–54" - Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk

Comment: A. Ross Johnson, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Hoover Institution and Michael C. Kimmage, Catholic University of America

http://pahanews.blogspot.com/2017/10/pahas-75th-annual-meeting-in-washington.html

PAHA 75th Anniversary History by James Pula

John P. Dunn, Anna Mazurkiewicz and Piotr Derengowski