‘Obiady Czwartkowe’ – ‘Thursday Dinners’
Disruptions/Transgressions
a series of Online transdisciplinary multicultural Research seminars at the university of Gdansk
Begins 7 April 2022, 13:00 CET on Microsoft Teams – click here to join
Introduction
Hosted by the Andrzej Wajda Film Centre of the University of Gdansk– ‘Obiady Czwartkowe’ (‘Thursday Dinners’) – will take place on Microsoft Teams. There might be an ‘in-person’ symposium in autumn 2022 or Spring 2023. The name of ‘Obiady Czwartkowe’ stems from a tradition introduced by the last Polish King Stanislaw Poniatowski in the late 18th century who held Thursday Dinners for intellectuals and artists in order to exchange ideas and discuss creative projects. Unfortunately, the king was less of a talented politician than an inspirational host but, undeterred, we are going to take the best elements from this tradition.
As the world is torn by conflict and pandemics, let’s meet weekly for one hour online for a lunchtime exchange of ideas across cultures, disciplines and languages – although we will present in English. It is important to cultivate our intellectual passions as our very humanity is being challenged in these difficult times. So – bring a sandwich and a drink and as you nourish your body, we will be nourishing your intellect!
Every seminar will be chaired by Professor Agnieszka Piotrowska, Professor of Film and Cultural Studies, at the University of Gdansk and Visiting Research Scholar at Oxford Brookes, UK, and the former Head of the School of Film, Media and Performing Arts at the University for the Creative Arts, UK.
We draw of course from Ancient Greece’s Socratic traditions of symposia in which ideas are presented and debated simply for the sake of the debate. We also recall the late Professor Maria Janion’s seminars in Poland which spawned many excellent and radical thinkers. We believe that there will be much benefit to all who attend, both in terms of ‘conference type’ presentation as well as learning how to debate in a constructive and supportive but rigorous way but the seminars are not credit bearing. The whole project is that we come together to support and inspire each other. Everybody is welcome but some people will be there during every session as a kind of respondents and key interlocutors – and yes we have done it before a few times! Apart from Professor Piotrowska, the core group will be Dr Priyanka Verma, Dr Charmaine Dambuza and Babar Dogar (who is about to submit his doctoral thesis). The format will be the same every week which is a short intro, a presentation between 20-25 minutes and a debate of about 30 minutes. We have also invited international scholars to give a short talk about their work. All researchers, be it doctoral students, MA students or professors, will be treated exactly in the same way as fellow travellers that we all are. For this reason, the formal titles are not included in the list.
Obiady Czwartkowe
Organiser and Convenor
(Photo: Katarzyna Krajewska Turyczyn)
Core Support group
Dr Charmaine Dambuza
Baba Dogar
Disruptions/Transgressions 