Our team members, Ignacy Jóźwiak, Monika Szewczyk and Kamila Fiałkowska took place in a meeting organised in Lublin, in Dom Słów – House of Words. The event took place on 13 February 2026. Organised thanks to the initiative of Natalia Zawiejska, from Institute for the Study of Religion, Jagiellonian University, this meeting was devoted to the presence of religion in the Polish public sphere. The main objective of the discussion was to initiate a broader debate on the public role of religion in Poland. The starting point for the discussion was the thesis concerning the marginalization of religion as an analytical category and, above all, as a category relevant for governance and management in Poland. In Poland, religion is rarely treated as a real social resource, especially in matters related to migration, integration, social mobilization, the animation of urban life, the management of culture and heritage, and education. ROCIT researchers referred to examples from their own research practice concerning such diverse areas as studies of Roma communities, role of religion during displacement, and particularly Pentecostal churches in Ukraine.
During the meeting, the other speakers examined the issue of religion in Poland beyond the established interpretative frameworks that connect social life with the dominant role of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. From both academic and practical perspectives, the scholars sought to create space for an open, de-tabooed debate on the important role of religion in Polish social and cultural life, moving beyond the prevailing politicization and media polarization surrounding religion in Poland.
Participants in the discussion included:
Kamila Fiałkowska, Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw;
Andrzej Jekaterynczuk, Institute of Sociology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS);
Ignacy Jóźwiak, Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw;
Karolina Podgórska, Institute of Sociology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS);
Agata Rejowska, Department for the Study of Religion, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS PAN);
Monika Szewczyk, Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw; Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Jagiellonian University;
Natalia Zawiejska, Institute for the Study of Religion, Jagiellonian University.
The discussion was moderated by:
Natalia Zawiejska, Jagiellonian University
Ignacy Jóźwiak, University of Warsaw
Recording of the session is available online. We are deeply grateful to the “Brama Grodzka – Teatr NN” Centre in Lublin, House of Words for their hospitality.
The event was organized within the framework of:
National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU
Project PentACTors, 2021/43/D/HS6/02274, National Science Centre
Project ROCIT, 22/47/I/HS5/03011, National Science Centre
Partners:
“Brama Grodzka – Teatr NN” Centre in Lublin, House of Words;
Institute for the Study of Religion, Jagiellonian University;
Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw.