Documenting from Below: The Development and Study of Community Archives in Poland
Documenting from Below: The Development and Study of Community Archives in Poland
by dr. Magdalena Wiśniewska-Drewniak, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
The lecture focuses on community archives—grassroots documentation initiatives—operating in contemporary Poland, a phenomenon that can be traced in the country as far back as the 19th century but has gained momentum in recent decades. Today, the topic is increasingly present in public awareness as well as within the sphere of interest of state archival administration. Community archives are also appearing with growing frequency in university teaching and academic research.
An important element of the community-archives landscape in Poland is the Center of Community Archives in Warsaw (Centrum Archiwistyki Społecznej), initially established as a grassroots initiative by activists/archivists and currently functioning as a public cultural institution financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The Center supports community archives primarily through education, networking, and infrastructure assistance.
The presentation will address, on the one hand, the landscape of community archives in Poland and key elements shaping it, accompanied by examples of Polish community archives, and, on the other hand, the author’s research on community archives. This latter includes two projects funded by the National Science Centre in Kraków (2016–2019 and 2023–2026), which, through empirical research—especially interviews—shed light on the nature and significance of contemporary Polish community archives.
The event is organized in collaboration with the Polish Institute Budapest.
