You are cordially invited to the Power, Space and Culture’II conference. Details of the event can be found in the appendices.

Program

The International Book Fair will be held in Warsaw from May 15-18 this year. This year’s Guest of Honor is the Republic of Korea. The Department of Korean Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies is involved in the implementation of many cultural events.

Our Koreanists, Dr. Choi Jeong In, Dr. Anna Diniejko-Wąs, Dr. Justyna Najbar-Miller and Prof. Ewa Rynarzewska will lead lectures and a panel discussion on Korean literature and its translation into Polish. Korean Studies students are actively participating in the coordination of this event. This is a unique opportunity to meet leading Korean Writers.

We cordially invite you to join us!

Program

The Centre for Comparative Studies in Eastern and Western Philosophy in collaboration with the Department of South Asia of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, is pleased to host Prof. Geoffrey Ashton of the University of San Francisco, Department of Philosophy.

We invite to the following lectures:

1) 20 May 2025, Department of South Asia, WO UW, 69 Hoza St., Room 345

Intellectual History or Philosophical Dialogue?

Abhinavagupta on the Nature of Prakṛti in Sāṃkhya and a Reply from Phenomenology of Biology

Abstract:

The 11^th century Kashmiri Śaiva philosopher, Abhinavagupta, is often considered a model historian of ideas. Some scholars even take him to anticipate the attitude of contemporary intellectual historicism: though situated within the Pratyabhijñā school of thought, he is nevertheless hailed as a cautious, perceptive, and sympathetic reader—even of his opponents. But we should not overlook the instances where Abhinavagupta misinterprets his rivals. And not just this, he appears to do this knowing that more nuanced articulations (of his opponent’s view) were available to him. For a case study, this talk explores Abhinavagupta’s criticism of the Sāṃkhya concept of prakṛti, and then stages a reply on behalf of Sāṃkhya through the lens of a phenomenology of biology. Through this dialogue, we not only resuscitate key dimensions of prakṛti that had been lost to history (namely, the history of philosophy in South Asia). We also find a mirror to ourselves as contemporary scholars of Indian thought. Abhinavagupta may not satisfy the same objective scientific criteria that guide contemporary intellectual historicism. And this offers clues to how we can re-think what it means to be a scholar of South Asian philosophies.

2) May 21, 2025, Department of Philosophy, Krakowskie Przedmieście 3, room 209

Signs of Intelligent Life in Indian Philosophy of Nature:

A Biosemiotics Interpretation of What the Consciousness (Puruṣa) Doctrine Adds to Sāṃkhya’s Concept of Nature

Abstract:

Sāṃkhya, quite possibly India’s oldest philosophy, may have originally been a philosophy of nature (prakṛti, lit., “procreativity”) that preceded the arrival of the Indo-Aryans around 2,000 BCE. As such, it may have been associated with pre-Vedic ideas, practices, and spiritual goals: for example, this indigenous Sāṃkhya may have been more concerned with a fertility goddess than pursuing liberating knowledge of a pure, nonintentional, conscious selfhood (puruṣa) that transcends time, space, and causal relations. Nevertheless, the puruṣa doctrine became central to Sāṃkhya texts and traditions. The most authoritative Sāṃkhya articulation is found in the 4^th century text, the Sāṃkhya Kārikā, which asserts a fundamental dualism between two principles: nature (prakṛti) and consciousness (puruṣa). The historical questions of when, how, and why the puruṣa doctrine became integral to Sāṃkhya are open to debate. I bring attention to them in order to frame a philosophical inquiry: what does a sophisticated theory of consciousness, such as we find in the Sāṃkhya Karika, contribute to a philosophy of nature? In exploring this question, I begin by foregrounding the lingering influence of Cartesianism in our readings of Sāṃkhya. Scholars have frequently imputed Cartesian-based views about nature (res extensa), consciousness (res cogitans), and the dual relation between the two in their interpretations of prakṛti, puruṣa, and their interrelation. In order to move beyond, this talk makes three basic moves: (1) it posits nature as living nature, (2) it distinguishes between sentience and consciousness, and (3) it explores the link between living nature and sentience from the perspective of biosemiotics. Biosemiotics rests on the premise that biological life and sign-activity are co-extensive. This might help to open new horizons of inquiry into Sāṃkhya—horizons obscured by Indologists’ Cartesian biases. Above all, a biosemiotics approach might offer clues to why Sāṃkhya philosophers understood the question of consciousness to be so integral to a philosophy of nature.

The Archaeo-Oriental Studies team cordially invites you to a seminar entitled: Can Power Be Eaten? How did food “prevent” an assassination attempt on a Japanese emperor? Why did Mussolini want to “ban pasta”? We will focus on food as an element of identity building and exclusion and its connections to religion and politics.

With the opening of the World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, we are launching the ‘Polish-Japanese Partnership for Security and Sustainable Development’ project, implemented under the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) Program ‘Direct to EXPO 2025’.

On April 22nd, a delegation from the University of Warsaw, including the Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, the Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources, Prof. Sambor Grucza, the Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Prof. Agata Bareja-Starzyńska, and the Head of the Chair of Japanese Studies, Prof. Iwona Kordzińska-Nawrocka, took part in the inauguration of the Days of Polish Science and Education at the Poland Pavilion in Osaka.

On April 23rd, the Poland Pavilion hosted participants of seminars organized by NAWA in cooperation with the Faculty of Oriental Studies and the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies at UW. NAWA Day was an opportunity to present achievements to date and discuss prospects for further development of Polish-Japanese academic cooperation. It was attended by more than 20 representatives from Japanese universities, think tanks, and diplomatic circles. Poland was represented by, among others, the Vice-Minister and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Dr. Maria Mrówczyńska; the President of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools, Rector of UAM, Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska; the Director General of NAWA, Dr. Wojciech Karczewski; as well as delegations from AGH University of Krakow, Medical University of Gdansk, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), University of Gdansk, Jagiellonian University, Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, University of Silesia in Katowice, and the Foundation for the Development of the Education System.

On April 24th the UW Vice-Rector, Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, delivered a special lecture at the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo, entitled European Universities in a Period of Global Turbulence: Navigating Challenges, Ensuring Stability. This was followed by a Polish-Japanese seminar entitled Exploring the Dimensions of Intercultural Communication held at the International Christian University (Tokyo) on April 25^th, with the participation of the UW Vice-Rector, Prof. Sambor Grucza, who gave a lecture entitled Shaping the Future. 4EU+ Alliance – an Example of a New Dimension of Academic Collaboration and Cooperation in Europe. Dean of the Faculty for Oriental Studies, Prof. Agata Bareja-Starzyńska, presented a paper on Intercultural Dialogue and Mutual Understanding as Part of Global Citizenship Education. The presentation by Japanese scholar, Prof. Iwona Kordzińska-Nawrocka,  concerned issues of cultural transfer on the example of Polish translations of Japanese literature.

The scientific meetings held in Japan by the UW delegation are an integral part of the project ‘University of Warsaw towards the Challenges of the Modern World. Polish-Japanese Partnership for Sustainable Development.’ The topics of the upcoming conferences and lectures scheduled for July 2025 will concern security in the broadest sense, sustainable development, the idea of Society 5.0, and others. These issues, which include the effects of climate change, the protection and improvement of the natural environment, as well as the problem of security and the ethical use of tools based on artificial intelligence, are closely linked to the theme of the World Exhibition EXPO 2025 Designing Future Society for Our Lives.

The ‘UW at EXPO 2025’ project is coordinated by the Faculty of Oriental Studies, which acts as a liaison between the UW interdepartmental team and Japanese universities, research institutions, and think tanks. The team consists of academics representing the humanities, social sciences, and exact sciences. A student workshop and symposium, as well as “Polish Days in Kansai,” will also be part of the event. This project has been supported by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange under the International Scientific Event at the World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Kansai (Agreement No.BPI/OSA/2024/1/00020/DEC/01).

On April 14, 2025, the Faculty of Oriental Studies was honored to host Her Excellency Ms. N. Oyundari, the Ambassador of Mongolia for an official visit. The Faculty of Oriental Studies were represented by the Dean, Prof. Agata Bareja-Starzyńska, Dr. Jan Rogala, Head of Department of Turkic Studies and Inner Asian Peoples at the University of Warsaw and R. Byambaa, a lecturer in Mongolian from the same department.

The Orient Fair has once again achieved tremendous success!

During this year’s edition of the charitable Orient Fair, organized by the Faculty of Oriental Studies and the Student Council of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, we managed to collect a remarkable amount of 6,227.41 PLN. The entire sum will be donated to the Polish Center for International Aid, which is conducting a humanitarian operation in South Sudan.

On April 7, 2025, for the thirtieth time, first-year students of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw met with representatives of diplomatic missions from Asian and African countries accredited in Poland. The event provides an opportunity for direct contact not only with diplomats but, above all, with representatives of Asian and African nations and cultures.

On March 27, 2025, a meeting took place at the Tyszkiewicz-Potocki Palace with the students from the Department of Japanese Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw, who were selected for internships as staff for the Polish Pavilion at the World Exhibition (EXPO) in Osaka (April 13-October 12, 2025). The interns are Anna Fender, Szymon Góralski, Zofia Jakubiak, Alicja Kobiernik, Aleksandra Mąkólska, Zofia Piskorek, Gabriel Poplawski, Małgorzata Wysmyk, and Alicja Ziembińska.

We cordially invite you to the next lecture as part of the seminar “Art and Artistic Traditions of Asia and Africa,” organized by the Asian and African Art and Culture Workshop conducted by the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw and the Polish Institute of World Art Studies. On April 8 (Tuesday) at 5:00 PM, a lecture by Dr. Agnieszka Kluczewska-Wójcik titled “Japonism and the Formation of Modern Japanese Art” will take place.