Who are Silesians today? What do Poland and the wider world look like from an Upper Silesian perspective? What does the Silesian language mean to Silesians — and how did a once-dismissed “dialect” become a language of art? How is contemporary literature growing that is attentive to Silesia, sensitive to Silesian difference and to its ongoing transformations?
How did it happen that theatre became a space which not only accompanied, but actively participated in the transformation of Silesian culture? What does the Silesian language on stage mean to actors, actresses and audiences? How important are women’s voices and a feminist perspective for Upper Silesia? In what ways do changing models of masculinity affect Silesia — especially in the context of the stereotype of an alleged (or perhaps very real?) matriarchy?
Are values such as work, dignity, family and attachment to one’s place of living still alive and meaningful for contemporary society? What do “home” and “home language” mean today — and when does what is private and domestic become public? To what extent can the perspective of Silesian women and men — a community historically destined to live with multiculturalism, multiethnicity and multilingualism, and today increasingly embracing them consciously — become a narrative meaningful for Poland as a whole?
What does it mean to live on the borderland of cultures, faiths and languages? How does “borderlandness” shape us?
What is the construct of difference from the perspective of the outsider, and what from the perspective of the observer? When does difference become a burden, and when a source of strength? At what point does it turn into otherness, and how far can it broaden the horizon of a seemingly homogeneous majority? How do we learn to say “yes” to the outsider?
Speakers:
Beata Guczalska – theatre scholar, professor at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. Her research focuses on contemporary theatre, directing (Jerzy Jarocki, Krystian Lupa, Konrad Swinarski) and the art of acting. Former dean of the Directing Department (2012–2016) and vice-rector of the Academy (2016–2024). Author of books including Jerzy Jarocki. Artysta teatru, Aktorstwo polskie. Generacje, Trela and Konrad Swinarski. Biografia ukryta (for which she received the “Juliusz” Upper Silesian Literary Award). Editor of volumes on theatre history and author of numerous essays in major Polish theatre journals.
Wojciech Śmieja – professor at the University of Silesia, literary scholar and Polish studies specialist. He focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century Polish literature and culture, with particular interest in representations of gender and sexuality (gender and queer studies, critical studies of men and masculinities). Author of the book Po męstwie (After Manhood), nominated for the Marcin Król Award and the Silesian Literary Award HONORIS KRAUZA. He has published four academic monographs, a volume of reportage and dozens of articles and essays. He has held research fellowships in Germany (Greifswald), France (Lille), Italy (Naples) and the USA (New York), where he was a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities under the supervision of Prof. Michael Kimmel. He lives on the borderland of Upper Silesia and Cieszyn Silesia — both fascinate him equally.
Karolina Pospiszil – PhD, assistant professor at the Institute of Literary Studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice. She researches contemporary, multilingual Upper Silesian literature and the community-building potential of literature. She is currently leading a National Science Centre project on the Upper Silesian literary field. Translator from Czech, especially of works connected to Silesia. In 2024 she was a member of the Silesian Language Council.
Robert Talarczyk – director, playwright and actor, Silesian. Since 2013 Artistic Director of the Silesian Theatre in Katowice. Director of the international “Open The Door” festival dedicated to excluded communities, and chair of the Kazimierz Kutz Award jury. He has directed around 70 productions on stages across Poland. A central place in his work is occupied by performances about Silesia and Silesians (Cholonek, The Fifth Side of the World, Western, Wujek ’81. A Black Ballad, Drach, Pokora, Nikaj, Godej do mie), which explore Silesian mythology, identity and history, and are praised for addressing universal issues in a local language that remains accessible to all audiences. In 2021 he received the Zygmunt Hübner “Man of the Theatre” Award. His TV adaptations (The Fifth Side of the World, Wujek ’81. A Black Ballad, Empire, Hotel Korfanty) have been repeatedly awarded, including at the “Two Theatres” Festival.
Aleksandra Klich – journalist, writer and cultural manager. For 22 years associated with Gazeta Wyborcza; former deputy editor-in-chief to Adam Michnik, editor-in-chief of Wysokie Obcasy and Wysokie Obcasy Extra, and president of the Wysokie Obcasy Foundation. She has led numerous pro-democracy, feminist, ecological and social projects in defence of human rights in Poland. She was actively involved in Wyborcza’s digital transition and subscription model. Passionately devoted to Upper Silesia, about which she has written several books, including the biography of Kazimierz Kutz Cały ten Kutz and the historical reportage Bez mitów, as well as a book-length interview with Artur Rojek. She hosts the podcast Piąta strona świata (The Fifth Side of the World), exploring Silesia and the world seen from a Silesian angle. Consultant for sestry.eu, a portal for Ukrainian refugee women. Since 2023 director of the Municipal and District Library in Rybnik.
Ôzprŏwka ô zakamuflowanej ôpcyje ślōnskij: ô gŏdce, ô hyrach i ô ślōnskij siyle.
A chat about the “camouflaged Silesian option”: about language, games and Silesian strength.
