Victoria Anastasia Aranowicz
DPhil Student - St Antony's College
My doctoral project analyzes how four twentieth-century (Polish) Slavic Pagan groups and their founders defined the concept of 'race', and how those ideas shaped the imagining of a Polish national identity. To investigate these intellectual debates in depth and examine the continuities and discontinuities of Slavic Pagan ideas, the thesis spans nearly the entire twentieth century (1921-1996). I study figures such as the eccentric artist Stanisław Szukalski, philosopher Jan Stachniuk, and controversial politician Bolesław Tejkowski.
Generally, I research belief systems and how they affect cultural and political ideologies. I am especially interested in alternative religions and 'folk' Catholicism.
Supervisor: Zbig Wojnowski
Academic Background:
- Master of Arts in European and Mediterranean Studies from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New York University, September 2023
- Bachelor of Arts in History, Journalism, and Creative Writing from the College of Arts and Sciences, New York University, May 2022
