We invite you to a meeting with Paweł Kowalewski from the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, where we will try to see the Tri-City through the eyes of immigrants and listen to their stories.

Date: Thursday, February 20, from 11 AM to 1 PM
Location: conference room in the Hydromechanics building no. 11
- above the Welcome Office (campus map)
Who is it for: everyone (staff, doctoral candidates, and students)
REGISTER FOR THE MEETING 

About the meeting

Over the past ten years, Poland, once one of the most ethnically and nationally homogeneous societies, has become a country of immigration. This change is experienced by both new arrivals and Polish society, and it is deeply embedded in everyday life.

The daily life of immigrants consists of thousands of micro-actions that make up a routine for overcoming obstacles and barriers. The story of immigrants' daily life is also a narrative about the communities that welcome them, about sharing space, and mutual responsibility for the relationships that accompany it. The nature of these relationships is best captured by the phenomenon of hospitality, which establishes the roles of host and guest. Conditions of equality are almost never met here. There is always someone who is a guest, coming from the outside. This arrival becomes a challenge, a test of our identity, and a real test of our hospitality.

During the meeting, we will:

  • Sit at the Common Table, designed by Gregor Gonsior, made from fragments of nearly thirty used tables; this collage of "other people's memories" is a symbol of hospitality for us.
  • Discuss the initiatives of the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, which tackle various strategies for acclimatizing to the foreign, processes of acculturation, and the formation of new communities.
  • Try to see the Tri-City through the eyes of immigrants and listen to their stories.
  • Reflect on the role of institutions as hosts and on the relationships we create with our guests and the space in which these relationships are established.

Paweł Kowalewski: I am an organizer, curator, and, more recently, a museum professional. At the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, I implement interdisciplinary initiatives, including activities in urban spaces. I focus on building relationships with the local community of people with migration and refugee experiences through engagement in the process of co-creation and action.