The Body and Sociology – empirical research and theoretical concepts

Dr. hab. Dominika Byczkowska-Owczarek – assistant professor at the Department of Sociology of Culture at the Institute of Sociology, University of Lodz. Author of the books Ciało w tańcu. Analiza socjologiczna [Body in dance. Sociological analysis], Batutą i skalpelem. Ciało w zawodach wysokospecjalistycznych [With baton and scalpel. Body in highly specialized professions], co-author of the monograph Za drzwiami oddziału. Badania etnograficzne w szpitalu [Behind the ward’s door. Ethnographic research in a hospital]. Author of articles on sociology of the body, dance, work, symbolic interactionism, grounded theory methodology, and qualitative social research techniques published, among others, in “Studia Socjologiczne,” “Qualitative Sociology Review,” “Przegląd Socjologii Jakościowej,” as well as Polish- and English-language books. Chairwoman of the Sociology of the Body Section of the Polish Sociological Association.

Dr. Emilia Garncarek – assistant professor at the Department of Rural and Urban Studies and Sociology of Social Change, Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz. Author of a doctoral dissertation on the social determinants of voluntary childlessness. Her scientific and research interests include transformations of the modern family (voluntary childlessness, changes in contemporary motherhood, gray divorce); the influence of cultural concepts of gender and age on women’s and men’s attitudes towards health and appearance. Author of scientific articles, as well as co-author of scientific monographs on the issues of gender, transformations of the modern family and the sociology of health. Her latest research concerns the psychosocial determinants of modern knitting.

Dr. Malwina Krajewska – assistant professor at the Department of Cultural Studies at the Institute of Sociology of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. She is a member of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR), one of the oldest global associations of sociologists of religion. Her academic interests include the sociology of religion, culture, the body, and social change. She is a great enthusiast of field research and keenly observes the multidimensional religious transformations taking place in different parts of the world. Her research interests broadly encompass Buddhism and its remarkable diversity of forms, practices, and interpretations across the globe. Her research focuses on the diverse ways in which Buddhism is experienced, adapted, and transformed in different cultural and social contexts. Her interests mainly focus on Tibetan Buddhism, exploring its manifestations both in Europe and Asia. Author of Buddyzm Diamentowej Drogi w Polsce, Narracje o początkach, and articles published in, among others, “Studia Socjologiczne” and “Kultura i Społeczeństwo.”

Dr. hab. Monika Dorota Adamczyk – professor at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), sociologist, social gerontologist, faculty member at the Institute of Sociological Sciences, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. Expert on senior issues in numerous research teams. Member of the Polish Sociological Association and the Polish Gerontological Society. Her research interests focus on the sociology of old age, social gerontology, social problems, social capital, education of older adults, and social exclusion. Author of more than 100 scientific articles. Author of several monographs, including: Social Determinants of Successful Aging and Active Preparation for Retirement (2019), Discovering the Dynamic Third Age (ed.) (2016), Old Age Between Tradition and Modernity (ed.) (2016), Active Towards Retirement (2015), Introduction to the Theory of Social Capital (2013).

Dr. hab. Michał Skrzypek MD, PhD – practicing diabetologist, medical sociologist, member of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Rural Health in Lublin. Received his habilitation from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, PhD degree received from the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin. In the years 2001–2016, he reactivated lectures on medical sociology at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. Has also lectured on medical sociology at the Medical University of Lublin and Warsaw University. He was elected chairman of the national Section of Health and Medicine Sociology of the PTS (two terms), appointed several times as a member of the NCN Expert Team. Author and co-author of 158 publications with an IF value of 56.8, author and editor/co-editor of 6 sociomedical monographs, as well as 2 books in the field of health sciences and obesitology. Has organized and co-organized numerous conferences and scientific sessions with a sociomedical profile, including the Jubilee Scientific Session “50 lat socjologii medycyny w Polsce – nurty badawcze, najważniejsze osiągnięcia, perspektywy rozwoju,” as well as two sociomedical sessions as part of the National Sociological Congresses. In his research he has addressed issues of the social aspects of chronic illness, as well as the social aspects of overweight and obesity. His professional activity is currently focused on medical practice.

Dr. Katarzyna Kowal – assistant professor at Władysław Biegański Collegium Medicum of Jan Długosz University in Czestochowa. In her scientific and research work, she consistently uses the strategy of qualitative research, in the implementation of which she refers to grounded theory, phenomenology, and biographical analyses. The scope of her conducted research is determined by three sociological subdisciplines: the sociology of health, illness, and medicine; sociology of the body; and qualitative sociology. Author of the monograph entitled Między altruizmem a egoizmem. Społeczno-kulturowe uwarunkowania przeszczepów rodzinnych and several dozen scientific publications in both Polish and English. Her papers have been presented during over thirty national and international scientific conferences with both sociological and medical profiles. She is the author of numerous sociomedical research projects, carried out in cooperation with scientific institutions, medical centers and patient associations. In 2019, she obtained funding from the National Science Center for the implementation of the scientific activity entitled „Rzadka choroba genetyczna w doświadczeniu chorego – socjosomatyczne studium nerwiakowłókniakowatości typu 1.” Co-founder of the Section of Sociology of the Body of the Polish Sociological Association and winner of the Anselm Strauss Award established by the Section of Qualitative Sociology and Symbolic Interactionism of the Polish Sociological Association.

Dr. Magdalena Wieczorkowska – sociologist, methodologist of social research, head of the Department of Sociology at the Medical University of Lodz. Member of the Section of Sociology of Health and Medicine and the Section of Sociology of the Body of the Polish Sociological Association. Vice president of the 2035 Foundation. Her research interests include the processes of medicalization and pharmaceuticalization in contemporary Western societies, the processes of ageing societies, and the socio-cultural and medical aspects of the perception, functioning and impact on the body, as well as issues related to teaching medicine in a multicultural environment. Coordinator and member of teams implementing international projects within EIT HEALTH (CoActive, Healthy Loneliness, CitizenAct) and ERASMUS + (Healthy Loneliness+). She collaborates with local non-profit organizations operating in the area of senior citizens. Author of numerous publications devoted to the issues of medicalization, ageing, and the body.

Dr. Anna Wójtewicz – sociologist, assistant professor at the Department of Cultural Studies at the Institute of Sociology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. Her scientific work is based primarily on qualitative methodology in the following areas: the social dimensions of the body, gender, health, and the broadly understood realities of consumer society. In 2019, she received a grant from the National Science Center dedicated to the bodily practices of Polish men. Author and co-author of several monographs and scientific articles published in Polish and English, among others, Class Clash: An analysis of conflicts related to class affiliation in the bodily practices of Polish men under 35 years of age from the working class (2024) published by “Qualitative Sociology Review” (available online). She regularly participates in the Virtual Seminar on Sociology of the Body (an initiative of Sociology of the Body Section of the Polish Sociological Association). Currently, she is preparing a project focused on the manosphere with a research team.

Dr. Agnieszka Maj – completed her doctorate at the Graduate School for Social Research (GSSR) at IFiS PAN. Since 2010 she has been working as an assistant professor at the Department of Sociology at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Deals with the specificity of perceiving the body in contemporary culture, the social determinants of caring for the body and appearance, the social determinants of obesity, and the sociology of food.

Dr. Magdalena Wojciechowska – sociologist affiliated with the Department of Sociology of Politics and Morality at the Institute of Sociology, University of Lodz. She serves as the Executive Editor of the scientific journal Qualitative Sociology Review. Her research interests focus on the social construction of deviance and the lived experience of social exclusion. She is the author of Agencja towarzyska – (nie)zwykłe miejsce pracy [The Escort Agency. An (Extra)Ordinary Workplace, 2012] and Dwie matki jednego dziecka [Two Mothers of One Child, 2020], and co-editor of the collective monograph Narrating the Everyday (2019). Her publications address such topics as sex work in escort agencies, non-heteronormative motherhood, and pole dance. Her current research explores the intersections of sexuality and the art of shibari bondage.

Dr. Krystyna Dzwonkowska-Godula – assistant professor at the Department of Rural and Urban Studies and Sociology of Social Change, Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz. Author of a doctoral dissertation on the cultural models and patterns of femininity and masculinity, motherhood, and fatherhood. Participant in research projects and author of publications addressing, among others, issues of gender stereotypes and stereotypes of parental roles; the human and social capital of women and men; the subjectivity of women during pregnancy and childbirth; the influence of cultural concepts of gender and age on women’s and men’s attitudes towards health and appearance, reproductive health rights and reproductive justice, as well as social activity in this area.

Dr. Sylwia Breczko – sociologist and manager, graduate of the Institute of Sociology at the University of Warsaw and the School of Social Sciences at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Author of the book Polityzacja ciała. Między dyskursem publicznym a teorią socjologiczną (Krakow 2013) and articles on sociology of the body. Professionally associated with the publishing market, cultural and scientific institutions, she has worked, among others, at the PWN Scientific Publishing House, the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, and is currently associated with the National Museum in Warsaw.

Dr. hab. Mariola Bieńko – sociologist, university professor at the Department of Family Studies and Social Pathology at the Institute of Applied Social Sciences of the University of Warsaw. She deals with issues of the sociology of family life, close relationships, upbringing, and sexual education, as well as issues of the body and sexual expression of women and men in the experiences and practices of everyday life. Author of the monograph Intymne i prywatne praktyki codzienności. Studium socjologiczne, as well as author, co-author, editor, and reviewer of books and numerous articles in Polish and foreign scientific journals in the field of sociology of intimacy. Collaborates with cultural institutions, expert in Polish and international scientific and research projects and social campaigns.

Prof. dr. hab. Honorata Jakubowska – sociologist, professor at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan conducting research and publishing in the field of sociology of the body/embodiment, the sociology of sport and gender studies. Author of the books: Socjologia ciała (2009), Gra ciałem. Praktyki i dyskursy różnicowania płci w sporcie (2014), Skill Transmission, Sport and Tacit Knowledge. A Sociological Perspective (2017), co-editor of the book Socjologia sportu (2017), and co-author of the book Female Fans, Gender Relations and Football Fandom Challenging the Brotherhood Culture (2021). The principal investigator of three grants funded by the National Science Centre: “Transmission of beyond discursive knowledge with reference to the transfer and acquisition of sports skills” (2014/13/B/HS6/01367), „Women entering the male-dominated world of football fans: causes, course and consequences” (2016/21/B/HS6/00846), and “The menstruation management in professional sport: a sociological perspective” (2023/51/B/HS6/00245). Vice-president of the Committee of Sociology of the Polish Academy of Science (2024–2027). Coordinator of the Research Network „Society and Sport” of the European Sociological Association in 2017–2019 and its member in the years 2015–2017 and 2024–2026. Member of the Editorial Boards of „Studia Socjologiczne,” „Polish Sociological Review,” and the „Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny” journal.

Dr. Julita Czernecka – assistant professor at the Department of Rural and Urban Studies and Sociology of Social Change, Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz. Author of a doctoral dissertation devoted to the social determinants of the choice of single life among single men and women from big cities. Participant of research projects and author of publications addressing the issue of gender stereotypes; the influence of cultural concepts of gender and age on women’s and men’s attitudes towards appearance, the role of appearance in personal and professional life, the social definition of love, differences in expectations regarding functioning in a romantic relationship.