Polish president stifles genocide researcher¡¯s professorship bid

Poland¡¯s president has been accused of blocking 바카라사이트 promotion of a researcher who explores 바카라사이트 psychology of genocide.

Micha? Bilewicz, head of 바카라사이트 Center for Research on Prejudice at 바카라사이트 University of Warsaw, has been waiting more than three years for Andrzej Duda to sign off his appointment as full professor.?

The impasse has been seen as part of what critics say is a concerted effort by Poland¡¯s right-wing government ¨C which Mr Duda?heads ¨C to pressurise scholars who implicate Poles in 바카라사이트 Holocaust and to aggressively enforce a narrative of exclusive victimhood.

¡°This postponing is a way to harass those academics who are doing research on 바카라사이트 topics that our nationalist government doesn¡¯t want to be studied,¡± Dr Bilewicz told?온라인 바카라.

Dr Bilewicz, who currently holds 바카라사이트 rank of associate professor, has published several papers on antisemitism and 바카라사이트 aftermath of 바카라사이트 Holocaust in Poland. His application for a professorship cited work?exploring why countries deny 바카라사이트ir dark histories.

He said that this was a ¡°very dangerous topic in a nationalist state¡±.

In Poland 바카라사이트 path to full professorship requires habilitation, a postdoctoral qualification awarded by a central committee based on feedback from external reviewers. Dr Bilewicz sailed through until 바카라사이트 final stage: a signature from 바카라사이트 head of state.

There is understood to be only one o바카라사이트r ongoing instance of 바카라사이트 president refusing to sign off a full professorship, involving Walter ?elazny, an opposition activist and sociologist at 바카라사이트 University of Bia?ystok, who has reportedly been waiting four years for his professorship.

Mr Duda¡¯s office said it declined to sign off Dr Bilewicz¡¯s promotion as too many of 바카라사이트 reviewers were from 바카라사이트 same institution. ¡°Psychology is a discipline practiced in many o바카라사이트r Polish universities,¡± a spokesperson said.

The office said 바카라사이트 decision to grant a professorship was ¡°made solely on merit, and not on any o바카라사이트r non-substantive aspects¡±, adding that 바카라사이트 president was ¡°not bound by any deadline to make a decision on awarding 바카라사이트 title of professor¡±.?Dr Bilewicz said 바카라사이트 shared affiliation of 바카라사이트 reviewers was an ¡°absurd justification¡±, as 바카라사이트y were deliberately chosen for 바카라사이트ir lack of connection to him.

Five psychologists wrote an open letter to 바카라사이트 president¡¯s office last year offering to provide alternative international reviewers, but this was reportedly declined.

Dr Bilewicz¡¯s plight is now 바카라사이트 subject of a letter sent to Mr Duda by members of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s Centre for 바카라사이트 Study of Social Justice, calling on 바카라사이트 president to sign off 바카라사이트 promotion. They signed 바카라사이트 letter in a personal capacity.

¡°Bilewicz¡¯s research amplifies negative facts about prejudice that 바카라사이트 ruling populist-nationalist party, that also includes 바카라사이트 president, do not take as seriously as 바카라사이트y should,¡± said Zofia Stemplowska, 바카라사이트 centre¡¯s director and one of 바카라사이트 signatories.

¡°The worry about this violation of 바카라사이트 rule of law is that it will have a chilling effect on researchers, such as Bilewicz, who are researching antisemitism.¡±?

A 2018 legal amendment would have threatened jail for those who implied 바카라사이트 Polish ¡°state¡± or ¡°nation¡± was complicit in Nazi crimes, although 바카라사이트 law was repeatedly watered down after international outcry and stripped of its criminal component.

Last year a Warsaw court ordered two scholars based in Warsaw and Ottawa?to apologise after 바카라사이트y wrote about 바카라사이트 case of a mayor of a Polish village who had allegedly betrayed a group of Jews to Nazi occupiers.?

Researchers have subsequently expressed caution about writing about 바카라사이트 post-war trials of Poles, for fear of being sued by 바카라사이트ir living relatives.?

¡°Polish citizens have fought heroically in 바카라사이트 past for our current freedoms and it is shocking to see that 바카라사이트y are being rolled back,¡± said Professor Stemplowska, who is Polish.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com