“Knowledge, Resilience and Responsibility: Ukrainian and Polish Sociology in Wartime”

Organizers: Mikołaj Cześnik, SWPS University; Joanna Konieczna-Sałamatin, University of Warsaw

Moderator: Joanna Konieczna-Sałamatin, University of Warsaw

Panelists: Viktor Stepanenko, NASU; Olga Burova, NASU; tbc, NASU; Edwin Bendyk, Batory Foundation; Mikołaj Cześnik, SWPS University

In the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the unprecedented challenges confronting both Ukrainian society and the country’s academic community, Polish sociology cannot remain indifferent. The symposium *Knowledge, Resilience and Responsibility* is a response to the situation of our neighbors—researchers, scholars, institutions—who, despite the war conditions, continue their academic work, conduct field research, and strive to understand the social consequences of war.

In March 2025, a conference dedicated to social resilience and solidarity in wartime was held in Kyiv, co-organized by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, SWPS University, and the Stefan Batory Foundation. Participating in this event was a significant experience—not only intellectually, but also in terms of solidarity. It made us realize the immense value of knowledge produced under conditions of crisis and the importance of acts of academic solidarity.

This symposium aims to continue that dialogue and bring it into the most critical event in Polish sociology—the PTS Congress. We believe that, given the situation beyond our eastern border, the absence of such a voice from the Congress program would be a gap that is difficult to justify. We want to offer Ukrainian and Polish researchers a space for joint reflection on the social consequences of war, the role of sociology in times of crisis, and the responsibility of the social sciences in the face of violence, suffering, and social divisions.