Oxford University Polish Society
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| Home Page | Oxford University Polish Society |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1955 as Polish Students Club (by Maciej Giertych) |
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Officers, 2016-2017 | |
| President | Anna Białas, Magdalen |
| President | Wodzisław Kiciński, St Cross |
| Treasurer | Wojciech Dziwulski, Mansfield |
| Secretary | Małgorzata Kasprzak, Queen's |
The Oxford University Polish Society is a student society at the University of Oxford. Its members are mostly Polish nationals, people of Polish ancestry, or anyone interested in Poland, studying or working at the university. It was founded in 1955 and claims to be the oldest Polish student society in the UK. It served as an important platform for Polish political activism during the Cold War, when Poland was still a satellite of the Soviet Union. The society features in the Polish media.[1]
At present, the society aims to integrate the Polish community within the university and promote knowledge of Polish culture and history. It invites speakers, mainly well-known political figures from Poland, as well as British and Polish historians, to give talks. Former guests have included Radosław Sikorski, Danuta Hubner, Norman Davies, Charles Crawford, Marek Belka, and Michal Dembinski. Society term cards also include regular social events such as film nights and piano recitals as well as celebrations of national holidays such as 3rd May Constitution Day and 11th November Independence Day.
The society was founded in 1955 as the Polish Students Club by Maciej Giertych and has existed in varied forms since, with the occasional hiatus. Former members include Zbigniew Pełczyński (now patron of the society) and Radosław Sikorski (then a political refugee in Great Britain). The philosopher and historian of ideas, Leszek Kołakowski, was the society's patron from 1996 until his death in 2009.