Izabela Romańczuk, Ph.D.
email: izabela.romanczuk@uw.edu.pl
consultations for students: Wednesday 16.45-18.15 (after prior e-mail arrangement)
Research areas
Swahili language and literature, postcolonial feminist theories and practices, African feminisms
Academic degrees
2022: Ph.D. in literary studies in the field of African studies based on the thesis “Woman identity in contemporary Swahili prose of Tanzanian writers”. Thesis under the supervision of Prof. Iwona Kraska-Szlenk.
2014-2020: Ph.D. studies at the Department of African Languages and Cultures (University of Warsaw). Thesis under the supervision of Prof. Iwona Kraska-Szlenk.
2012: M.A. in African Studies (University of Warsaw). Thesis: Plurality of voices and identities: Women’s creative writing in the Swahili culture region.
2009: B.A. in African Studies (University of Warsaw). Thesis: The African feminism in Penina Muhando Mlama’s plays.
Academic work experience
2020 – Assistant, Department of African Languages and Cultures, University of Warsaw.
2011-2013 Teacher of Swahili language, University of Warsaw.
International scholarships and research stays
18.11 – 23.12.2019 Department of African Studies, Humboldt University (Berlin, Germany) (ZIP UW).
01.08 – 01.09.2019 Institute of Kiswahili Studies (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) (DSM Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw).
4.01 – 15.02.2019. – Department of African Studies, Humboldt University (Berlin, Germany) (Central European Network for Teaching and Research in Academic Liaison).
01.01 – 01.07.2010 African Studies Center at Leiden University, the Netherlands (ERASMUS Exchange Programme)
Publications
2021. “Dyskursy honoru, moralności w władzy na podstawie sztuki Heshima yangu”. In: I. Kraska-Szlenk i B. Wójtowicz (eds.) Język i literatura suahili: konteksty społeczno-kulturowe. Warszawa: Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa. 128-142.
2020. “Kwani Mwanamke ni Nani? Si Binadamu Sisi?: Women’s Rights Reclaimed in Zainab Alwi Baharoon’s Mungu Hakopeshwi”. Kiswahili. Vol. 83: 95-116.
2019. “Konstrukcje tożsamości kobiecych w twórczości prozatorskiej pisarek z Tanzanii”. In: J. Frużyńska (ed.) Kobieta w oczach kobiet. Kobiece (auto)narracje w perspektywie transkulturowej. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. 222-233.
2018. “Kognitywny obraz kobiety w przysłowiach suahili”. In: J. Jurewicz (ed.) Orientaliści kognitywnie. Warszawa: Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa. 29-39.
2017. “Dyskurs u władzy? Czy też: władza wspierana dyskursem? Na przykładzie powieści ‘Kipimo cha mizani’ (‘Miara równowagi’) autorstwa Zainab Burhani”. In : A. Lisiecka (ed.) Między Wschodem a Zachodem, między Północą a Południem. Wybrane referaty z V. Ogólnopolskiej Interdyscyplinarnej Studencko-Doktoranckiej Konferencji Naukowej 30-31 maja 2016. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Campidoglio. 11-21.
2016. “Swahili women’s creative writing”. In: N. Pawlak, H. Rubinkowska-Anioł, I. Will (eds.) African studies: Forging new perspectives and directions. Warszawa: Katedra Języków i Kultur Afryki, Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa. 159-181.
2015. “Tradycyjna twórczość literacka kobiet Suahili – tradycja ustna oraz pisemna”. I. Kraska-Szlenk (ed.) Nipe kalamu: Odsłony dawnej literatury suahili. Warszawa: Katedra Języków i Kultur Afryki UW, Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa. 54-88.
2012. “Obalony ‘posąg kobiety’ w twórczości dramatycznej Peniny Muhando Mlamy”. L. Łykowska (ed.) Role społeczne płci w Afryce Subsaharyjskiej. Warszawa: Katedra Języków i Kultur Afryki UW. 149-166.
2010. “Taarab – kobiecy głos na Zanzibarze”. C. Kozera (ed.) Przegląd Afrykanistyczny, vol. III. Warszawa: Katedra Języków i Kultur Afryki UW. 66-72.
Conferences with papers
23rd – 24th of September 2021– 2nd International Conference “Language – Culture – Literature: East African Perspective”, University of Warsaw. Title of the presentation: “Discourses on Honor, Morality, and Authority In Selected Works by Tanzanian Women Writers””.
31st of May – 2nd of June 2019 – 32nd International Swahili Colloquium/ Kongamano la Kiswahili, University of Bayreuth (Germany). Title of the presentation: “”Kwani mwanamke ni nani? Si binadamu sisi?” – Women’s rights reclaimed in Zainab Alwi Baharoon’s Mungu Hakopeshwi.
23rd – 24th of May 2019 – 1st International Conference “Language – Culture – Literature: East African Perspective”, University of Warsaw. Title of the presentation: “God’s role in reclaiming gender equality and justice. Feminist analysis of Zainab Alwi Baharoon’s novel Mungu Hakopeshwi”.
5th – 6th of December 2016 – 1st International Conference Płeć-Literatura-Język. Kobieta w oczach kobiet (Gender-Literature-Language. Woman in the Eyes of Women), University of Warsaw. Title of the presentation: “Women’s identities in the selected novels of Tanzanian women writers”.
30th – 31st of May 2016 – 5th National Interdisciplinary Student-Doctoral Scientific Conference Między Wschodem a Zachodem, między Północą a Południem (Between East and West, between North and South), University of Warsaw. Title of the presentation: „Dyskurs u władzy? Czy też: władza wspierana dyskursem? Na przykładzie powieści ‘Kipimo cha mizani’ (‘Miara równowagi’) autorstwa Zainab Burhani” (Discourse in power? Or power supported by the discourse? An analysis of Zainab Burhani’s novel “The Measure of Balance”).
Research projects
2019 – Investigator in the research project “Cultural conceptualizations in Swahili languages and literatures” funded by the Polish Nation Center of Science (grant number UMO-2018/31/B/HS2/01114) under the management of The Principal Investigator, Prof. Iwona Kraska-Szlenk.
2016-2019 Participation in the research project “Multilingual semantic lexicon of body part terms.” funded by the Polish Nation Center of Science (grant number UMO-2015/19/B/HS2/01573) under the management of The Principal Investigator, Prof. Iwona Kraska-Szlenk.
Other Academic Activities
2021 Member of the Organizing Committee of the 2nd International Conference ‘Language-Culture-Literature: East African Perspective’ (23-24 September 2021) at the Department of African Languages and Cultures (University of Warsaw).
2019 Member of the Organizing Committee of the 1st International Conference ‘Language-Culture-Literature: East African Perspective’ (23rd-24th of May 2019) at the Department of African Languages and Cultures (University of Warsaw).
2017 Participation in organizing the International Scientific Workshop “Body Part Terms in Linguistic Usage: A Comparative and Typological Perspective.” ( 8th-9th of December 2017) at the Department of African Languages and Cultures (University of Warsaw).