On 20th January, the doctorate renewal ceremony of Prof. Jacek M. Kurczewski – an eminent scholar in the sociology of customs and law – took place in the Senate Hall of the Kazimierzowski Palace at the University of Warsaw.

Prof. Jacek M. Kurczewski is a distinguished sociologist of customs and law. On 31th May 2023, the Council of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialisation of the University of Warsaw adopted a resolution to renew his doctoral degree. Subsequently, on 24th September 2025, the Senate of the University of Warsaw also approved the resolution. The decision to renew the doctorate constitutes an expression of recognition for Prof. Kurczewski’s outstanding scholarly and teaching achievements, as well as his service to the University as a whole.

During the ceremony, Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, emphasised the exceptional nature of Prof. Kurczewski’s academic legacy and personal ethos:

“Prof. Jacek M. Kurczewski is a scholar who uniquely combines academic excellence, dedication to teaching, and profound social engagement. His research and achievements are recognised at leading academic centres worldwide. What particularly distinguishes Prof. Kurczewski is his openness to dialogue, respect for differing viewpoints, and willingness to share knowledge and experience. He never imposed his views; instead, he listened and sought understanding, inspiring others not only through his scholarship but also through his perspective on the contemporary world. He has been – and continues to be – a professor of the University of Warsaw in the fullest sense of the term: an outstanding researcher, an academic teacher, and a citizen who, at critical moments, had the courage to speak out and assume responsibility for public affairs. The decision to renew his doctoral degree is an expression of the highest esteem for his wisdom, achievements, and personal integrity, which perfectly embody the values of the University of Warsaw,” said the UW Rector.

The laudatory address was delivered by Prof. Małgorzata Fuszara of the UW Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialisation. Reviews of Prof. Kurczewski’s scholarly output were prepared by Prof. Mavis Maclean of the University of Oxford and Prof. Grażyna Skąpska of the Jagiellonian University.

A sociologist of law and customs

Prof. Jacek M. Kurczewski was awarded his doctoral degree in 1972 at the Institute of Sociology of the University of Warsaw, on the basis of his dissertation entitled Metody badania systemów prawnych (ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem tzw. prawa przedpaństwowego) – EN: Methods of Studying Legal Systems (with Particular Reference to So-Called Pre-State Law). His research has focused primarily on the sociology of customs and law. At the University of Warsaw, Prof. Kurczewski served as Head of the Department of the Sociology of Customs and Law, Head of the Social Research Centre of the Institute of Applied Social Sciences, and Director of the Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialisation. He also held the positions of Vice-Dean and Dean of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialisation.

In the 1990s, he served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the first parliamentary term.

In addition to several hundred scholarly articles, Prof. Jacek M. Kurczewski is the author of 27 monographs and the editor of 35 collective volumes.