Professor Katarzyna Marciniak is the first female scholar in Poland who received the European Research Council Consolidator Grant. We present a video about her personality and research.

This is the ninth short video showing research of scientist from the University of Warsaw who was granted the European Research Council grant. So far, 21 Poles were awarded the ERC grants. The University of Warsaw received 12 that prestigiuos awards. Professor Katarzyna Marciniak is the second scholar from the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” with that subsidy. What does she do? You can find out about it in the video.

KATARZYNA MARCINIAK

The European Research Council (ERC) awarded Professor Katarzyna Marciniak with the Consolidator Grant, designed to support researchers at the stage during which they are consolidating their own independent research team or programme.

Professor Marciniak is the first person in Poland in the Humanities to have received this type of grant. The project which the ERC has awarded – “Our Mythical Childhood… The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children’s and Young Adults’ Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges” – will be supported for five years. Professor Marciniak’s team consists of scholars from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The project also involves collaboration with specialists in Reception Studies from various countries, including the US.

“We treat Classical Antiquity not as a distant and petrified past, but as a vital element of our times, one that has been undergoing constant metamorphoses that mirror social, political, and cultural transformations across the ages. We will study, among other matters, the reception of Aesop’s fables in various regions of the world, mythological references in the adventures of Harry Potter, and references to ancient history in computer games in the context of shaping young people’s identity” – Professor Marciniak explains.

“One important element of the project is its social dimension. We will elaborate materials on how to use ancient myths in work with disabled children. We will also prepare, in collaboration with the National Museum in Warsaw, animations based on Greek vases. Moreover, within the project, I am planning experimental classes for students of the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” – the laureate adds.