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Event Series

August Zaleski Memorial Lecture in Modern Polish History


This lecture series was established in 1983 through a generous gift from the estate of August Zaleski's widow, Ewelina Zaleska, to "organize lectures on modern Polish history from the year 1795 to the present time." The lectures remain independent of any other courses or professorships and are known as "The August Zaleski Lectures in Modern Polish History."


Timothy Snyder, Bird White Housum Professor of History, Yale University was the 2016 Zaleski speaker and discussed his book "Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning." View the video of his presentation.


Zaleski Speakers (1989 - 2021)


Series Events Calendar

Polish Elections and the Pandemic of Populists August Zaleski Memorial Lecture in Modern Polish History — Polish Elections and the Pandemic of Populists
March 30, 2023
4:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Wojciech Sadurski – Challis Professor in Jurisprudence, University of Sydney; Sidley Austin–Robert D. McLean Visiting Professor of Law, Yale Law School
  • Vlad Perju – Professor, Boston College Law School; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Confronting a Hostile State: Scholars of the Holocaust in Poland August Zaleski Memorial Lecture in Modern Polish History — Confronting a Hostile State: Scholars of the Holocaust in Poland
March 25, 2021
11:00am - 12:00pm
  • Barbara Engelking – Founder and Director, Polish Center of Holocaust Research, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Jan Grabowski – Professor of History, University of Ottawa
  • Derek J. Penslar – William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Poland in the Global Wave of Populism CES 50th Anniversary Series — Poland in the Global Wave of Populism
November 13, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Anna Grzymała-Busse – Douglas Professor of International Studies, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Bart Bonikowski – Past Resident Faculty
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Holocaust as History and Warning The August Zaleski Memorial Lecture in Modern Polish History — The Holocaust as History and Warning
March 9, 2016
1:15pm - 3:00pm
  • Alison Frank Johnson – Professor of History, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Seminar Co-chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Terry Martin – Faculty Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies; George F. Baker III Professor of Russian Studies, Harvard University
  • Timothy Snyder – Bird White Housum Professor of History, Yale University
  • Roman Szporluk – Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History, Emeritus, Harvard University; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Holocaust in Poland: Controversies and Explanations The Annual Zaleski Lecture in Modern Polish History — The Holocaust in Poland: Controversies and Explanations
March 8, 2016
5:15pm - 7:00pm
  • Timothy Snyder – Bird White Housum Professor of History, Yale University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
A Future for Ukraine: Lessons From Poland The August Zaleski Memorial Lecture in Modern Polish History — A Future for Ukraine: Lessons From Poland
November 20, 2014
5:15pm - 7:00pm
  • Radosław Sikorski – Member of the European Parliament, Republic of Poland; Speaker of Parliament (2014-2015) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007-2014), Republic of Poland; Senior Fellow, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Moderated by Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Reflections on the "Round Table" and Transformation in Poland 25 Years Later Reflections on the "Round Table" and Transformation in Poland 25 Years Later
April 23, 2014
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Adam Michnik – Writer, Activist, Solidarity leader, and Editor-in-Chief, Polish Daily Gazeta Wyborcza
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Annual August Zaleski Memorial Lecture: "Poland in Modern Ukrainian History: 1795-1991" Annual August Zaleski Memorial Lecture: "Poland in Modern Ukrainian History: 1795-1991"
October 25, 2012
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Roman Szporluk – Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History, Emeritus, Harvard University; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
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