Andrzej Szahaj, born in 1958 in Bydgoszcz (in Szwederowo), prof. dr hab., dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Nicolaus Copernicus University, Chair of the Unit of Contemporary Philosophy in the Institute of Philosophy at Nicolaus Copernicus University and Chair of the Unit of Theory of Culture in the Cultural Studies

University Education and achievements:

Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, 1976-1980 (major: Cultural Studies)
Ph.D., Philosophy, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, 1988
Thesis: Culture and Communication. The Critical Theory of Jurgen Habermas in the Light of a Social-Regulative Theory of Culture
Second Doctorate (Habilitationsschrift), Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, 1996
Thesis: Irony and Love. The Neopragmatism of Richard Rorty in the Context of the Postmodernist Controversy
Nicolaus Copernicus University Professor – 1997
Associate Professor – 2001
Full Professor - 2005
Member of the Committee of Cultural Studies and of Philosophical Studies of Polish Academy of Science
Author of a number of scientific publications and articles printed in “Odra”, “Twórczość’, “Przegląd Polityczny” and “Europa – tygodnik idei”.
Translator of various scientific works in English.
He took part in conferences and gave lectures in the: USA, India, Brazil, Japan, Great Britain, Holland, France, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Denmark, Croatia, Germany, Austria, Israel, Egypt, Malta, Italy, Norway
Lives in Toruń (Poland).

Scientific interests:

Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Culture, Neopragmatism, Postmodernism, Critical Theory, Philosophy of Interpretation

Awards and Honors:

Award of the Polish Ministry of National Education 1997
Award of the Polish Ministry of Science and National Education 2005
Numerous awards of the Rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University

Fellowships:

• “Philosophy and Social Science”, Inter-University Center for Postgraduate Studies, Dubrovnik, 1986, 1987, 1988;
• St. John’s College, Oxford University, September 1987, Visiting Fellow;
• St. John’s College, Cambridge University, September 1989 – March 1990, Visiting Fellow;
• St. Andrews University, April - May 1993, Visiting Fellow;
• University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1993/1994, ACLS Visiting Scholar;
• Cambridge University, November 1997, Visiting Scholar;
• Leeds University, February 1998, Visiting Scholar;
• The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Wassenaar, September 1998 – January 1999, Mellon Fellow;
• University of California, Berkeley, February – July 1999, The Kosciuszko Foundation Visiting Scholar;
• Stanford University, 2002/2003, Fulbright Visiting Scholar;
• Bellagio Rockefeller Center, Bellagio, August – September 2004, Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship.

Major publications:

Books:

• Krytyka, emancypacja, dialog. Jurgen Habermas w poszukiwaniu nowego paradygmatu teorii krytycznej (Critique, Emancipation, Dialogue: Jurgen Habermas in Search of a New Paradigm of Critical Theory), Warszawa, Kolegium Otryckie, 1990;
• Ironia i miłość. Neopragmatyzm Richarda Rorty'ego w kontekście sporu o postmodernizm (Irony and Love. The Neopragmatism of Richard Rorty in the Context of the Postmodernist Controversy), Wrocław, Leopoldinum, 1996;
• Jednostka czy wspólnota? Spór liberałów z komunitarystami a „sprawa polska” (Individual or Community? The Debate between Liberals and Communitarians and the „Polish Matter””), Warszawa, Aletheia, 2000;
• Zniewalająca moc kultury. Artykuły i szkice z filozofii kultury, poznania i polityki (The Compulsory Power of Culture. Articles and Essays on the Philosophy of Culture, Cognition and Politics), Toruń, Wydawnictwo UMK, 2004;
• Postmodernizm w kulturze współczesnej (Postmodernism in the Contemporary Culture), Bydgoszcz: Wers 2003;
• E Pluribus Unum? Dylematy wielokulturowości i politycznej poprawności (E Pluribus Unum? Dilemmas of Multiculturalism and Political Correctness), Kraków, Universitas, 2004;
• Filozofia polityki (Philosophy of Politics), co-author Marek N. Jakubowski, Warszawa, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN 2005;
• Teoria krytyczna szkoły frankfurckiej (The Critical Theory of Frankfurt School), Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Akademickie i Profesjonalne 2008;
• Relatywizm i fundamentalizm (oraz inne szkice z filozofii kultury i polityki) (Relativism and Fundamentalism (and other essays on the Philosophy of Culture and Politics)), Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK 2008.
• Liberalizm, wspólnotowość, równość. Eseje z filozofii polityki, Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK, 2012
• On Interpretation , Kraków: Universitas 2014
• Kapitalizm drobnego druku, Warszawa 2014
• Inny kapitalizm jest możliwy, Warszawa 2015
• Neoliberalizm, turbokapitalizm, kryzys, Warszawa, 2017
• Kapitalizm wyczerpania?, Warszawa, 2019

Editorial Works:

• Wokół teorii krytycznej Jurgena Habermasa (On the Critical Theory of Jurgen Habermas), editor (with A.M.Kaniowski) and contributor, Warszawa, Kolegium Otryckie, 1987;
• Pomiędzy pragmatyzmem a postmodernizmem. Wokół filozofii Richarda Rorty'ego (Between Pragmatism and Postmodernism. On Richard Rorty's Philosophy), editor and contributor, Toruń, Wydaw. UMK, 1995;
• Postmodernizm a filozofia (Postmodernism and Philosophy), editor (with Stanisław Czerniak) and contributor, Warszawa, Wydawn. IFIS PAN, 1996;
• Filozofia amerykańska dziś (American Philosophy Today), editor (with T. Komendziński) and contributor, Toruń, Wydaw. UMK, 1999;
• Indywidualizm, wspólnotowość, polityka (Individualism, Community and Politics), editor (with M.N. Jakubowski and K. Abriszewski ), Toruń, 2002;
• Od filozofii polityki do praktyki politycznej (From Political Philosophy to Political Practice), editor and contributor, Toruń 2006;
• Filozofia i etyka interpretacji (Philosophy and the Ethics of Interpretation), editor (with A.Kola), Kraków: Universitas 2007;

Editing of Translations:

• Richard Rorty, Konsekwencje pragmatyzmu (Consequences of Pragmatism), translated by Cz. Karkowski, Warszawa, Wydawnictwo IFIS PAN, 1998;
• S. Fish, Interpretacja, retoryka, polityka,. Eseje wybrane (Interpretation, Rhetoric, Politics. Selected Essays), various translators, Kraków: Universitas, 2002
• J. Derrida. J. Habermas, J. Borradori, Filozofia w czasach terroru (Philosophy in a Time of Terror), translated by B. Orlewski, M. Kilanowski, A. Karalus, Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Akademickie i Profesjonalne 2000

Contact:

Nicolaus Copernicus University, Institute of Philosophy
87-100 Toruń, Fosa Staromiejska 1a
Poland
tel. (+48 56) 611-36-67
fax: (+48 56) 652-27-69
E-mail: szahaj@umk.pl