All-Academy Lecture at the Slovak Academy of Sciences by Prof. Michał Bilewicz (University of Warsaw)
Monday, 7 September 2026 | 10:00
Lecture room of the Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
The Institute for Research in Social Communication of the Slovak Academy of Sciences cordially invites researchers and scholars to an All-Academy Lecture by Prof. Michał Bilewicz, one of the leading European social psychologists studying prejudice, intergroup relations, collective memory, and conspiracy beliefs. The lecture is organized within the framework of the Mobility Visit Programme of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Prof. Bilewicz is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Warsaw and Director of the Centre for Research on Prejudice. His work explores how historical experiences, social identities, and collective memories shape contemporary attitudes and political behaviour. He has published extensively on antisemitism, intergroup relations, hate speech, collective trauma, and conspiracy beliefs, and is widely recognized for bridging psychological research with pressing social and political issues.
In his lecture, “Conspiracy Beliefs as Adaptations to Historical Trauma,” Prof. Bilewicz will propose a novel perspective on conspiracy beliefs as responses to collective experiences of war, political repression, colonization, and violence. Drawing on cross-national surveys, experimental research, and longitudinal evidence, he will examine whether the high prevalence of conspiracy beliefs in Central and Eastern Europe can be understood as a legacy of historical trauma associated with World War II and its aftermath. The lecture will discuss how experiences of powerlessness, institutional betrayal, and collective victimization continue to shape contemporary political cognition and social trust.
The lecture will be in English, without translation.
I will be followed by a panel discussion featuring scholars from the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Confirmed panelists currently include:
- Dr. Zuzana Panczová (Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology SAS)
- Dr. Monika Vrzgulová (Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology SAS)
- Dr. Magdalena Adamus (Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS)
- Dr. Dominik Želinský (Institute of Sociology SAS)
- Dr. Patrícia Fogelová (Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS)
Programme
09:30 – Coffee and informal networking
10:00 – Lecture by Prof. Michał Bilewicz
11:00 – Panel discussion and audience Q&A
The full abstract is available here.
As capacity is limited, registration is required. Please register via the following link until July 30, 2026: https://forms.gle/idvXiULJAeQzUkY4A
We warmly welcome researchers from across the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the wider social sciences and humanities community.
For more information, contact Dr. Barbara Lášticová at the Institute for Research in Social Communication.
Poster design by Adriana Cibulková