The young scientist proves that love for science can also transfer to social media. Her commitment to popularizing knowledge of Japanese culture, history and language attracts the attention of more than a thousand followers on Instagram and inspires participants in various initiatives.
Although she hesitated with the choice of studies until the last minute, Zofia Kurzawińska eventually chose Japanese studies. She is currently a doctoral student at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (UMK) in Toruń. She has been studying Japanese since she was eleven years old, and in high school she went on a month-long exchange to Japan. She took part in the exchange as one of three people from Poland, after writing an exam at the Japanese embassy. She went to the small town of Inami in Wakayama Prefecture and stayed with one of the families there. Interestingly, thanks to the fact that an uncle in that family was a monk, she learned a lot about local Buddhist rituals. She laughs that she even had the opportunity to ring a traditional bonshō bell. And at a local junior high school, Zofia watched children learn to cook and sew in special homemaking classes. There she also met a girl who was a big fan of the pianist and Polish artist Rafał Blechacz. The trip was a dream come true for her – since she was a child she has wanted to go to Japan and see how it’s really like there.
What particularly fascinates Zofia about Japan is that it is a country located on islands, which, she notes, translates into a special relationship with the rest of the world.
“Japan has historically had alternating periods of isolation and openness to foreign trade relations. Each time, it accepted achievements coming from outside in a very original way and adapted them to domestic needs and standards.”
The Japanese approach to culture and the world was also evident during her undergraduate and graduate studies. Zofia notes that everything seemed different in her studies: they discussed Japanese trends in art and literature, which are quite different from those of the Western world, although literary exchanges were taking place between Japan and Europe. They also learned about Japanese culture, including the symbolism of the passing of mono no aware associated with the blooming sakura. Zofia says the sakura, a very important symbol in Japan, only blooms for a few weeks, beautifully depicting the fragility of the world. Students also discussed unique cultural feelings and states, such as wabi-sabi. There is no equivalent in English that captures this word well, and it can most accurately be described as a confusion of loneliness, isolation and transience.
“We learned about Japan a bit like the Japanese learn about their country in school”
She adds that in her doctoral studies this approach changed. She was surprised by the jump to a European point of view. Issues began to be discussed more from the point of view of colonialism and post-colonialism.
“I had a hard time getting used to it.”
The only doctoral student in Japanese studies
The topic of Zofia’s doctoral dissertation is Bronisław Piłsudzki’s Japanese, Russian and Polish literary environment. She examines how Józef Piłsudski’s older brother, who was exiled to Sakhalin for suspicion of assassinating the Russian czar, assimilated into the local environment. She notes that exiled Europeans often began conducting scientific research there because they identified with local minorities who had their own culture and beliefs. This is how Bronisław Piłsudzki learned their language and left behind a wealth of valuable notes and recordings. The difficulty in conducting such research is access to sources, Zofia notes.
“No one is going to buy access to archival Japanese newspapers for dozens of Japanese studies students.”
That’s why it’s good to have someone in Japan who can send the book needed for further research, she says. In addition, it’s worth noting that Zofia is the only doctoral student in Japanese Studies at the Faculty of Humanities at UMK.
“I’m also the first person to defend a master’s degree in Japanese Studies here.”
The field of Japanese Studies, which she studied for her bachelor’s degree, was new to the university; the second degree was first opened for students from her bachelor’s degree. Zofia already knew she wanted to pursue a doctorate, so she decided to defend her master’s degree as early as possible to have time to prepare for further studies.
“The plus side is that at the university I have virtually no competition in my field. And the downside is that I don’t have proper structures to which I can belong with other orientalists. Hence my great activity at the university and joining the doctoral students’ self-government, in order to create an original path for myself that has not yet been created here”
Zofia says
Bottom-up initiative to change the law
In the self-government, she was involved in equal distribution of resources for doctoral students, equal right to speak and changes to the self-government’s bylaws. She says that through her activities she has learned a great deal about internal regulations at the University. She also learned a lot about the Higher Education Act. This accumulated experience allowed her to take part in a grassroots movement of doctoral students from all over Poland. Together with them, she advocated for an extension of doctoral studies due to the significant disadvantages that the coronavirus pandemic has caused students. As Zofia notes, libraries and laboratories were suddenly closed. Then there was the issue of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which made it impossible for many doctoral students to carry out their plans to complete their doctorates in Russia.
“It came to a situation where there was a lot of inequality in how much time someone had to write a doctorate.”
This motivated doctoral students from various Polish universities to fight for their rights at the level of national legislation, addressing demands to the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland. Zofia says the bill was discussed in the Senate, where the doctoral students began looking for politicians willing to cooperate.
“It was a fascinating adventure, at first we thought it wouldn’t work. And yet, once we started writing to all offices and making phone calls, we found people who supported us and convinced politicians.”
The action gained publicity, Zofia laughs that she and other doctoral students watched their case being discussed on TVN, an important news provider in the country.
“It’s print 3302, the Parliamentary bill on amending the Law – Teachers’ Charter, the Law on Research Institutes, the Law – Education Law and some other laws,” reads Zofia (From Polish: Druk 3302, Poselski projekt ustawy o zmianie ustawy – Karta Nauczyciela, ustawy o instytutach badawczych, ustawy – Prawo oświatowe oraz niektórych innych ustaw).
Activities for the development of the University
As a member of UMK’s University Center for Strategic Analysis, Zofia also represents the voice of doctoral students on the direction of the University. Topics on which she has taken a stand include: more accessible recruitment for foreign students and allowing addresses and names of students to be written in the alphabets of the country they come from. She says some letters written in the Latin alphabet do not arrive when sent to countries like China.
“Surely everyone would feel appreciated if they could write their data in their native alphabet. By transliterating ideograms into the Latin alphabet, the layer of meaning partially disappears,” notes Zofia, speaking of Chinese and Japanese.
In her efforts, she also encourages more mobility among doctoral students.
“I think one should go abroad at least once. It broadens awareness and shows a different way of exploring science.”
Also important to her is equal access to grants, trips and information that increase the chances of a good academic career. She also points out the popularization of contracts that do not make scientists dependent on universities in the long term. Zofia notes that some contracts can discourage scientists from speaking publicly.
Public speaking
As the author of a profile on Instagram called ziomalska.nauka, Zofia actively shares her knowledge online. Although to this day she remembers being afraid to upload her first Instagram Story. What gave her a lot of confidence and a wealth of knowledge was taking part in KRD’s PhD Mental Health program. It’s an initiative organized by Dr. Patrycja Uram, a psychologist and Ph.D. student at the National Academy of Sciences, and a group of people who then carried out the project. During the program, together with other senior scientists, Zofia conducted so-called live shows and promoted free visits to the psychological counseling center for PhD students. She also participated in a number of events organized by the Association of Science Advocates (Stowarzyszenie Rzecznicy Nauki), who are dedicated to connecting scientists and journalists. An interesting project of the Association is the Science and Journalism are Speed Dates, where scientists and journalists meet and look for common topics during a conversation This gives a chance to network and get to know people who are able to share their expertise. Zofia also participated in training sessions with journalists, where she learned how to work with the media.
“I have grown a lot since then. In the moment when there is a camera and someone has to say something, everyone looks at each other, kind of looking away, and I think: me! me!”
Influencers and popularization of science
Zofia’s favorite form of science communication are reels, short videos published on Instagram. She appreciates the fact that they are quick forms, where one can learn something about various topics in an accessible way. In addition to creating such rolls for her profile, she uses them to further her education in various fields. She was recently offered her first collaboration – she will receive a magazine about Japan from a publishing house, which she is expected to discuss on her profile. She’s glad to see her activity developing in that direction.
“The traditional academic process is that you write publications, it takes a long time. Then there are reviews, feedback, and publication, which can take up to several years. And here you have feedback right away – you know whether the roll will go up or dive.”
An additional advantage of showing science online is a much faster response from the audience. At the university, it is often said that only the reviewer and the promoter reads the paper, and then maybe a few specialists in the field, she notes. And on the Internet, one gets immediate feedback in the form of comments from the audience.
“I like this ongoing insight into what kind of reactions my work has evoked.”
Plans for the future
Zofia sees many paths for the future for herself. After completing her PhD, she is considering teaching at a domestic university or going back to Japan for a postdoc.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Japan (last time in 2019), and it’s important to stay up to date. After all, the young generation of Japanese who are now growing up have access to the same internet as most people in the world. And they tend to have common views with the world, rather than depending on their country of origin. It’s important to be up-to-date, because those things you might have read in books about Japan not long ago may be becoming outdated.”
Zofia is also considering the currently popular path of finishing her doctorate and getting involved in popularizing science in the media. She talks about Dr. Adam Mirek, who gained popularity on social media during his doctorate and published his own book.
“But not the kind published with small circulation, in an academic publishing house, but available in bookstores like Empik. And it will also have an audiobook. Sometimes it’s even displayed in Biedronka, a popular supermarket in the country.”
She says the author must get great satisfaction from publishing such a book, being able to sign it and share knowledge.
“The opposite of a rigid academic book, which maybe no one would read. I think it’s a lot of fun and I would like to try something like this.”
Support is key
For students who are thinking about pursuing a PhD or are already on that path she advises to find a support system outside of the university and have a clear goal.
“The university is like a city within a city. Just because you hear that it’s this way or that way doesn’t necessarily make it true for a person.”
She says it’s useful to know what one will be doing at the university and to know if you’re going to be working on a certain grant. It’s also worth considering whether there are people at the university who will support you. And if not, whether one has family or friends in the city.
“Sometimes there is an atmosphere of great cooperation at the university. I’ve heard stories that doctoral students feel very comfortable and even hear from their superiors that this is the best time to get pregnant, and any support will be given to them. Nevertheless, I have also heard about competition and hardships. Some people don’t feel accepted and it’s a stressful experience for them, they don’t feel part of the group, which makes it harder for them to acclimate.”
She notes that academia, especially for doctoral students in the sciences, can consume a tremendous amount of time, and having a space where you can de-stress and where there are people who are supportive and understand how much effort a PhD requires is very important.
