Hanna Maria Świda-Ziemba (September 19, 1930 – January 11, 2012) was a Polish sociologist, scholar and opposition activist in thePolish People's Republic.[1]
Her father was professor Witold Świda, and her sister was professor Zofia Świda. She grew up inVilnius and started keeping a diary from the age of ten, describing life inSoviet-occupied Vilnius, and documenting the post-war period of creating a new socio-political reality inPoland. She became interested in the mechanisms oftotalitarian states and would later expand on her observations in her academic studies.[2]
In 1952 she graduated with a degree in sociology from theUniversity of Łódź, in 1960 she obtained a doctoral degree, and in 1969 her habilitation.[1] She began working the University of Warsaw in 1954. She was a member of the presidium of thePolish Academy of Sciences and also lectured at theSWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. She has published a number of academic papers, mainly in the field of sociology on the topic of totalitarian systems. She was co-founder of the Institute of Applied Social Sciences as well as the Institute of Social Prevention and Rehabilitation of the University of Warsaw and in the years 1991-1993 she was member of theState Tribunal.[3]
In 2010 she publishedYouth of the People's Republic of Poland: portraits of generations in historical context, a culmination of many years of research for which she received the Jan Długosz award in 2011. PresidentBronisław Komorowski awarded Świda-Ziemba the Commander's Cross of theOrder of Polonia Restituta for outstanding achievements in research and teaching.[4]
She died on January 11, 2012, inWarsaw and was buried at thePowązki Military Cemetery (section D 31-tuje-6).[5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
