Between Science and Politics: Centers Studying Polish Issues
in the Soviet Union (1921–1938)

The project NPRH/F/SP/0077/2024/13, titled Between Science and Politics: Centers Studying Polish Issues in the Soviet Union (1921–1938), has been approved for funding through a competitive process under the National Program for the Development of Humanities – Foundations. The project is conducted by the History of Humanist and Social Thought Research Unit at the Institute for the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences, named after Ludwik and Aleksander Birkenmajer. The project spans a 48-month period and will conclude on February 5, 2028.
The research focuses on the origins and achievements of Soviet “Polish studies” through the example of academic and quasi-academic institutions established in the Soviet Union during the interwar period. These institutions engaged in scholarly research, expertise development, and propaganda related to Polish topics. The term “Polish studies,” in its Soviet and Russian usage (extending also to the 19th century), goes beyond Polish literature and language to encompass a much broader scope, including historical, social, and economic studies.
During the interwar period, two organizational forms of Polish studies centers emerged in the Soviet republics: academic and party-affiliated.
Academic centers included research institutes, commissions, and committees operating under centralized state scientific institutions with national (Moscow) or regional (Kyiv, Minsk) reach.
Party-affiliated institutions, which remain the least studied, primarily collected and analyzed materials on the history of the communist and workers’ movements in Polish territories. These centers often functioned as analytical hubs, producing assessments and reports on Poland’s current situation based on documentation from the OGPU/NKVD and military intelligence.
The study covers the period from the establishment of the first Polish studies institutions to the final phase of the so-called “Polish Operation” and the dissolution of the institutional network. A key focus is mapping these institutions, characterizing their internal structures and personnel, examining their positioning at the intersection of politics and science, and analyzing their scholarly output. Particular attention is given to their areas of interest and the influence of political authorities on shaping these directions.
Ultimately, the research aims to outline the developmental trajectories of a new field of knowledge, as Soviet “Polish studies” were understood in this unique context.