Monstrous Rivers: Investigating the Environmental History of Modern European Floods through Literary Sources

The integrated project "Modern tools for teaching and research activities of the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Polish Philology at the Faculty Of Humanities of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw" (No. PPI / NPZ / 2018/1/00065) assumed a series of activities based on the cooperation of Partners and synergy of their potentials. The idea of ​​the project was to use modern digital marketing strategies and interdisciplinary tools to promote the scientific and didactic activities of IBL PAN, IFP WNH UKSW and - ultimately - other Polish and foreign Polish studies included in the framework of "Geopolonistics", created according to the idea of ​​prof. Magdalena Popiel (president of the International Association of Polish Studies).

Bertrand Westphal’s definition of geocriticism and its further developments were the starting point of the “Architectural Literary Studies” project. Research activities proposed in reference to it involved literary research analysis that could be used by other disciplines dealing with transformations of the urban space. It was important, firstly, to inquire about interdisciplinarity (and its limitations), understood as a method adapted by a researcher who uses concepts and theories from other disciplines, and, secondly, to try to develop a transdisciplinary research model based on collaboration within a multidisciplinary team. A 14-person research group analysed two Warsaw squares: Piłsudski Square and Parade Square (Plac Defilad).

The psychological and social consequences of the problems of the modern world, including the COVID-19 pandemic and wars, have influenced the development of a new approach to the individual, facing a sense of social isolation, exclusion and loneliness, in a world that is indistinct, impenetrable, and requires the creation of new meanings. The elderly and the disabled – but also young – are particularly vulnerable to loneliness. This is accompanied by an increase in ecological consciousness and the development of a new approach to nature (such as the ecological disaster on the Oder river in 2022), as well as a deeper reflection on the removal of technological and architectural barriers. Using the available research resources of humanities and the diagnoses they have already made allows us to look for answers to these contemporary problems by focusing on human subjectivity and individuality, on regaining bonds, interpersonal contacts and a sense of identity, as well as on respecting the principles of open access and inclusiveness in the surrounding world.

The Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw) is one of the Partners in the ‘Shaping Interdisciplinary Practices in Europe’ (SHAPE-ID) project which has been awarded funding of €1.5m through European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme. SHAPE-ID is the answer to the challenges of the modern world which ought to be approached through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. The project will produce practical recommendations for the European Commission. These will be concerned with transdisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity in research, especially in social sciences and humanities. SHAPE-ID is coordinated by Trinity College, Dublin. Other partners institutions are based in Holland, Scotland, Switzerland and Italy.