Iwona Kaliszewska

Iwona Kaliszewska is an anthropologist and free lance journalist. She is the president of the Kaukaz.net Foundation and a regular contributor to New Eastern Europe journal. She is a co-author of Matryoshka in Hijab. Essays on Dagestan and Chechnya (Sic! 2010) [in Polish]. She is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Univeristy of Warsaw, and currently a visiting scholar at The George Washington University, The Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Graduate of the Informatics and Ethnology Departments at the University of Warsaw and the School of Photographic Forms in Warsaw. Currently an associate with the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Warsaw University, lecturing on Caucasus, Ukraine and computer analysis of ethnographic interviews and finalizing her PhD thesis.

Author of the EdEt (Ethnographic Editor) computer program written for the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology of Warsaw University which facilitates the work with research material.

Coordinator and participant of various projects realized by the Kaukaz.net Foundation and Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology.

Together with her husband Sebastian (recently also with their baby daughter Lena), travelled to Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia and Central Asia. Visited many countries of Asia, undertook several long journeys, including the round-the-world trip in 2001, travelled by train, on foot, hitch-hiked, rarely also by plane. Travels as a tourist, researcher or as a volunteer.

Her fascination is focused on the colourful, multicultural Caucasus region, especial Dagestan. Between 2004-2007 conducted field research in Georgia and Dagestan. The expedition resulted in many slide shows, articles, lectures and the http://www.kaukaz.net website. Author of several photographic exhibitions. Together with spouse, runs a travel photo gallery http://www.tajga.org.

Her interests are focused on: Dagestan, Georgia (including the Pankisi Gorge), Kabardino-Balkaria, Azerbaijan, Chechnya.

PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS

• Kaliszewska I., Falkowski M., Matrioshka in hijab. Esseys on Dagestan and Chechnya [in Polish], SIC!, 2010.

JOURNAL ARTICLES
In English:

• Kaliszewska I., Everyday life in the North Caucasus, URIC, 4/2011 [English and Polish].
• Kaliszewska I., Ramzan’s Chechnya, New Eastern Europe 1/2011
• Kaliszewska I., Dangerous Indifference, New Eastern Europe

In Polish:

• Kaliszewska I., South Ossetia: Sad Independence, Nowa Europa Wschodnia, 6/2011.
• Kaliszewska I., Karabakh: war or discotheque?, Nowa Europa Wschodnia, 5/2011.
• Kaliszewska I., Ramzan’s Chechnya [in Polish], Nowa Europa Wschodnia, 1/2010.
• Kaliszewska I., The Chechen pilgrimage [in Polish], Nowa Europa Wschodnia, 4/2010.
• Kaliszewska I., Dagestan. In quest for the lost state [in Polish] , Publications of Polish Anthropological Institute, 2/2010.
• Kaliszewska I. On Dagestani migrants returning home [in Polish], in: The Caucasian Dilemmas. National and Migration Issues [in Polish], M. Ząbek (ed.). Warszawa 2010.
• Kaliszewska I. Echoes of the USSR. The influence of the Soviet Union on the identity of refugees from Chechnya [in Polish] , in: The Caucasian Dilemmas. National and Migration Issues, M. Ząbek (ed.). Warszawa 2010.
• Kaliszewska I. Computer-assisted analysis of ethnographic materials and folklore texts [in Polish], in: Folklore in the age of the Internet, P. Grochmalski (ed.). Toruń 2009.
• Falkowski M., Kaliszewska I., Dagestan. A forgotten spot in the Caucasus [in Polish], Nowa Europa Wschodnia, 1/2009.
• Falkowski M., Kaliszewska I., Rzemieniuk K. Dagestan. The Caucasus Highlanders and Poles [in Polish], Warszawa 2007.
• Kaliszewska I., Uraza Bairam in Dagestan [in Polish], Nowa Europa Wschodnia, 9/2010 [forthcoming].