Why do some people resist knowledge? Where do radical ideological beliefs come from? The processes taking place in society will be discussed by Prof. Małgorzata Kossowska from the Jagiellonian University, the speaker in the upcoming WUST’s Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminar.

Prof. Kossowska will deliver a lecture entitled “Those who resist knowledge... or thoughts about trust and politics”. The lecture will be held on June 22, at 12.00, via the Zoom platform. Link to the live stream.

A psychologist and professor of humanities, Małgorzata Kossowska heads the Department of Social Psychology and the Centre for Social Cognitive Studies at the Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University. She has authored over 80 articles, published in Polish and foreign journals. Also, she has written books dedicated to the subject of social cognition. 

In her research work, Professor Małgorzata Kossowska studies the processes (cognitive and motivational) underlying complex social phenomena such as radical ideological beliefs, prejudice, and social conflict. She identifies factors that contribute to rigidity and unchangeability of views.

She has won many awards for her scientific achievements, including the Tadeusz Tomaszewski Prize for the best psychological publication, the medal of the Polish Association of Social Psychology for lifetime scientific achievements, and the "Jagiellonian Laurel" award. Prof. Kossowska also received a scholarship under the “Stay with Us” programme organised by the Polityka weekly (2001).

The ISS speaker is an active member of many psychological organisations and associations: she is an ex-president of the Polish Association of Social Psychology, works on the board of the European Association of Social Psychology and Academia.net, is a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and belongs to the Covid-19 team of the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Until last year, she was also President of the Council of the National Centre for Science.