Dr Joanna Kusiak from the Department of Management in Digital and Networked Societies at Kozminski University has been awarded a grant in the prestigious NCN SONATA BIS 15 competition. The funding will support the creation of a new research team to conduct interdisciplinary work on how to engage with social conflict in ways that reduce polarization and renew democratic institutions.
Warsaw as a laboratory for working with conflict
The project, titled ‘Holding’ Warsaw: Exploring psycho political conditions for harnessing urban conflict to mitigate polarization and renew democratic institutions, positions Warsaw as a laboratory where local divisions are intensified by both national politics and the global economy.
The core question is straightforward: instead of avoiding conflict, can we learn how to work with it so that differences and tensions are not suppressed, but transformed into constructive democratic renewal.
A “holding environment” as a structured space for dialogue
At the heart of the project is the concept of a holding environment, a structured relational space in which individuals and groups can safely face tensions arising from competing interests, conflicting loyalties, and different identities.
Unlike “safe spaces”, holding environments combine psychological safety with constructive discomfort, enabling honest expression of difficult emotions and controversial views.
The research team will draw on the experience of mediators and high risk conflict resolution practitioners, testing how these approaches can be adapted to the realities of contemporary cities.
The National Science Centre has awarded the project funding of PLN 1,637,284.00.
SONATA BIS is an NCN competition for researchers five to twelve years after their PhD, supporting the establishment of a new independent research team and ambitious basic research projects lasting three to five years.
