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Paulina Napierała, Ph.D.

Paulina Napierała, Ph.D.

 

Dr. Paulina Napierała holds a Ph.D. in political science (Jagiellonian University, 2011) as well as two M.A. degrees: in International Relations (JU, 2005) and in Ethnic and Migration Studies (JU, 2006). Additionally, she earned a B.A. in English Philology (JU, 2009) and studied in England (the University of the West of England, Bristol) and in the United States (Valdosta State University). Her research explores a variety of issues concerning the role of religion in American politics. Currently, she is focusing on the social and political role of the Black Church. Thanks to the grants and fellowships awarded by the Kosciuszko Foundation (2015, 2022) and the Fulbright Commission (2007-2008), Dr. Napierała was able to conduct her research and consultations at the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Kennedy School, CUNY and Union Theological Seminary (Columbia University). She also received scholarships and grants from: the Advanced Research Collaborative at the CUNY Graduate Center (Distinguished Visiting Scholar), the National Science Center Poland (Miniatura 2019, VSU), the Institute for Human Sciences, ‘IWM', Vienna (Józef Tischner's Scholarship 2009), and the Free University of Berlin (J.F. Kennedy Library Grant 2006). Thanks to financial support from her home institution, she conducted consultations and library research at Stanford University (2013) and at the University of Michigan, where she additionally participated in the ICPSR summer program (2012). Dr. Napierała has given visiting lectures and presentations at Boston College, the City University of New York, the University of Central Oklahoma, Canisius College in Buffalo, Valdosta State University, Vilnius University, the University of Ljubljana, the University of Catania, the University of Coimbra, and the University of Siena. She is a member of the Polish Association of International Studies, the Polish Political Science Association, the Jagiellonian Center of Migration Studies, the Polish Alumni Association (U.S. State Department Exchange Programs), and the Kosciuszko Foundation Alumni Group.

Functions:

  • Executive Board of the Polish International Studies Association. Krakow Branch (Treasurer)
  • Admissions Committee member at the Centre for International Studies and Development, JU (2022-currently)
  • preLAB Global Complex System Laboratory, POB DigiWorld
  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies (Editorial Assistant: 2012-2017; Managing Editor: 2017-currently)
  • International Migrations Academic Circle’s Supervisor (2016-2022)
  • Secretary of the Admissions Commission for the Faculty of International and Political Studies JU (2016/2017)
Academic interests:
  • Church-state relations in the United States
  • The role of religion in American public life
  • Religion and politics
  • The American Religious Right, American culture wars
  • The social and political role of Black churches
  • Social problems in the United States
  • International migrations

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Publications

2015, In God We Trust. Religia w sferze publicznej USA (“In God We Trust: Religion in the American Public Sphere”), Krakow: Księgarnia Akademicka 2015, pp. 318

2013, Religia i polityka w USA. Faith-based initiatives w okresie prezydentury G. W. Busha (“Religion and Politics in the United States: Faith-Based Initiatives During the Administration of George W. Bush”), Krakow: Jagiellonian University Press, pp. 244.

2024, The Role of Religion in American Politics: Research Approaches [w:] Religion and American Politics. Domestic and International Contexts, ed. Paulina Napierała, Berlin: Peter Lang, pp. 11-27.

2024, The Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and the Activist Tradition of the Black Church [w:] Religion and American Politics. Domestic and International Contexts, ed. Paulina Napierała, Berlin: Peter Lang, pp. 189-239.

2024, Introduction [w:] Religion and American Politics. Domestic and International Contexts, red. Paulina Napierała, Berlin: Peter Lang, pp. 7-10.

2022, Polityczna działalność "czarnych Kościołów" w kontekście regulacji prawnych wynikających z amerykańskiego modelu rozdziału państwa od Kościoła ("Black Churches' Political Activity in the Context of the American Model of Church-State Regulations") [in:] Relacje państwo-wspólnoty religijne we współczesnym świecie. Wybrane zagadnienia ("Church-State Relations in the Contemporary World"), eds. Maria Marczewska-Rytko, Dorota Maj, Warsaw: Elipsa Publishing House, pp. 252-271.

2021, Black Liberation Theology and James Cone’s Protest against the Hegemony of ‘White Theology', [in:] At the Crossroads: Papers on Language and Culture in the 20th and 21st Centuries, Katarzyna Jasiewicz, Monika Zięba-Plebankiewicz, Nowy Sącz: State University of Applied Sciences in Nowy Sącz, pp.76-95.

2021, Społeczna i socjalna działalność Kościołów afroamerykańskich oraz ich stosunek do przepisów Charitable Choice i polityki faith-based initiatives ("The Social Role of African American Churches and Their Attitudes to the Charitable Choice and Faith-based Initiatives Provisions") [in:] Sekularyzm a polityka ("Secularism and Politics"), eds.Kmieć Michał, Sulkowski Mariusz, Warsaw: UKSW, pp. 251-297.

2021, The Black Lives Matter Movement and the Politics of the Black Church. Theological Divisions and Socio-political Engagement, [in:] Politology of Religion III Bi-Annual Conference 2021: conference proceedings, eds. Miroljub Jevtic and Marko Vekovic, Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance and Faculty of Political Science - University of Belgrade, Belgrade, pp. 147-183. 

2019, The Influence of Religion on American Policy Towards Israel: Is FPA a Useful Tool for Analysis? [in:] The Application of International Relations Theories in Asia and Africa, eds. Marcin Grabowski, Tomasz Pugacewicz, Berlin: Peter Lang, pp. 219-247.

2016, Religia i relacje państwo-Kościół w myśli społeczno-politycznej Thomasa Jeffersona i Jamesa Madisona (“Religion and Church-State Relations In the Socio-Political Thought of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison”), [in:] Oblicza Ameryki. Szkice o społeczeństwie, kulturze i polityce Stanów Zjednoczonych (“Faces of America: Essays on the Society, Culture, and Politics of the United States”), eds. Paulina Napierała, Rafał Kuś, Krakow: Księgarnia Akademicka, pp. 105-154.

2014, Barack Obama, Religion, and the Separation of Church and State, [in:] The 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: Challenges and Expectations, eds. Paweł Laidler, Maciej Turek, Krakow: Jagiellonian University Press, pp. 223-247.

2013, Spory ideologiczne wokół systemu opieki społecznej w Stanach Zjednoczonych (“Ideological Controversies Concerning the American Welfare System”), [in:] Stany Zjednoczone wczoraj i dziś. Wybrane zagadnienia społeczno-polityczne (“The United States Yesterday and Today: Selected Socio-political Problems”), eds. Agnieszka Małek, Paulina Napierała, Krakow: Księgarnia Akademicka, pp. 135-166.

2013, Rola religii w okresie kształtowania się społeczeństwa amerykańskiego. Geneza wprowadzenia rozdziału państwa od Kościoła (“The Role of Religion During the Formative Period of American Society”), [in:] Stany Zjednoczone wczoraj i dziś. Wybrane zagadnienia społeczno-polityczne (“The United States Yesterday and Today: Selected Socio-political Problems“), eds. Agnieszka Małek, Paulina Napierała, Krakow: Księgarnia Akademicka, pp. 13-38.

2010, Defending Religious and National Identities: A Comparative Study of Polish and American Religious Right Movements, [in:] Religions and Identities in Transition, eds. Irena Borowik, Małgorzata Zawiła, Krakow: Nomos, pp. 131-148.

2010, From the Secularization of the State to the Deprivatization of Religion and Faith-Based Initiatives Policy in the United States, [in:] Perspectives on Memory and Identity, eds. B. Marrin, K. Hammerstein, IWM Junior Visiting Fellows' Conferences, Vol. 28, Vienna.

2007, Christian Zionism and Its Influence on American Foreign Policy, [in:] U.S. Foreign Policy: Theory, Mechanisms and Practice, eds. Andrzej Mania, Paweł Laidler, Łukasz Wordliczek, Krakow: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, pp. 539-548.

2023, The Political Mobilization of African American Churches: Forms, Models, Mechanisms, "Władza Sądzenia" 24/2023, pp. 5-33

2022, In Opposition to Civil Disobedience: Black Churches’ Ambivalence about Martin Luther King Jr.’s Protest Strategy in the Context of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ Debate, “Op. Cit. Revista de Estudos Anglo-Americanos. A Journal of Anglo-American Studies,” 2nd Series, No. 10-11: 2021-2022, pp. 57-92.

2021, Black Churches and African American Social Activism. The ‘Opiate View’ and the ‘Inspiration View’ of Black Religion in the Selected Literature, “B.A.S./British and American Studies” journal, vol. XXVII, pp. 95-111; 

2020, Black Churches and Their Attitudes to Social Protest in the Civil Rights Era: Obedience, Civil Disobedience, and Black Liberation Theology, "SMPP: Migration Studies. Review of Polish Diaspora 2" (176): pp. 247–279.

2018, Analyzing the Influence of the American Religious Right on U.S. Foreign Policy And International Relations: Theoretical, Methodological And Empirical Approach, "Humanities and Social Sciences Review" 08(02), pp. 179-222.

2017, Relacje między purytanami a kwakrami w XVII-wiecznej Nowej Anglii (“The Relations Between Puritans and Quakers in Seventeenth-Century New England”), "Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia Sociologica" 9 (2017), Vol. 2, pp. 101–124.

2014, The Polish and American Religious Right Movements From the Perspective of Secularization, Privatization, and the Deprivatization of Religion Theories, [in:] "International Journal of Arts and Sciences" 7 (4), December 2014, pp. 535-552.

2013, The American Religious Right and James Dobson's ‘Family Values Empire, "AdAmericam", Vol. 14, pp. 113-138.

2012, The Strategy of the Religious Right: Christian Fiction or Political Agitation?, "Ad Americam", Vol. 13, pp. 45-65.

2010, Rola koncepcji Manifest Destiny w uzasadnianiu amerykańskich interwencji zbrojnych (“The Role of the Concept of Manifest Destiny in the Rationale for the United States’ Military Interventions”), Meritum, Vol. II, Olsztyn, pp. 219-239.

2009, G.W. Bush's ‘Faith-Based Initiatives’ Policy and the Idea of the Separation of Church and State in the USA, "Politeja", No. 12, pp. 357-381.

2007, Amerykańska prawica religijna oraz rola Christian Coalition w jej rozbudowie i aktywizacji (“The American Religious Right and the Role of the Christian Coalition in Its Expansion and Activation”), "Politeja", No. 7, pp. 419-447.

2024, Religion and American Politics. Domestic and International Contexts, ed. Paulina Napierała, Berlin: Peter Lang, pp. 384.

2016, Oblicza Ameryki. Szkice o społeczeństwie, kulturze i polityce Stanów Zjednoczonych (“Faces of America: Essays on the Society, Culture, and Politics of the United States”), Krakow: Księgarnia Akademicka, pp. 200 (co-editior: Rafał Kuś)

2013, Stany Zjednoczone wczoraj i dziś. Wybrane zagadnienia społeczno-polityczne (“The United States Yesterday and Today: Selected Socio-Political Problems”), Krakow: Wydawnictwo Księgarnia Akademicka, pp. 262 (co-editor: Agnieszka Małek).

Managing Editor of:

  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies. Vol. 24/2023
  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies. Vol. 23/2022,
  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies. Vol. 22/2021,
  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies. Vol. 20/2019,
  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies. Vol. 19/2018,
  • Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies. Vol. 18/2017.

2019, ‘Christian’: The Politics of a Word in America (M. Bownam) [in:] "Political Theology", Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group (online).

2019, Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody: The Making of a Black Theologian: by James H. Cone [in:] "Political Theology", Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group (online).

2018, God's Country: Christian Zionism in America (S. Goldman) [in:] "Political Theology", Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group [online].

2009, Steve Bruce, Fundamentalizm (“Fundamentalism”), Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Sic! 2006, / rev. [in:] "Studia Migracyjne. Przegląd Polonijny", No. 2, pp. 93-101.

Reviews of articles for: "Religions", „Migration Studies. Review of Polish Diaspora”, "Politeja", "Zeszyty Naukowe Doktorantów UJ", "Academic Journal of Modern Philology", "Forum Prawnicze".

2018, November, Renesans Boskiego Przeznaczenia (“The Revival of Manifest Destiny”), - fragments of the text: Rola koncepcji Manifest Destiny w uzasadnianiu amerykańskich interwencji zbrojnych (“The Role of Manifest Destiny in the Rationale for the United States’ Military Interventions”) published by "Sprawy Nauki".

2018, October, Manifest Destiny – fragments of the text: Rola koncepcji Manifest Destiny w uzasadnianiu amerykańskich interwencji zbrojnych (“The Role of the Concept of Manifest Destiny in the Rationale for American Military Interventions”) published by "Sprawy Nauki".

2018, Report from the conference: „Mother of Exiles”. Amerykańskie wzorce polityki imigracyjnej a wyzwania współczesnej Europy (“‘The Mother of Exiles’: American Patterns of Immigration Policy and the Challenges for Contemporary Europe”), "Studia Migracyjne – Przegląd Polonijny" No. 2 (168)/2018, pp. 241–247.

2014, Stan i perspektywy nauczania przedmiotów ojczystych na obczyźnie (próba diagnozy) (“The State and Perspectives of Teaching Mother-Tongue Subjects Abroad: An Attempt at Diagnosis”) (with: D. Praszałowicz), [in:] Młodzież polska na obczyźnie - zadania edukacyjne (“Polish Youths Abroad: Educational Challenges”), Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences: Krakow 2014, post-conference volume.

2012, Polskie szkolnictwo w Wielkiej Brytanii: tradycja i nowoczesność - raport (“Polish Schools in Great Britain: Tradition and Changes – A Report”), the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' grant report, 2012, p. 161 (co-authors: Dorota Praszałowicz, Agnieszka Małek, et al.).

2011, The Third Congress of Polish Scientific Societies Abroad, (“Polish Youth Abroad – Educational Challenges”), a report in: "Studia Migracyjne. Przegląd Polonijny", No. 4, pp. 247-253.

2011, Stan i perspektywy nauczania przedmiotów ojczystych na obczyźnie (“The State and Perspectives of Teaching Mother-Tongue Subjects Abroad”) (with: Dorota Praszałowicz) – online.

2010, American Ethnicity: Rethinking Old Issues, Asking New Questions: an international workshop at the Jagiellonian University – a report, "Świat Polonii" - online.

2009, II Kongres Polskich Towarzystw Naukowych na Obczyźnie – sprawozdanie (“The Second Congress of Polish Scientific Societies Abroad – a report”), "Studia Migracyjne. Przegląd Polonijny", No. 2, pp. 75-92.

2007, Project: The Polish Diaspora, 1939-1950: History in Its Own words, "Przegląd Polonijny", No. 3, pp. 105-108.

2007, American Ethnicity: Rethinking Old Issues, Asking New Questions, "Politeja", No. 2, pp. 629-630.

2007, Sesja naukowa na temat amerykańskiej etniczności: American Ethnicity: Rethinking Old Issues, Asking New Questions (“An Academic Session on American Ethnicity – ‘American Ethnicity: Rethinking Old Issues, Asking New Questions’”), "Przegląd Polonijny", No. 1, pp. 115-118.

2023, February 3rd-5th, international conference: Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Historians, Valdosta State University, USA. Paper: “Church(es) in the Protest Movements: the Civil Rights Movement in the US and ‘Solidarity’ in Poland: Similarities, Differences & Consequences”

2023, January 5-7th, international conference: American Politics Group of the UK Political Studies Association 49th Annual Conference, University of Leicester, UK. Paper: “The Political Tradition of the Black Church: Rev. Raphael Warnock and Georgia Elections” (online).

2022, November 10-12th, international conference: The Northeastern Political Science Association 54th Annual Meeting, Boston, USA. Paper: “Theological Divisions and the Evolution of the Black Church’s Political Engagement.”

2022, March 31st–April 2nd, international conference: 42nd Meeting of the Portuguese Association for Anglo-American Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Coimbra. Paper: “Religion, Race and Ecology. The Black churches’ Response to Environmental Policies”

2022, January 28-29th, international conference: American Politics Group of the UK Political Studies Association 48th Annual Conference, University of Kent, UK. Paper: “The Role of the Black Church in Contemporary American Politics” (online).  

2021, November 25-26th, international conference: The Third Biennial International Conference on Religion and Politics: "Religion and Politics in the Context of 'Epochal Change'", UKSW, Warsaw. Paper: "The Challenges of the Black Church in Contemporary America" (online).

2021, September 13-17th, international conference: “International Relations and Diplomacy in the Post-Pandemic World”. The International Relations and Public Diplomacy Program Conference and Study. Jagiellonian University, University of Siena. Paper: “Christian nationalism in the US and its response to COVID”.

2021, July 24-25th, international conference: „Racial Violence: the American (hi)story”. GIRES ‘Greenwood’ African American Studies Center, Amsterdam. Paper: “In Search of an Anti-racist Theology: James Cone’s Criticism of the ‘White Church’” (online).

2021, July 17-18th, international conference: “Religion and Politics in the United States”. Global Institute for Research, Education and Scholarship and ‘Greenwood’ African American Studies Center, Amsterdam. Organizing the conference, chairing the conference sessions, moderating the keynote lecture by prof. James Guth and presenting the paper: “Black Evangelicals and Their Response to the Current Socio-political Problems”.

2021, July 6-8th, international conference: “Europe and International Relations in the Post-Pandemic Scenario”. University of Siena, Jagiellonian University. Paper: “African American Churches and Foreign Policy Issues: between Black Christian Zionism and the Support for Palestinian Civil Rights” (Siena online).

2021, June 24-25th, EPSA Virtual 2021, European Political Science Association Conference, active participation in the discussion panel of the “Foreign Policy” session.

2021, May 28th, international conference: “Politology of Religion: III Biannual Conference 2021”. ‘Politics and Religion Journal’, Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance, Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade. Paper: “The Black Lives Matter Movement and the Politics of the Black Church. Theological Divisions and Socio-political Engagement”(online).

2021, February 20-21th, international conference: “Humanitarian Organizations: (Hi)Stories, Impact and Challenges”. Global Institute for Research, Education and Scholarship, Amsterdam. Paper: “Religion and Humanitarian Aid. Ethical and political dilemmas and the work of American faith-based humanitarian organizations” (online).

2021, February 4th, the POB DigiWorld seminar, Presentation of the research group within the PreLAB: Global Complex Systems that focuses on the religious and cultural dimension of the complex systems, JU Krakow (online).

2021, January 21-23rd, international conference: American Politics Group of the UK Political Studies Association 47th Annual Conference. University of Kent, UK. Paper: “Donald Trump and the Religious Right. The Evangelical Vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections” (online).

2020, November 12-13th, The First Seminar of the FutureSoc POB. Project presentation: „Planning an international conference on religion and politics and creating an interdisciplinary research group focusing on the role of religion in the ‘society of the future’”, UJ, Kraków (online).

2020, October 16-17th, conference: "Relacje państwo-wspólnoty religijne we współczesnym świecie. Uwarunkowania—modele—doświadczenia—wyzwania" (“Relations Between the State and Religious Communities in the Contemporary World: Conditions, Models, Experiences, Challenges”), Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland. Paper: "Działalność społeczno-polityczna ‘czarnych Kościołów’ w kontekście regulacji prawnych wynikających z amerykańskiego modelu rozdziału państwa od Kościoła" (“The Socio-Political Activity of the Black Churches Within the Context of State Regulations Resulting From the American Model of the Separation of Church and State”).

2020, June 18-19th, EPSA Virtual 2020, European Political Science Association Conference, listener and panel discussions’ participant (online).

2019, December 12-13th, “African American Churches’ attitude Towards Charitable Choice and the Faith-Based Initiatives Policy.” Presentation at the International Conference for the Political Science of Religion, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw.

2019, June 14-16th, Seventh World Congress on Polish Studies (PIASA), University of Gdansk, Poland. Paper: “The Role of the Church(es) in Social Movements: The Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Solidarity in Poland.”

2019, February 20th, Black History Month seminar: “Presentations on African American History in War, Religion, and Culture” sponsored by African-American Studies, the Department of History, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Valdosta State University, United States. Paper: “African American Churches and Their Attitude Towards the Black Lives Matter Movement.”

2018, September 20th-23rd, Twenty-Third International Conference of the Institute of English Cultures and Literatures University of Silesia in Katowice: “Captive Minds: Norms, Normativities, and Forms of Tragic Protest in Literature and Cultural Practice.” Szczyrk, Poland. Paper: “Rebellious Religion? The Black Churches: From Civil Disobedience to Black Liberation.”

2018, May 29-30th, Second International Interdisciplinary Conference on Challenges in Language. “Language in Culture, Culture in Language.” State Higher Vocational School, Nowy Sacz, Poland. Paper: “Religious Rhetoric in American Politics.”

2017, November 9-10th, Seventh Convention of Polish Society of International Studies (PTSM): "Myśleć globalnie, działać regionalnie: Studia regionalne w perspektywie nauki o stosunkach międzynarodowych" (“Thinking Globally, Acting Regionally: Regional Studies From an International Relations Perspective”), Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Paper: “The Influence of the American Religious Right on the United States’ Foreign Policy.”

2017, September 21st-22nd, international conference: "Polacy i diaspora polska w Ameryce Północnej" (“Poles and the Polish Diaspora in North America”), Emigration Museum, Gdynia, Poland. Paper: "Rola polonijnych zakonów żeńskich w USA. Historia i współczesność" (“The Role of Polish American Convents in the United States: The History and the Present”).

2017, May 25-26th, conference: "Media w Ameryce. Ameryka w mediach" (“The Media in America, America in the Media”), Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland. Paper: "Telewangelizm czy ‘e-wangelizm’? Lakewood Church i wykorzystanie nowych mediów w duszpasterstwie Joela Osteena", (“Televangelism or E-vangelism? Lakewood Church and the Use of the New Media by Joel Osteen”).

2017, April 27th, academic seminar: "Dziedzictwo kulturowe a nowe zjawiska religijne Ameryk: historia i współczesność" (“Cultural Heritage and New Religious Phenomena: History and Modernity”), The Department of Latin America, The Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Paper: "Historia pentekostalizmu i wkład Afroamerykanów w jego rozwój" (“The History of Pentecostalism and the Role of African Americans in Its Development”).

2017, April 20th-22nd, international conference: “New Perspectives in English and American Studies,” Institute of English Philology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Paper: “The Role of the Black Churches in the American South.”

2017, March 9-10th, conference: "Dziedzictwo reformacji. Wymiar społeczno-kulturowy" (“ The Legacy of the Reformation: Its Socio-Cultural Dimension”), Chair in Cultural Studies and Philosophy and Chair in the Sociology of Religion of the Faculties of Humanities at AGH-University of Science and Technology and at Pedagogical University, Krakow, Poland. Paper: "Relacje między purytanami a kwakrami w koloniach amerykańskich" (“The Relations Between Puritans and Quakers in the American Colonies”).

2016, May 23rd-26th, international conference of the International Journal of Arts and Sciences held at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Paper: “Black Liberation Theology: Significance and Critique.”

2016, April 7-9th, international conference of the British Association of American Studies (BAAS) and the Irish Association of American Studies (IAAS), Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland. Paper: “Aimee Semple McPherson and Her Role in the American Evangelical Movement.”

2016, March 18th, academic seminar: "Zróżnicowanie religijne Ameryk: mity-tradycje-zjawiska współczesne" (“The Religious Diversity of the Americas: Myths, Traditions, Contemporary Issues”), The Department of Latin America, The Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Paper: "Obraz Kościoła katolickiego amerykańskich mediach. Refleksje po projekcji filmu ‘Spotlight’" (“The Image of the Catholic Church in the American Media: Several Thoughts After Watching Spotlight”).

2015, May 26-30th, International Conference of the International Journal of Arts and Sciences, held at Harvard University, Cambridge, United States. Paper: “The Role of the Roman Catholic Church in the Public Sphere: A Comparative Study of Poland and the United States.”

2014, December 21st-22nd, international conference: “Politics in Everyday Lives,” Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, Vienna, Austria. Paper: “Anti-Semitism in the Polish and American Religious Right Movements: A Comparative Study”.

2014, April 6-10th, international conference of the International Journal of Arts and Sciences, Vienna, Austria. Paper: “The Polish and American Religious Right Movements From the Perspective of the Secularization, Privatization, and Deprivatization of Religion Theories.”

2012, October 26-27th, international conference: “The 2012 Presidential Elections In the United States: Challenges and Expectations,” The Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Paper: “Barack Obama’s Attitude Towards Religion and the Separation of Church and State.”

2010, October 20th-23rd, “American Diversity: Identities, Narratives, Politics,” Polish Association of American Studies (PAAS), University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. Presentation: “The Religious Media in the Era of Post-Secularism: The Popularization of the Ideas of Protestant Fundamentalism in American Pop Culture.”

2010, May 27-28th, “Obama's America: Change and Continuity” conference, The Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Presentation: “Obama Seen As More Friendly to Religion Than His Party.”

2010, April 8-11th, The Fifty-Fifth Conference of the British Association for American Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Great Britain. Presentation: “Constitutional Controversies Concerning the Faith-Based Initiatives Policy and Its Future Under the Obama Administration.”

2010, March 22-26th, HCA Spring Academy “American History, Culture and Politics,” Heidelberg Center for American Studies, Heidelberg, Germany. Presentation: “George W. Bush’s Policy Towards Faith-Based Initiatives in 2001-2008.”

2009, December 17th, IWM Junior Fellows Conference “Perspectives on Memory and Identity,” Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), Vienna, Austria. Presentation: “From the Secularization of the State to the Deprivatization of Religion and Faith-Based Initiatives Policy in the United States.”

2009, May 29-30th, international conference: “The United States and the World: From Imitation to Challenge,” Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Presentation: “Faith-Based Initiatives Policy and Its Influence on the Idea of the Separation of Church and State in the United States.”

2008, December, 11-14th, “ISORECEA: Religion, Identity, and Life Courses,” Religious Studies Institute, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Presentation: “Defending Religious and National Identities: A Comparative Study of the Polish and American Religious Right Movements.”

2007, May 25-27th, international conference: “U.S. Foreign Policy: Theory, Mechanisms, Practice,” Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Presentation: “Christian Zionism and Its Influence on American Foreign Policy.”

2007, May 11-13th, Ph.D. students’ conference: "Media i ludzie" (“The Media and People”), Religious Studies Institute, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Presentation:„Dyspensacjonalistyczna wizja świata i jej popularyzacja w mediach amerykańskich na przykładzie serii bestsellerów pod tytułem ‘Left Behind’ (“The Dispensationalist Vision of the and Its Popularization: The Case of the Left Behind Series of Bestsellers”).

2023, December 8th, introduction to the lecture by Teresa Buczkowska: "Irish migrant integration programs. Between the State agenda and grassroots resistance"; organizing and moderating the Open Academic Meeting, Jagiellonian University.

2023, May 6th, "Religie i Kościoły Ameryki" ["Religions and Churches in America"]. Meeting organized by the Benevolens Foundation and the Alumni Association as part of the project "Culture has many names" financed by the US Emabassy and Consulate in Poland.

2023, January 26th, “The Role of the Church(es) in the Civil Rights Movement in the US and in ‘Solidarity’ in Poland: Expectations, Divisions, Engagement and Its Consequences,” The Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College, USA.

2023, January 20th, “Contemporary Political Issues: Conservatism and Liberalism in Poland and in the USA,” Department of Political Science, University of Central Oklahoma, USA.

2023, January 19th, “Theological Divisions and the Role Black Churches in American Politics,” Department of Political Science, University of Central Oklahoma, USA.

2023, January 19th, “The Role of the Black Church in Contemporary American Politics,” Department of Political Science, University of Central Oklahoma, USA.

2023, January 18th, “The Church(es) in Protest Movements and Consequences of their Engagement. The Civil Rights Movement in the US and ‘Solidarity’ in Poland,” College of Fine Arts and Design, University of Central Oklahoma, USA.

2022, December 8th, “The Church(es) in Protest Movements and Beyond. The Civil Rights Movement in the US and ‘Solidarity’ in Poland: A Comparative Study.” Advanced Research Collaborative Seminar, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, USA.

2022, May 26th, introduction to the lecture “Martin Luther King Jr. on the Three Social Evils in the U.S.” presented by professor Cristobal Serran-Pagan y Fuentes from Valdosta State Univeristy; organizing and moderating the Open Acacemic Meeting, Jagiellonian University.

2022, May 17th, “A Talk with Kent Washington, a Pioneer in Polish Basketball - moderated by dr Paulina Napierała”; organizing and moderating the Open Academic Meeting, Jagiellonian University.

2022, March 22nd, “Black churches' role in the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement.” Lecture for Professor Marco Ventura’s class ("Religious Diplomacy" course), University of Siena (online).

2021, March 6th, "Początki ruchu kwakierskiego w koloniach purytańskich oraz znaczenie kwakrów w historii USA" („The Beginnings of the Quaker Movement in Puritan Colonies and the Significance of Quakers in the US History”). Lecture for the Polish Quakers’ meeting (online).

2021, January 27th, „’So Help Me God’, czyli znaczenie religii w czasie uroczystości zaprzysiężenia i inauguracji prezydenta USA” (“‘So Help Me God’ – the Significance of Religion During Presidential Inaugurations in the USA”). Presentation for the Alumni Association. US State Department Exchange Programs (online).

2019, October 26th, "W opozycji do Donalda Trumpa. Kobiety i mniejszości etniczno-rasowe we współczesnej polityce amerykańskiej" (“In Opposition to Donald Trump: Women and Ethnic Minorities in Contemporary American Politics”). Presentation during the The Seventeenth Touring WATCH DOCS Film Festival: “Human Rights in Film” (17. Objazdowy Festiwal Filmowy WATCH DOCS "Prawa Człowieka w Filmie), Kraków.

2019, May 24th, “The Angel Moroni, Golden plates, and Magical Stones: The History of the Book of Mormon and the Latter Day Saints.” Lecture: "Lekcja z klasą" (“A Lesson with Class”).

2019, April 5th, international conference: "La Violencia en América Latina" (“Violence in Latin America”), JU: Presentation and promotion of the academic journal: "Ad Americam. Journal of American Studies".

2019, February 28th, “The Evolution of James H. Cone's Thought on Black Liberation Theology”: A lecture for The Philosophy and Religious Studies Club, Valdosta State University, United States

2019, February 21st, “The Role of the Black Churches in the American South.”: A talk for The American Association of University Women (AAUW), Valdosta State University, United States

2019, February 10th, "Black Churches: Social and Political Engagement Strategies”: A talk for the Huxford Genealogical Society, Homerville, GA, United States

2018, December 4th, meeting with the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa: Jigme Pema Wangchen (a discussion on Tibetan Buddhism’s perspective on global warming)

2018, April 13th – promotion of American studies at Wyspiański’s School in Bibice, Poland

2018, March 26th – debate: “Education for Dignity” organized by Amnesty International at the opening of the exhibition “Refugees Welcome”

2017, October 20th, Introductory speech at the Fourteenth Watch Docs Festival on Human Rights in Film: “WORLD CRIME STORY: Various faces of the Migration Crisis,” Krakow, Poland

2015, May 11th, “The Polish and American Religious Right Movements,” Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College, United States

2015, March 26th, “Religion and Politics in Poland and in the USA: A Comparative Study;” The Permanent Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius College, Buffalo, United States

2010 - Speeches concerning education in the United States during International Education Week events; US Consulate General, Krakow, Poland

2009, November 23rd, speech at: “Yes to the US: A Student’s Guide to Study in the US,” US Consulate General, Krakow

2009, January 20th – presentation at the conference: “How to Study in the United States” organized by US Consulate General, Nowodworski’s High School in Krakow.

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Research projects and media

  • "Socio-political Role of the Black Church: Regional and Theological Differences" - ID.UJ-funded research, The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York - July-September 2023.
  • Research and academic cooperation as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Advanced Research Collaborative, CUNY Graduate Center, August 2022-January 2023.
  • “Theological Divisions and the Evolution of the Black Church’s Socio-political Engagement. A Comparative Study” – The Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship: research in NYC and consultation at the City University of New York: August-December 2022.
  • „Black Churches in Contemporary American Politics” – Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora didactic mini-grant: research at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Harlem) and NYC libraries and archives, August 16th -24th, 2022.
  • “Religion and American Politics. Domestic and International Contexts” – book project, December 2020 – now.
  • „Religion and Politics in the United States”: organization of the interdisciplinary international conference in cooperation with the Global Institute of Research, Education and Scholarship in Amsterdam, December 2020 - July 2021.
  • The Social and political role of the Black Churches – book project.
  • The National Science Center (NCN): MINIATURA 2 grant 2018/02/X/HS5/02381: "Polityczno-społeczna rola Kościołów afroamerykańskich na Południu USA" (“The Political and Social Role of African American Churches in the American South”) – research at Valdosta State University, Georgia, United States, January-March 2019.
  • Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship - research and consultations at: the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College; Harvard Divinity School, Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, February-June 2015.
  • “American Religious Pluralism” – research at John F. Kennedy Institute, Berlin, Jagiellonian University grant, August 2014.
  • “The American Culture Wars” – library research and consultations at Stanford University, Jagiellonian University grant, August 2013.
  • ICPSR Summer Program and research at University of Michigan, SET Scholarship and Jagiellonian University grant, July 2012.
  • “Polish Schools in Great Britain: Tradition and Changes,” Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' grant for Prof. Dorota Praszałowicz, Dr. Agnieszka Małek, Dr. Paulina Napierała, Małgorzata Irek, Joanna Pylat, Paulina Pustułka, May-December 2012.
  • “George W. Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives Policy 2001-2008,” Polish Ministry of Higher Education's grant, Paulina Napierała, Dorota Praszałowicz, 2009-2011.
  • The City of Krakow Grant for Talented Students and Ph.D. Candidates, July 14th, 2010.
  • IWM Summer School on Religion in Public Life, Fritz Thyssen Foundation Grant for seminars with Professors Jose Casanova, Michael Sandel, Charles Taylor, Nilufer Gole, Marcin Król, Krzysztof Michalski, Dipesh Chakrabarty and Sudipta Kaviraj; Cortona, July 4-17, 2010.
  • Józef Tischner's Fellowship, Institute for Human Sciences IWM, Vienna, Austria, July-December 2009.
  • Fulbright Junior Fellowship – research and consultations at: Boston College, Harvard University, August 2007 - June 2008.
  • “Religious Fundamentalism”: seminars with Professors Clyde Wilcox, Jamal Malik and Enzo Pace, Tischner European University, Krakow, December 4-6th, 2008.
  • JFK Library Fellowship, John F. Kennedy Institute, Free University of Berlin, Germany, April-May 2006.

Dr. Napierała occasionally comments for the media:

  • 2023, August 17th, interview for 'Drzazgi Świata' Podcast, "Dlaczego outdoor jest zdominowany przez białych?" ("Why outdoor activities are dominated by white people?") (author: Kamila Kielar).
  • 2021, June 23rd, Radio Nowy Świat, commentary on the US wedding regulations and online ordinations. „Nowy Świt” Program (author: Adriana Bąkowska).
  • 2021, January 20th, History TV Program "Z widokiem na Wawel", TVP Historia: „Być albo nie być prezydentem” („To be or not to be a president”).
  • 2020, January 3rd, commentary for the Polish Radio 1 on the Evangelical Coalition for Donald Trump. The "Wiecej Świata" Program.
  • 2019, September 12th, History TV Program "Z widokiem na Wawel", TVP Historia: Imperium i wiara. Co zmieniło się po 11.09.2001? (“The Empire and Faith: What Has Changed Since 9/11?”).
  • 2018, March 16th – interview for TVGRY.pl concerning religious pluralism in the United States [in:] YouTube TVGRYpl.
  • 2017, consultations and comments for the Huffington Post: Polish Woman Says She Was Dragged Out Of Church After Unfurling Anti-Racism Banner: Her Banner read, ‘Racism Is a Sin.’ (author: Carol Kuruvilla; 17.11.2017).
  • 2017, consultations and comments for Onet.pl: Kulisy sporu Zakonu Maltańskiego z papieżem. Bezprecedensowy krok Franciszka (“Behind the Conflict Between the Pope and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Francis’ Unprecedented Decision;” author: P. Gruszka; 05.02.2017).
  • 2014, interview for Dziennik Polski: Prezydent nagminnie wzywa Boga, ale krzyża w urzędzie nie powiesisz (author: Zbigniew Bartuś), (“The President Keeps Invoking God, but You Can’t Hang a Cross in Your Office”).
  • 2010, October 18th, consultations and comments for Interia.pl: Amisze. Odcięci od świata, zatrzymani w czasie (“The Amish: Cut Off From the World, Trapped in Time"; author: Ewelina Karpińska-Morek).