Papers of Janina and Zygmunt Bauman

Description

Most of the material relates to the professional careers of Zygmunt Bauman and his first wife, Janina Bauman (writer). It includes correspondence (with academics of sociology, philosophy and other disciplines, students and publishers) research material, interviews, reviews, notes, typescript drafts for review/publication, press cuttings, travel/conference papers and awards/honours.


It also includes personal papers such as photographs by Zygmunt Bauman, citizenship records, employment records, financial records, (royalty payments) personal correspondence including greeting cards (often addressed to them both), papers relating to Jewish organisations, (Yad Vashem and Leeds based Holocaust Survivors Friendship Association) and published obituaries for both Janina and Zygmunt Bauman. Although it covers the period c.1945-c.2015 the majority of material relates to Zygmunt Bauman’s writing (1990s onwards) and Janina Bauman’s writing (1980’s -2000).

Biography or history

Zygmunt Bauman was born in 1925 to a Jewish family in Poznan, Poland. Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, he and his family escaped to the Soviet Union, where he eventually fought with the Polish Army under Soviet command. For his war-time service, he was awarded various Soviet and Polish medals. After the war and completing his studies, he began his academic career at the University of Warsaw (1954-68). In the wake of the Six Day War, the Israel-Arab war of 1967, and the subsequent anti-Semitic purges in Poland, he was forced to leave his post under the charges of “revisionist” views and adverse influence on his students (1968). In June 1968 Bauman emigrated with his family to Israel, where he became a professor of sociology in the University of Tel Aviv (1968-1971). In 1971, he left Israel for England, a move possibly influenced by his views of Zionism as nationalism. Here, he became professor of sociology at the University of Leeds (1971-1990). After his
retirement in 1990 he continued writing books and articles at an increasing rate. During his lifetime, Bauman published or contributed to over 70 books, with Polity Press as his main publisher. Subjects include, but are not limited to, contemporary C20th and C21st issues of modernity, postmodernism, socialism, globalisation, capitalism, communism, consumerism, racism, culture and immigration. Notable works such as ’Modernity and The Holocaust’ (1989) and ‘Liquid Modernity’ (2000) gained him international recognition. During this time, he was also sought-after speaker and gave numerous special lectures and conference keynotes in Europe and other places.

Bauman was awarded more than a dozen honorary degrees from universities across the world, as well as prestigious European prizes for his work. The most notable among the latter are The Amalfi Prize for Sociology (1989), the Theodor W Adorno Award (1998), The Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation Vize [Vision] 97 Prize (2006) and the Prince of Asturias Award (2010). The Bauman Institute was founded within the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds in 2010 in recognition of his work. His wife Janina Bauman died in 2009. In 2015 he married sociologist, Aleksandra Jasińska-Kania. Bauman died in Leeds on 9th January 2017.


Janina Bauman (1926-2009), born Janina Lewinson to a Jewish family in Poland, was a writer, known mainly for her autobiographical works. The most widely known among these are her books ‘Winter in the Morning: A young Girl’s Life in a Jewish ghetto’ (1986) and ‘A Dream of Belonging,’ (1988), telling the story of her life in post-war Poland. Educated at the Academy of Social and Political Sciences in Warsaw (1948- 50) she went on to study for MA Phil (Aesthetics) at the University of Warsaw (1959). During this time she met and married (1948) Zygmunt Bauman, an army officer at that time, to later become a renowned sociologist. For approximately 20 years, Janina Bauman worked in the Polish film industry as script editor, translator (from French and Russian to Polish) and researcher (writing a report on the impact of film on children in 1957). As a result of the political pressures in Poland she and her husband were forced to leave Poland. With their 3 daughters, they emigrated to
Israel where she used her language skills while working in the library of a major daily newspaper. In 1971 they moved to Leeds. Here, Janina gained a post-graduate diploma in Librarianship and worked in one of the City’s high schools (John Smeaton Community High School; 1974-79). Both her autobiographical novels were published in the 1980’s by Virago Press. The books have author’s own or authorized translations to Polish. ‘Winter in the morning’ appeared also in German, Dutch, Swedish, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, Bulgarian and Danish, among others. Janina was invited to speak about her war-time and post-war experiences to various audiences around Europe. During the 1990s she wrote short stories and began researching the experience of European Gypsies [Roma]. In the latter work she focused on Roma’s centuries-long persecution and on their fate in the Holocaust. Her article, ‘Demons of Other People's Fear: The Plight of the Gypsies’ was published in 1998. Following her
death in 2009, the Janina Bauman Prize was established by the Bauman Institute in 2011.

Provenance

The papers of Zygmunt Bauman (Professor of Sociology and Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds) and wife Janina Bauman (writer) were deposited in four separate accruals:

1) c.2013 - by arrangement with Zygmunt Bauman, School of Sociology and then Head of Special Collections

2) Mar 2017 - by arrangement with the family of Zygmunt Bauman following his death [material from the home of Zygmunt and Janina Bauman]

3) Sept 2017 - by arrangement with Bauman Institute/ School of Sociology [transfer from ZB's office]

4) Feb 2018 - by arrangement with the family of Zygmunt Bauman following his death [material from the home of Zygmunt and Janina Bauman]


Following accrual 1-3 a temporary catalogue record/box list was created (Jul 2017) with boxes allocated a reference that reflected which accrual and original box number the material was received in as well as the box number for archival boxes that these were transferred to on arrival [e.g. MS 2067/2/17 Box 53 = Accrual 2, Original box 17, Archival box 53]. Accrual 4 was added (Feb 2018).


In October 2018 the collection was catalogued and subject to new arrangement and referencing. For provenance, original box list references have been recorded in 'alt ref'.

System of arrangement

The Collection has been arranged into the following sub-collections:

1) Papers of Janina Bauman

2) Papers of Zygmunt Bauman

3) Papers of Janina and Zygmunt Bauman (where relates to both/or cannot be determined)

4) Print items of Janina and Zygmunt Bauman


The Collections has been arranged into series by the archivist and within these roughly by chronological arrangement, For some series this reflects original order but in others this has been imposed as appropriate.

To support a chronological approach, creation'date' has been incorporated into some titles as a suggestion of when this material was either created or collated /used. [Please note that this may sometimes differ from the date ranges recorded in the date field that refer to the dates of creation of the resources - with both Janina and Zygmunt Bauman referring to older resources to inform their work].

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

This collection is subject to various access conditions. Please see individual catalogue descriptions for further details on access.

This collection contains material that is less than 30 years old and may contain sensitive information.


You will need to complete a data protection access form and return it to Special Collections for review by staff before access can be granted. This request will be reviewed by a member of staff in accordance with any relevant legislation and you will be informed of the decision

Some parts of this collection have not been listed in detail and the content may be protected under the Data Protection Act and other relevant legislation. Please consult the relevant part of the catalogue for specific details. Where a detailed record does not exist, please contact Special Collections. Upon receipt of your request, a member of the team will discuss your requirements with you and review relevant material accordingly

Material in this collection may remain in copyright but further details are unknown. Photocopies or digital images can only be supplied by the Library for research or private study. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain the copyright holder's permission to reproduce for any other purpose. Guidance is available for tracing copyright status and ownership.

Related subjects / tags

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