An Unofficial City Map of Łódź
The main goal of the project is to incorporate the content of the dictionary – unofficial urban names of Lodz along with their explanations and photographs of the described places by Dr Justyna Groblińska ("Nieoficjalne nazewnictwo miejskie Łodzi. Słownik", Lodz University Press, Łódź 2020) onto the map of the Miastograf – Cyfrowe Archiwum Łodzian.
The project implementation process will be supported by the participation of international urban sociologists from Zagreb (another post-industrial city from the UNIC Alliance), whose task is to analyse the unofficial urban map from the perspective of their scientific specialisations.
The main anticipated outcome of the project is the creation of a chapter expanding the Lodz map on the miastograf.pl website to include unofficial names. This will constitute a new, important component of the Miastograf – Cyfrowe Archiwum Łodzian. Furthermore, the team hopes that this will promote knowledge about Lodz’s unofficial city names, as well as other parts of the Archive. The project aims to contribute to the development of education among the local community of Lodz, increase residents' interest in their city and attract visitors, who will see Lodz as a place worth visiting and exploring.
The Topography Association – Lodzs Urban Initiative Associacion founded in 2007 is a partner in the project. The association has been engaged in activities known as "revitalising the identity" of the post-industrial city for nearly twenty years. The "Unofficial Map of Lodz" project aims to create another "layer" of the story of the changing city, which has been mapped since 2014 on the Miastograf – Cyfrowe Archiwum Łodzian portal.
This initiative is significant for two key reasons. First, it enriches the multidimensional map of Lodz with a layer of local language. The Miastograf Digital Archive of Lodz Residents already contains several thousand photographs and hundreds of fragments of oral histories and personal memories shared by residents of Lodz. For years, we have observed the importance of the local language dimension for the identity and memory of the city, and for reflection on its changes, but never before have we had the opportunity to address this issue in a comprehensive manner. Second, the project strengthens the long-standing cooperation between the Topography Association and the University of Lodz, creating new avenues for the dissemination of knowledge acquired and developed by the UniLodz scientists.
The project – permanently integrated with the Miastograf – Cyfrowe Archiwum Łodzian – will have the potential to have a long-term, positive impact on the city, its identity and its cultural life. It will serve as a part of the archive and preserved knowledge base, as well as an educational tool used by city guides, teachers, librarians and those involved in art, literature and theatre.
The project team
- Dr Justyna Groblińska is a linguist at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz, specialising in onomastics and research on unofficial urban naming. She is the author of the publication "Nieoficjalne nazewnictwo miejskie Łodzi. Słownik " (Lodz University Press, 2020) and the article "Uwarunkowane pokoleniowo zmiany nieoficjalnego nazewnictwa miejskiego Łodzi" [Generationally Determined Changes in the Unofficial Urban Naming of Lodz ] (in: Dialogue of Generations in Language and Linguistics, UW, 2018). Her research focuses on the linguistic image of the city and the local identity of Lodz residents.
- Jana Šarinić, Associate Professor, is an urban sociologist from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, specialising in urban sociology, quality of life, sustainable urban development and integrated approaches to heritage and cultural landscapes. Her work also addresses participatory processes, the social and cultural sustainability, and the resilience of local communities. She teaches courses in contemporary sociological theories, urban sociology and participatory urban planning. She is an author and a co-author of numerous scientific publications, a co-editor of a volume on insularity and a mentor of research projects and theses on urban themes, subculture, and the semiotic analysis of space.
- Mateusz Patalan is a fourth-year student of Romance Philology at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz. He is interested in non-standard language varieties (particularly the language of online communities), new media, digital culture and onomastics. His MA thesis, written under the supervision of Prof. Agnieszka Woch, analyses the language of commentary in live broadcasts hosted by French streamers.
- Lana Mamula is a student of Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb. Her thesis, "The Invisible Spaces of Alternative Clubs in Zagreb. The Cultural Significance of Saloon, Lapidarium, and Kulušić Clubs," examines the phenomenon of music clubs as spaces of alternative urban culture and their significance for the city's identity and cultural memory.
- Marta Madejska is the Chair of the Topography Association, co-coordinator of the Miastograf – Cyfrowe Archiwum Łodzian.
- Michał Gruda is a Vice-Chair of the Topography Association, co-coordinator of the Miastograf – Cyfrowe Archiwum Łodzian
Science Hub (SH) UniLodz is a collaboration platform at the University of Lodz that connects students, university experts and external entities, supporting them in the implementation of innovative research and implementation projects. Teams operating within SH cooperate to address real-world scientific challenges submitted by partner organisations.
The "We are UNIC!" project is financed by the European Union under the "Support for European University Alliances" programme, project NAWA FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23, amount: PLN 62,705,297.60.
