"Zeszyty Łużyckie" – historical overview

 The founder and long-time editor-in-chief of ‘Zeszyty Łużyckie’ was Professor Ewa Siatkowska, PhD. The first issue was published in 1990 by the Institute of Slavic Philology at the University of Warsaw (until 1995, the journal was co-published by the Circle for the Study of Lusatian Culture under the Polish Ethnological Society). Since 2003, it has been published by the Institute of Western and Southern Slavic Studies at the University of Warsaw. At the time of its inception, ‘Zeszyty Łużyckie’ was the only Sorbian-focused periodical in Poland. From the very first issue, the cover featured a distinctly Lusatian motif – a reproduction of the watercolor Fight with the Dragon (Bój z paliwaku, 1939) by Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński.

Initially, the journal featured papers delivered at meetings of the Circle for the Study of Lusatian Culture. These included contributions from both academic researchers and students. From its early issues to the present day, Zeszyty has maintained a tradition of publishing thematic volumes.

Beginning in 1998, the journal began transitioning from a popular-science format to a scholarly one. Since then, the majority of its authors have been academics – linguists, literary and cultural scholars, and historians – with an increasing number of international contributors. Since 1999, all volumes and individual articles have been subject to peer review.

Between 1993 and 2000, ‘Zeszyty’ was published three times per year. Starting in 2001, it became an annual journal with an expanded format and a broader thematic scope, opening up to topics concerning other Slavic minorities beyond the Lusatian community. From 2007 onward, the journal began publishing volumes dedicated to leading Polish and Lusatian Sorabists, writers, and artists, as well as monographic issues focused on major events such as Slavic congresses and conferences. In 2014, English titles for sections and translations of keywords were introduced (abstracts in German had appeared since 1992, followed by bilingual German and English abstracts from 2009, and since 2013, article summaries have been translated exclusively into English).

A major turning point for the journal came in 2020, marked by a significant change in its profile. The expansion of its thematic and academic horizons was reflected in its new subtitle: A Journal for Minority Studies (not limited to Slavic ones). ‘Zeszyty Łużyckie’ now focuses on a wide range of minority-related issues, including linguistic, ethnic, and social minorities. Lusatian studies continue to have a dedicated section titled Sorabiana. This transformation is also reflected in the redesigned cover, featuring a new graphic layout of the title and a more prominent volume number (the reproduction of Nowak-Njechorński’s Fight with the Dragon now appears on the frontispiece).

Over its three decades of existence, the journal's editorial team has undergone several changes. Editors-in-chief have included: Ewa Siatkowska (1990–2003), Elżbieta Wrocławska (2004–2013), Jerzy Molas (2014–2018), and Zdzisław Kłos (2019). In 2020, Iliana Genew-Puhalewa assumed the role of editor-in-chief.

In its new format, the journal was published as a biannual print edition until 2021, with issue no. 55 being the last in this form. Since volume 56 (2021), ‘Zeszyty Łużyckie’ has been published exclusively in digital format on the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Polish Studies journal platform.