Biography

Jan Szemiński is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specialized in Andean (Inca) oral tradition, history of the Inca Empire, and colonial history of the Inca. He received his PhD and Habilitation from the University of Warsaw, and taught Latin American history, ethnohistory of Andean Indians and Quechua language at the San Cristóbal of Huamanga National University (Ayacucho, Peru), the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

Project Abstract

The Inca Concept of Time and Space. The project aims to modelize the Inca concept of time and space, gathered from the results of Prof. Szemiński's previous studies on Inca theory of history, image of space, language image of the world, and image of a human being’s life. In addition, the project investigates how researchers of other cultures, away from the Inca world, create their models of time and space, with the sources that they encountered. Comparison with other cultures’ concepts of time and space may also adress the question, whether there are some common traits of human grammar in describing time and space.

Curriculum vitae

Education

1994  Ph.D. hab., General History, University of Warsaw

1979  Ph.D., Institute of History, The Polish Academy of Sciences

1968  M.A., History, University of Warsaw

Positions

2013 -  

Professor Emeritus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1984 - 2013  

Department of Iberian and Latin American Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1983 - 1984  

Faculty of History, The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

1981  

Social Sciences Department, The San Cristóbal of Huamanga National University (Ayacucho, Peru)

1968 - 1983   

Center of Latin American History, Institute of History, The Polish Academy of Sciences

Selected Publications

2016. De las vidas del Inka Manqu Qhapaq. Manqu Qhapaq Inkap Kawsasqankunamanta. Segunda edición aumentada y corregida. Arequipa: Ediciones El Lector S.R.L. 

2009. Un ejemplo de larga tradición histórica andina. Frankfurt a. M., Madrid: Vervuert Iberoamericana. 

2006 (ed.). Léxico quechua de Fray Domingo de Santo Thomas 1560. Convento de Santo Domingo Qorikancha. Cuzco: Santo Oficio.

1997. Wira Quchan y sus obras. Teología andina y lenguaje, 1550-1662 . Lima: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú.  

1993. La utopia tupamarista. Segunda edición. Lima: Fondo editorial.