Iwona Kaliszewska

Ethnologist, IT specialist, free lance journalist, photographer, traveller, vice-president of the Kaukaz.net Foundation.

Graduate of the Informatics and Ethnology Departments at the University of Warsaw and the School of Photographic Forms in Warsaw.
Currently an associate with the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Warsaw University, lecturing on Caucasus, Ukraine and computer analysis of ethnographic interviews and collecting material for her PhD thesis.

Author of the EdEt (Ethnographic Editor) computer program written for the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology of Warsaw University which facilitates the work with research material.

Coordinator and participant of projects realised by the Kaukaz.net Foundation: The Poles in Dagestan, Acting in the Caucasus, Dagestan on-line. Web designer, author of such websites as www.kaukaz.net and the official site of the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology.

Participated in the "Agritourism in Pankisi” project realised by the Foundation for Intercultural Education for which she conducted computer trainings and created the www.pankisi.org website.

Coordinated and repeatedly participated (1997-2000) in voluntary projects organized by the Service Civil International, e.g. in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Finland, France and Poland. Consultant of the Moremi Africa travel office for tours to Central Asia, Russia and the Caucasus.

Together with her husband Sebastian (recently also with their baby daughter Lena), travelled to Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia and Central Asia. Visited many countries of Asia, undertook several long journeys, including the round-the-world trip in 2001, travelled by train, on foot, hitch-hiked, rarely also by plane. Travels as a tourist, researcher or as a volunteer.
Her fascination is focused on the colourful, multicultural Caucasus region, especial Dagestan. Between 2004-2007 conducted field research in Georgia and Dagestan. The expedition resulted in many slide shows, articles, lectures and the http://www.kaukaz.net website. Author of several photographic exhibitions. Together with spouse, runs a travel photo gallery http://www.tajga.org.

Her interests are focused on: Dagestan, Georgia (including the Pankisi Gorge), Kabardino-Balkaria, Azerbaijan, Chechnya.

She is a co-author of a book "Matrioshka in Hijab. Essays on Dagestan and Chechenya"