PhD Candidate from the University of Potsdam on a Research Visit to the Pilecki Institute - Instytut Pileckiego

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12.10.2026 (Mon)

PhD Candidate from the University of Potsdam on a Research Visit to the Pilecki Institute

Between 1 October 2026 and 31 January 2027, Melcher Abramowski, a doctoral candidate in law at the University of Potsdam, is completing a research stay at the Pilecki Institute under the Erasmus+ program.

portrait of a man
Photo: Private collection

Melcher Abramowski’s research lies at the intersection of legal history, legal philosophy and the history of National Socialist ideology. His doctoral dissertation examines natural law thinking under National Socialism: how the Nazi leadership and legal scholars of the period understood the relationship between positive and supra-positive law, and how these ideas shaped criminal law.

During his stay at the Pilecki Institute, Melcher Abramowski is conducting research related to the subject of his doctoral dissertation, utilizing library and archival resources as well as academic consultations. Dr. Joanna Nikel serves as his academic supervisor during this period. This cooperation makes it possible to combine historical and legal-historical perspectives in research on National Socialism and the functioning of its institutions. Melcher Abramowski will also participate in the work for the project “Totalitarianism and Geopolitics. Concepts of Eurasian Order in the 20th Century, 1914–1991”.

Melcher Abramowski’s visit is intended to facilitate the realization of his individual research project, as well as to foster international cooperation and promote the Polish perspective in research on the German occupation.