Adam Jelonek


Adam Wacław Jelonek is the former Polish Ambassador to Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. He is a professor and head of department in the Department of Middle and Far East at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He is a sociologist and political scientist.

Early life and education

Jelonek was born in Krakow. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science at the University of Warsaw. In 1986, he became an underground activist for the Federation of Fighting Youth. He received a Ph.D. in humanities from the Institute of Sociology at the University of Warsaw in 1997, and habilitation at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology in 2005.

Academic career

Between 1993 and 2006, Jelonek was an assistant and associate professor at the Institute of Sociology in the University of Warsaw. Between 1999 and 2005, he was an associate professor at the Institute of Political Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences. He has been head of department in the Department of Middle and Far East at the Faculty of International and Political Studies at the Jagiellonian University since 2007 - and under his leadership, the department became an institute. Between 2007 and 2009, he was Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Regional Studies at the Jagiellonian University. He is the director of the Institute of the Middle and Far East of the Jagiellonian University.

Ambassadorial career

In 2010 Jelonek became Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to Malaysia, accredited to Brunei and the Philippines. He ended his term in 2014.

Books and papers

Jelonek has written a number of books and papers, including: