View article

Using the concepts of Lifeworld, the “Stranger”(Schütz 1976, pp. 91–105) and Deathworld (Bentz et al. 2018), I explore experiences of the city of Łódź, Poland, where I served as Visiting Professor and principal researcher on the project of collaboration among strangers. I experienced a sense of profound desolation, despite the conscientiousness of host colleagues. I expand the Schützian habitual type of Normal Foreign Visiting Professor to the characterological: Elderly Foreign Woman Professor Recovering from Pneumonia with Driving Trauma and PTSD. This highlights the differences in experiences of Lifeworlds and Deathworlds between strangers and residents, as well as unique aspects of my own vantage point.