| 1. | Reflection of Central European countries in selected Italian town chronicles at the turn of the Middle Ages and the early modern period. | The aim of the PhD dissertation will be to explore how the countries of Central Europe (Bohemia, Poland, Hungary) were perceived in the urban chronicles of those Italian towns that maintained political, economic and/or cultural contacts with this region in the 14th and the first half of the 15th century, and thus to identify both the image of the region as a whole and of the individual monarchies. Based on the research carried out so far, it can be assumed that it will primarily be chronicles from cities in northern Italy (Venice, Florence, Ferrara, Milan, ...), but the thematic and chronological framework of the research will be specified during the first year of study. For a successful completion treatment of the topic, knowledge of the language of the sources, Italian and English, and the ability to consider the results of research in Czech, Hungarian and Polish historiography are essential. |
| 2. | Eastern policy of the Jagiellonian dynasty in the 2nd half of the 15th century | In the second half of the 15th century, the Lithuanian-Polish Jagiellonian dynasty became the leading political force in Eastern and Central Europe and united a significant part of the Western and Eastern Slavs under its rule. However, the territorial growth of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the east inevitably led to a political confrontation with the Principality of Moscow, whose rulers (who adopted the title 'ruler of all Russia') assumed the role of unifiers of Russian lands from the second half of the 15th century onwards. The confrontation between the Jagiellonian rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Casimir Jagiellon 1440 - 1492, Alexander Jagielloni 1492 - 1506) and Prince Ivan III Vasilievich of Moscow (reign: 1462 - 1505) took place on the territory of the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian lands, and in the period under review it acquired an ideological basis that determined the conflicting nature of Moscow's relations with its western neighbours. Despite the relatively small number of direct military conflicts in the examined period (the Russo-Lithuanian War of 1487-1494, the Russo-Lithuanian War of1500-1503), Jagiellonian diplomacy took vigorous steps to isolate Moscow, actively engaging, among other things, in ecclesiastical and commercial policy in relations with the states of the Eastern European region: Novgorod Republic, the Great Horde, the Crimean Khanate, the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, and the State of the Teutonic Order. The presence of a large number of foreign policy subjects in Eastern Europe in this period raises the question of the consistency or situationality of Jagiellonian policy towards Russia, which led to the paradoxical reception of the term "государство" ("state") through the diplomatic correspondence of the chancellery of Casimir Jagiellon by the rulers of Moscow, as the Hungarian linguist Andráš Zoltán has found. The diplomacy of the Jagiellonian rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland experienced an institutionalization that will be the subject of the present work. It will be based on the study of sources, primarily the books of the Lithuanian Metrics No. 3-8, as well as the books of the Moscow State's envoy order.The reconstruction of the model of the Jagiellonian Eastern policy in the second half of the 15th century is an urgent research problem due to the absence of unified historiographical approaches to it in the national narratives of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Russia. |
| 3. | The theory of the Islamic state in the work of Necip Fazil Kisakürek ** | The Islamic nationalism (Tur. mukkadesatçılık) of Necip Fazıl Kısakürek (1905-1983) is today often seen in Turkish society as an ideological weapon and doctrine against Atatürk’s Kemalism, which significantly shaped the thinking and actions of contemporary pro-Islamic circles in the country. The iconic status of this prominent thinker, poet, novelist, theoretician and radical Islamist representative became the focus of scholarly research in the international context practically only after 2000. Based on a detailed analysis of his work, we anticipate a critical evaluation of Kısakürek’s theory of the Islamic state and his political views after 1950. |
| 4. | Early Modern interpretations of Islam on the territory of Royal Hungary (16th-17th centuries) ** | Early modern interpretations of Islam on the territory of Royal Hungary (16th-17th centuries) mostly arose in the context of controversies between Christian denominations in a country divided as a result of Ottoman expansion. In these polemics, Islam or more precisely the image that Christians created about Islam, played an important and peculiar role. In the struggle with Islam since the beginnings of the Reformation the Christian world did not stand united, but each Christian religious community formulated its own attitude towards the „religion of the Turks and Arabs“ in the process of confessionalization. However, by studying contemporary sources of various kinds, it is necessary to deepen our knowledge of these views on the Islamic religion |
| 5. | Arabic Periodical Press in Late Ottoman Era ** | Beyond Beirut, the significant expansion of private Arabic newspaper publishing in Greater Syria primarily occurred during the Second Constitutional Era. Following the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, there was a notable increase in the establishment of periodicals. Arabic newspapers and journals from this period are a rich yet under-researched source of information about this pivotal era. The dissertation will focus on exploring specific topics presented in the periodical press of a selected region within Greater Syria. |
| 6. | Water and mudbricks - means of military defence in the north-eastern Delta and northern Sinai in the 19th and 20th dynasties of ancient Egypt / Wasser und Lehmziegel – Mittel der militärischen Verteidigung im nordöstlichen Delta und im nördlichen Sinai in der 19. und 20. Dynastie des alten Ägypten ** | Since 2007, Polish-Slovak mission at the Egyptian site of Tell el-Retaba has discovered several components of the defensive capabilities of the 19th and 20th Dynasties. The proposed topic should focus on placing them in the context of the defence capabilities explored in the north-eastern Delta and northern Sinai and verify hypotheses related to the strategic importance of drinking water resources and their control in desert, semi-desert, salt sea and lake water environments. It should also verify the methods of control of drinking water sources by military garrisons, compare the constructions of fortresses, their walls and moats, as well as their defensive and logistical use, based on archaeological, written and iconographic sources. Seit 2007 hat die polnisch-slowakische Forschung am ägyptischen Standort Tell el-Retaba mehrere Komponenten der Verteidigungsfähigkeiten der 19. und 20. Dynastie entdeckt. Das vorgeschlagene Thema sollte sich darauf konzentrieren, sie in den Kontext der im Nordostdelta und Nord-Sinai untersuchten Verteidigungsfähigkeiten zu stellen. Ziel ist es, Hypothesen zur strategischen Bedeutung von Trinkwasserressourcen und ihrer Kontrolle in Wüsten-, Halbwüsten- und Salzmeer- und Seewasserumgebungen zu überprüfen. Gleichzeitig sollten die Methoden zur Kontrolle der Trinkwasserquellen durch Militärgarnisonen überprüft, die Konstruktionen von Festungen, ihre Mauern und Gräben sowie ihre defensive und logistische Nutzung anhand archäologischer, schriftlicher und ikonografischer Quellen verglichen werden. |
| 7. | Travelers from Upper Hungary to Egypt and the Sudan in the long 19th century / Reisende von Oberungarn nach Ägypten und Sudan im langen 19. Jahrhundert ** | The Kingdom of Hungary took part in the European trends of exploring other continents. In its case, these trends did not result to the formation of colonies. The proposed topic should focus on the examination of the ways, reasons and goals of travels and the social composition of Upper Hungarian travellers to Egypt and the Egyptian Sudan or the Anglo-Egyptian condominium in the long 19th century (until 1918), based on contemporary literature, media, travelogues, archival and registrar research. The research should also focus on the contribution of these travels to historical and artistic collections in today's Slovakia and their current situation. Das Königreich Ungarn beteiligte sich an den europäischen Trends zur Erkennung anderer Kontinente. In seinem Fall führte dieser Trend nicht zur Bildung von Kolonien. Das vorgeschlagene Thema sollte sich auf die Untersuchung der Wege, Gründe und Ziele der Reisen sowie der sozialen Zusammensetzung oberungarischer Reisender nach Ägypten und in den ägyptischen Sudan oder in die anglo-ägyptische Kondominium im langen 19. Jahrhundert (bis 1918) konzentrieren, basierend auf zeitgenössischen Literatur, Medien, Reiseberichte, Archiv- und Matrikelrecherche. Die Forschung sollte sich auch auf den Beitrag dieser Reisen zu den Denkmal- und Kunstsammlungen in der heutigen Slowakei und ihre aktuelle Situation konzentrieren. |
| 8. | The influence of geographical phenomena on the evolution of Ancient Egyptian religion. ** | The Egyptian landscape offers a multiplicity of geographic settings. These geographic settings also had their impact on the formation and shape of the ancient Egyptian religion. Since its beginnings at the creation of the ancient Egyptian state until its last stage in late antiquity the ancient Egyptian religion had gone through various changes and development. In the later periods, not only the geography of Egypt itself, but also of other surrounding regions could be traced. The dissertation aims to assess these geograhic influences both on religion and its related phenomena. |
| 9. | Ancient Egypt in the Slovak culture in the period 1843–1918 ** | The aim of this project is to collect, analyze and evaluate original written, pictorial and 3D source material from Slovak authors who lived in the former Hungary or the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in the period 1843-1918 and were interested in ancient Egypt. This source material containing information referring to ancient Egypt may relate to history, art, architecture, personal correspondence, travel, collections, education, etc., and was publicly published/accessible/exhibited (magazines, newspapers, letters, literature, architecture) or found in personal archives/collections/possessions. The existence of such material and its evaluation is intended to document the diversity and extent of the Slovak population's interest in this ancient civilization in a given historical period. |
| 10. | Selected cultural phenomena of the indigenous populations of insular Southeast Asia and the Pacific in contemporary sources of the 16th -19th century. ** | Reports about indigenous populations of Pacific and Southeast Asia that were brought to the European continent in the 16 th -19 th century helped to form preconditions for colonial policies and trade and missionary activities. The aim of this thesis is to analyze selected cultural phenomena of contemporary written sources with an accent on the cultures of pre-Christian, non-Islamic societies in the Austronesian world of insular Southeast Asia and the Pacific and their influence on trade, missionary, and colonial policies from the European perspective, but also the from the perspective of Imperial China, both within the context of its time. |
| 11. | Legal Norm Versus Judicial Practice in the Early Modern Period | The aim of the dissertation is to investigate the functioning of judicial practice, the competence, and strategies of judicial institutions in comparison with contemporary legal norms during a more narrowly defined period. The doctoral candidate can choose to research the topic using the example of a selected region or city, or by focusing on a chosen crime or group of crimes (prostitution/sexual offenses, homicide/violent offenses, libel, etc.), or on female or male criminality, utilizing selected archival sources within a defined time period. In the early modern period, criminality was perceived as a sin, and the relationship of legal norms to judicial practice was not always straightforward or absolutely binding. This was due to the fragmentary and unsystematic nature of the law and the absence of unified and universally applicable codes, which contributed to the predominance of local customary law and the considerable discretionary power of judges. In analysing the chosen judicial practice, the PhD student may explore the strategies and attitudes of judges based on moral justifications for sentences, references to specific legal or ecclesiastical norms, the nature of mitigating and aggravating circumstances, the impact of intercessions, or the possibility of mitigating punishment or pardon. The study can also delve into the ecclesiastical treatment of sexual offenses and marital conflicts, as well as the punishment of religious/moral offenses in the early years after the adoption of the Code of Law by Joseph II (legal implementation in practice). Alternatively, the focus can be solely on the criminalization or decriminalization of certain offenses (e.g., moral/sexual offenses, witchcraft and sorcery, etc.). Requirements: A good knowledge of the language(s) of the chosen archival sources (usually Latin, German, or Hungarian), Slovak/Czech and English (min. B2). |
| 12. | Marginalised Groups in the Early Modern Period | The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the phenomenon of marginalization within a suitably defined period and region in the Kingdom of Hungary concerning a selected group of the population. This group may be socially excluded based on ethnicity, lifestyle, poverty, employment, or religion (e.g., Jews, Roma, vagrants, beggars, prostitutes, and other so-called dishonest occupations). The topic should ideally be explored on different levels and aspects: Legal: Restrictions and sanctions against the group in laws, regulations, and statutes. Common Practice and Judicial Practice: Local strategies and practices, comparison with legal prescriptive sources, whether they were in agreement or differed. Discursive Level: Legal-theoretical, ecclesiastical, philosophical, and other learned opinions. Reflection in Art (Visual, Literary). Reflection in Popular Culture. By combining the analysis of various sources, the PhD student will document the extent and spread of social exclusion, the potential diversity of attitudes, the concomitant phenomena of marginalization (stereotyping, scapegoating, criminalization, persecution), and the developmental changes in attitudes. The student will compare the findings with developments in Western Europe, highlighting any patterns, similarities, or differences. Requirements: Good knowledge of the language(s) of the relevant archival sources (usually Latin, German, or Hungarian), Slovak/Czech, and English (min B2). |
| 13. | Marginal People in Cities in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Beggars, Vagrants, and the Homeless Between Social Assistance and Repression | The aim of this dissertation is to conduct in-depth research on the social status and integration problems of beggars, the homeless, and other marginal groups in cities. An important research question will focus on gender differences in status and the limits of integration. In addition to socio-historical and socio-cultural approaches, the emphasis will be on comparison.Case studies of selected institutions (e.g., poorhouses, workhouses) in different towns/regions of the Habsburg Monarchy/Europe will serve as the basis for comparison, with a focus on the issue of social policy transfer into less industrialized regions. The specific topic will be refined during the PhD study based on the chosen regions and institutions, considering the available research sources. The candidate is expected to have a basic overview of political and social developments in the selected country/region and possess adequate language skills. Requirements: Knowledge of Slovak/Czech and English, proficiency in the language(s) of the countries/regions selected for comparison. |
| 14. | The Representation of Hungarians and Magyars in Slovak Nationalist Discourse in the Kingdom of Hungary During the Dual Monarchy Period (1867–1918) | The research aims to examine changes in the image of "Hungarians"/"Magyars" and related social categories (nation, nationality, race, patria, patriotism, etc.) in the Slovak nationalist discourse during the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy. The study will focus on the textual output of both activists and supporters of the Slovak national movement, as well as the so-called Hungarophile Slovak savants and political activists. The examination will primarily rely on qualitative text analysis, with authors and the corpus selected based on their status and influence within the movement and public life. The training during the first two semesters will include an intensive study of theories of nationalism and nationalist political movements in the 19th century, along with theories of discourse and methods of critical discourse analysis. Requirements: Knowledge of Slovak/Czech and English (min. B2) is required; knowledge of Hungarian and German is an advantage. |
| 15. | Representation of France as a Civilizational Great Power in Central Europe in the First Half of the 20th Century | The objective of this PhD dissertation is to analyse and compare representations of France as a civilizational great power in at least two Central European national communities, considering geopolitical changes in the first half of the 20th century. The dissertation will scrutinize representations of France as a cultural, social, and political exemplar, identifying continuities and discontinuities and making comparisons among them. A deeper interest in historical anthropology, discourse analysis, and the methodology of historiography is assumed. The specific topic and time period will be determined during the first year of the PhD studies. Requirements: A knowledge of at least one Central European language, English (min. B2), proficiency in French and reading skills in another Central European language. |
| 16. | The Formation of Political Identities in Slovakia after 1989 in the Central European Context | The purpose of the dissertation is to analyze the manner in which the primary political currents and groupings in Slovakia during the 1990s reflected on the past. The central research question revolves around how distinct politics of history contributed to the development of political identities. Applicants are required to submit their individual research projects, which may focus on specific ideological currents (e.g., left, liberals, conservatives), particular political parties, or influential individuals or groups. A comparative approach, encompassing other cases from the Central and Eastern European region, is anticipated. Requirements: Proficiency in Slovak/Czech and English (at least B2); knowledge of German and a language from the CEE region is an advantage. |
| 17. | Scientific and Intellectual Elites during Late Socialism and the First Years of Post-Communist Transformation (1985–1993) | The objective of the dissertation is to analyse the social status, social capital, and political activities of scientific and intellectual elites in the concluding years of socialist dictatorships and/or in the initial years of post-communist transformation. Prospective candidates are required to submit their individual research projects, which may exclusively concentrate on the period preceding or following 1989. Topics with a Central European comparative focus are strongly encouraged. Requirements: Proficiency in Slovak/Czech and English (at least B2); knowledge of German and a language from the CEE region is an advantage. |
| 18. | Propaganda Dynamics in the Cold War: Czechoslovakia's Global Impact | Since the 1940s, the strategic use of psychological warfare, commonly known as propaganda, to further foreign policy objectives and shape public opinion has become integral. The Cold War, a battle of ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union, legitimized the practice of indoctrination through propaganda, extending to their respective satellites, including Czechoslovakia. The PhD thesis will focus on Czechoslovakia's pivotal role in the global conflict, unravelling the "war of ideas" waged through propaganda. It will explore dynamic alliances that blurred lines between "friend" and "enemy," influenced by the evolving short-term interests of the Soviet Union as the undisputed leader of the Socialist camp. Particularly interestingly, this phenomenon manifested itself in the presentations of states, their political representatives, and populations on a continent other than Europe.The research will examine how communist state propaganda adeptly navigated changing alliances, discerning between leaders and their populace. It will capture the nuances of Czechoslovakia's foreign policy, showcasing its dual-track approach in engaging with "hostile" foreign countries by supporting "progressive forces." The dissertation offers the possibility of investigating the role of cultural propaganda in shaping international opinions and examining how literature, cinema, and art became powerful tools in projecting soft power and influencing diverse societies. Likewise, it will explore media influence during the communist dictatorship, working within censorship constraints, and reflect public responses to propaganda efforts and particular campaigns. The PhD thesis will further reflect the evolution of propaganda techniques with the advent of new technologies and how press, radio, and television disseminated propaganda messages. Emphasizing present-day significance, the doctoral dissertation could explore the lasting impact of Cold War propaganda on the views of Czechs and Slovaks regarding distant nations in the Americas, Asia, Africa, etc., extending far beyond the Cold War era. It aims to underscore the persistent influence of propaganda in shaping public opinion, drawing parallels with ongoing events such as the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Requirements: Proficiency in English and other relevant languages (depending on the thematic focus of the dissertation) is essential for working effectively with documents and texts in this historical exploration. |
| 19. | Continuities and Discontinuities of Social Practices in the 1980s–1990s | The aim of the dissertation is to examine changes, adaptations, and persistence of social practices linked to the period of the 1980s and 90s. Applicants are expected to submit a research project focused on a specified sphere of social practices. Priority is given to projects dealing with the area of Central Europe or proposing a wider European comparative framework. A deeper interest in social history, historical anthropology, discourse analysis, and also preliminary orientation in the selected topic is expected. Requirements: Knowledge of English (min. B2), Slovak/Czech, and reading proficiency in another European language. |
| 20. | Heritage Values of Architecture in the Second Half of the 20th Century: Identification and Methods of Protection | The subject of the dissertation follows the long-term research of the Department of Architecture of the IH SAS focused on the architecture of the second half of the 20th century in Slovakia. Thousands of healthcare, educational, cultural, recreational, sports, commercial, and administrative buildings were constructed during this era, forming a significant part of the civic amenities of Slovak settlements. They also represent an important layer of the built historical heritage of Slovak towns and villages.The goal of the dissertation is to identify the development and selected characteristic expressions of architecture in the second half of the 20th century in Slovakia, with a focus on public buildings, public spaces, or landscape design and their heritage values. We welcome comparative projects situating domestic production within a Central European and wider international framework. Projects focusing on the reflection and reception of these values and their preservation are also encouraged. In addition to traditional historiographical methods, intensive field research on architectural and public spaces within Slovakia and abroad is expected, especially during the first two semesters. Requirements: Knowledge of Slovak/Czech and English (min. B2). |
| 21. | Central hillfort of the Púchov culture on Havránok hill in Liptovská Sielnica-Liptovská Mara. Development, function, and heritage presentation ** | The topic includes the development of the use and interpretation of the importance of the dominant site of the Liptovská basin - the hill Liptovská Mara - Havránok in the protohistoric period based on the rich materials from the long-term excavations of the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV). The hill was fortified and used as an important sacrificial place from the Middle La Téne to the beginning of the Roman period. The topic will also include reconsideration of the reconstructions of selected archaeological features and the use of the site for cultural tourism. |
| 22. | Early Medieval burial mounds in the Middle Danube region ** | Critical elaboration of early medieval mound burials in Central Europe. Complex processing of well-known archeological sites, so-called Slavic burial mound zone with division into chronological phases, regions and categories (if necessary). Regional differences. Revision of dating sites. Special emphasis on Western Slovak groups (Upper Nitra, Turiec group). |
| 23. | Development of the cultural historical landscape in mountain areas with a focus on landscape transformations in the Middle Ages and early modern times (comparison of landscape transformations in Western and Central Europe in the castle estates of Laroche in Burgundy, Brtnice in Moravia and Krásna Hôrka in Slovakia) ** | A comparison of the economic use the highlands regions in the three castle domains, the first in the Western Europe (Laroche Castle domain, Burgundy, France) and two domains in the Central Europe, Brtnice Castle domain (Brtnice domain, Moravia) and Krásna Hôrka Castle domain (Krásna Hôrka Castle estate, Slovakia). These are aristocratic castles that played an important role in the settlement of mountainous regions. The thesis should compare the current state of the cultural-historical landscape. Retrospective method of modelation of the landuse, using archaeological, written and cartographic sources, reconstructs and compares models of medieval and early modern landscape, forms of its settlement, economic use. The work should include field survey using as much as possible non-destructive and low-destructive methods of historical landscape research (geophysical prospecting methods, surface collections, metal detector surveys, verification and pedological microprobe surveys, the use of 3D and DEM landscape modelling). The aim is to compare the development and changes in cultural landscape following the ancient legal and economic traditions (Burgundy) with culture landscape in which there are strong Western European influences in the legal system (Moravia) and at last the Hungarian cultural landscape, where these influences were less intensive. It is assumed that the legal norms and normative cultural landscape only arrived here during the period of the settlement of the country in the period of medieval colonisation. The aim of this dissertation will be to compare anthropogenic influences and attempt to establish models of the development and transformations of the normative landscape in the regions under study. The dissertation will be based on and build on the results of the previous prospection of Masaryk University in Brno (J. Mazáčková) in Burgundy and Moravia and the initial results of the prospection in the area of The Krásná Hôrka castle. |
| 24. | The colonization of the south and middle Morava-river region during the La Tène period and the settlements in Bratislava-Dúbravka and Zohor ** | The main aim of the dissertation thesis will be the catalogue and analysis of finds from large-scale La Tène settlements from the early, older and middle La Tène period from Bratislava-Dúbravka and Zohor in the settlement context of Morava-river region in Slovakia and Lower Austria. In Bratislava-Dúbravka will be worked up the settlement from the middle La Tène period. The settlement from Zohor belongs to the most extensive excavated La Tène settlements in the Middle Danube area with a long chronological development. In the dissertation work will be worked up also the structure and chronology of the occupancy of settlement activity during the La Tène period in the marked territory. |
