Annotations
| Nr. | Topic | Annotations |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Loneliness - social categories at risk and the social consequences of loneliness | Loneliness affects a significant part of the population of contemporary late modern societies and is becoming a serious social problem and a modern epidemic (Cuccu, Stepanova 2021, Schnepf, d'Hombres, Mauri /ed./ 2024, Yang 2019). The topic has recently started to receive considerable attention not only from psychology but also from sociology. Epidemiological research conducted within the Disconnect project (www.osamelost.sk) offers unique and information-rich data for the analysis of the problem of loneliness in Slovak society. It is this data that will be the primary source of analysis in writing the dissertation, which will focus on several basic objectives. The first is to identify the socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the social categories most at risk of loneliness. Loneliness is often studied as a predictor of health problems, but less attention has been paid to tracking the views and behaviours of lonely individuals. The second aim of this dissertation is to analyse the relationship of loneliness to such things as individual anomie, interpersonal and institutional trust, social isolation, prosocial behaviour, political preferences, and civic and political participation. |
| 2. | Low-wage jobs: labour market, institutional context and growth model in Slovakia | Slovakia is one of the EU countries with lower wages and a not insignificant share of employees low-wage workers. This is the result of a combination of several factors. The thesis will focus on the analysis of the incidence and nature of low-wage employment and its institutional context, including labour market regulation, economic policy, the shape of the welfare state and the role of trade unions. The thesis is expected to provide a more comprehensive view of the issue of low wages as a social and political problem. |
| 3. | Non-standard forms of employment: profiles, reasons and consequences | The segmentation of the labour market into standard and non-standard jobs is already a firm feature of developed countries. Non-standard jobs are becoming a significant source of social risks. The aim of this dissertation is to analyze profiles of the non-standard workers, focusing on their profiles, the reasons for taking non-standard jobs and the consequences. There is also an opportunity to focus on the prevailing mobility trajectories of people working in such jobs, their variability across different socio-demographic and socio-economic categories, as well as the facts that differentiate these mobility trajectories. |
| 4. | Social agency of animals | The work will focus on the theoretical conceptualization of animal agency and the realization of empirical research on interspecies interaction as social action. A critical analysis of the current theoretical debate about the social agency of animals is assumed, especially in the field of etnomethodology, symbolic interactionism and sociologically focused human-animal studies, which will be followed by empirical research on interspecies interactions in everyday life. |
| 5. | Past and present of the environmental movement in Central Europe | The project will focus on the development of the environmental movement in the countries of Central Europe in a comparative perspective. The aim is to compare the development of the environmental movement in Central Europe with the development in Western Europe and America and to identify similarities and differences in the countries of Central Europe with a focus on the V4 countries. The aim of this thesis is not only to describe the forms and development of the environmental movement, but also to determine its influence on environmental policy in individual countries The research is expected to be carried out on the basis of documentary studies and interviews and case studies of cases of environmental activism. |
| 6. | Spatial practice in Slovakia for a more-than-human world: How can local specificities inspire global planning strategies? | The project focuses on spatial practice in Slovakia and its organization as a process facing environmental challenges. It aims to explore the creation of social, gender, class, and environmental justice in urban planning, with an emphasis on more-than-human actors. The research involves qualitative methods at the intersection of spatial and organizational sociology and environmental studies, exploring the potential of feminist philosophy and its approaches to relational autonomy and actors' interdependence. The research questions are: what spatial and organisational practices can contribute to the integration of natural actors in urban planning in Slovakia? What specificities does the Slovak context bring for linking feminist approaches to place-making and how can these specificities inspire global planning strategies? |
| 7. | Solidarity across differences: collective ne-gotiation of working conditions for workers in different situations | In contemporary workplaces – often next to each other – people work in different contractual relationships with their employer. These differences frequently overlap with the different migration experiences of workers. Applying qualitative methodologies (interviews, ethnography) – possibly in combination with quantitative methods – the project aims to describe how workers with different labour-migration statuses negotiate their working conditions, especially collectively across categories.. The research questions are: what is the relationship between the type of employment contract and working conditions? How does this relationship affect the possibilities for individual and collective negotiation of these terms and conditions of employment? How do workers’ different migration experiences affect this bargaining? |
| 8. | Digital Technologies and intimacy among young adults | Drawing upon ethnography and interviews) the PhD thesis will examine the role of digital technologies in intimate relationships of young adults. The particular theme and research participants depend upon the interest of the PhD student and agreement with the supervisor. The examples: 1. Digital technologies and relationships among young adults 2. Negotiating autonomy in the usage of digital technology among young adults 3. Dating apps and their role in relationships of young adults. |
| 9. | Digital Technologies and Care | Drawing upon ethnography and interviews) the PhD thesis will examine the role of digital technologies in care practices and relationships. Conceptually, the work will be based on digital anthropology and STS. The particular theme and research participants depend upon the interest of the PhD student and agreement with the supervisor. The examples: 1. Edupage as an instrument of both care and control 2. Parental strategies regarding children’s use of digital technologies, 3. Elderly care and digital technologies. |
| 10. | Rule of law, justice and legality in public debates and political contestations | This dissertation will examine public debates and controversies concerning the rule of law, legality, justice and legitimacy. A chosen case of a particular controversy, for example regarding the Office of the Special Prosecutor or the proposed amendment to the Criminal Code, will be studied from the perspective of interpretive sociology, discourse analysis and symbolic interactionism. The aim is to describe the main frameworks and argumentative strategies which have been employed in competing explanations and political tactics. |
| 11. | Workplaces as sites of socialization: hierarchy, agency and organizational self | This topic falls within the sociology of organisations, where workplaces are seen as sites of further and ongoing socialisation. The primary source of data will be narratives of specific work-related events with a formative impact on experiencing and interpreting one's own organizational position and subjectivity. The aim is to analyse the depiction of relations and practices that, for example, fostered either participation, inclusion and empowerment, or, on the contrary, differentiation, exclusion and subjugation. |
| 12. | Institutional trust and environmental attitudes in Slovakia | The aim of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between institutional trust and environmental attitudes in Slovakia. Studying this topic necessitates the use of quantitative methods to analyze the impact of trust in state institutions on individuals' views on environmental issues and to identify the factors that shape these attitudes. |
| 13. | Technological Discourse and Its Beneficiaries | The thesis will examine how technological leaders like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman employ discourse around technologies such as AI to advance their political and economic agendas. Through an analysis of their public communications, media portrayals, and policy initiatives, the research will explore how these leaders reproduce and enact their political influence, economic objectives, and ideological beliefs. Conceptually, the thesis will draw from critical theories of technology and society, including feminist political economy and science and technology studies. Ultimately, this research aims to deepen the understanding of the interplay between technology, ideology, and power in contemporary society. |
| 14. | Churches as a Actor in the Public Services in Slovakia | Since the adoption of the Religious Freedom and Church Registration Acts many recognized religious groups in Slovakia have become involved in various social services that were originally provided by the state. In some areas (health and social care) they have entered public services alongside private actors, while in other areas they complement the functions of public actors and the state (education, prisons, armed forces). The aim of the project will be the analysis of the consequences of the state's politics towards different religious actors and on their real opportunities and restrictions in their interventions in particular domaine of public services during the last thirty years. |
| 15. | Social and Spatial Transformations of Confessional Structure in Slovakia | The results of population censuses carried out in Slovakia since the second half of the 19th century allow a very detailed reconstruction of the regional situation of different religious groups in Slovakia. It is possible to trace the almost 150-year transformation of the bases of the main denominations in Slovakia, whether in the persistent stability of the basic structures or in their transformations towards a change in the confessional structure of some areas or even their secularization. The aim of the research will be to test several theoretical concepts explaining religious change or stability on the basis of regional and communal structures in Slovakia over the last one hundred and fifty years. |