The workshop “Popularizing Research Online” was held by Angelika Zanki, our manager and facilitator, who promotes the team’s activities and has completed numerous trainings in this field.

The workshop is a part of the NAWA’s STER Next Generation PhDs – Innovations program for doctoral students at the Anthropos Doctoral School. It provided participants with an opportunity to engage with key principles of effectively presenting and promoting academic work in digital spaces. In today’s digital age, communicating research clearly and professionally is increasingly important, and the session emphasized the growing significance of science communication for researchers.

Participants were introduced to the basics of science communication and explored how researchers can present themselves and their projects in ways that are accessible, accurate, and engaging. The workshop highlighted examples of good practice as well as common mistakes to avoid, stressing the importance of maintaining a professional online presence. It also covered strategies for managing websites and social media profiles related to research projects, including European-funded grants, and practical methods for promoting them effectively online.

The workshop was highly practical: participants actively contributed to discussions and prepared draft social media posts, applying the knowledge gained during the session.

Angelika’s experience helped create a well-structured and supportive environment, allowing participants to recognize the importance of science communication and to develop confidence in sharing their research with wider audiences.

The Anthropos Doctoral School, where the workshop was held, is located in the heart of Warsaw’s Old Town. On the day of the workshop, the area was especially magical, as the streets were beautifully illuminated and holiday decorations were lit up, creating a unique and festive atmosphere around the school.

We are excited to share that an essay by Karina Hoření has been published on the blog of the American Ethnological Society. It is part of their new collection, Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart, edited by Salwa Tareen. The collection features essays by researchers from around the world, exploring the emotional side of anthropological practice and how fieldwork can deeply affect those who undertake it.

In this essay, Karina reflects on the emotional complexities of ethnographic research in post-war Liberec (formerly Reichenberg). Focusing on the experiences of Czech settlers who moved into houses formerly inhabited by Germans, she explores how archives and family memories reveal “ghosts” of the past. A key moment occurs during a follow-up interview with a participant, Josef, when she shares archival evidence of a German resident’s suicide in his family’s house. The encounter unexpectedly intersects with Josef’s own recent family tragedy, highlighting how personal and collective histories intertwine. Karina uses these experiences to discuss the ethical and emotional challenges of ethnography, the persistence of haunting legacies, and the limits of reconstructing the past.

At the beginning of December, our researcher, Karina Hoření, gave a presentation on her research as an invited speaker at a seminar titled “Ruins and Relics: Rhythms, Temporalities, and Trajectories of Change.” In her talk Fixation on Ruins-Fixation of Ruins Karina presented her thesis about ruins as the central space of the dominant Czech narrative about expulsion. The seminar took place at the Ethnological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. It was organised by the team behind the Zdivočelá země/Land gone wild project, implemented by a consortium of Czech research institutes. Both our projects are interested in post-war changes in the Czech borderlands and the enduring legacies of expulsion in the landscape, and this shared interest leads to long and passionate debates. Hopefully, it was not a last chance for our teams to meet and share our findings. 

In episode #101 of the Czechostacja podcast, Karolina and Jakub Medek explore interwar politics, Masaryk’s views on the many minorities living in Czechoslovakia, and his belief that it was possible to create not only a new state but eventually a new nation — the Czechoslovaks. The conversation was sparked by the recent opening of an envelope deposed in the National Archive in Prague: allegedly, it contained last words of Masaryk, and its opening became a spectacle unveiling the national myths and conventions. They also delve into the role and influence of Edvard Beneš, as well as the intellectuals with whom Masaryk eagerly debated and who simultaneously formed his intellectual support network.

A significant part of their conversation focuses on the Masaryk family — on what kind of father and husband Masaryk was, and on the crucial role played by his wife, Charlotte, an American with a strong personality.

And naturally — as always in Czechostacja — they wander into plenty of other fascinating topics along the way.