About the blog

The Blog

Rugged territory is an ethnographic diary about problems and solutions in Slovakia.

Slovakia’s nature is a rough beauty: Mountains, valleys, rocks, and forests are spread all over its surface. Its social landscape is rugged too: Society is divided, and deep cleavages run between cities and villages, corrupt politicians and precarious citizens, minorities and mainstream, nationalism and metropolitanism, radical populists and liberal Democrats. In this blog I am sharing my on-site experiences from Slovakia and occasionally from its neighbor states, to address those issues. I talk about the social and political problems and the contexts in which they are born. I also share some insider stories about the exciting work of an ethnographer in the field. Most importantly, I want to present those individuals who try to bridge the gaps and level the barriers. People with a vision for more harmony and diversity in Slovakia.

Despite the fact that I am writing a PhD dissertation about tolerance and nationalism in Slovakia, this is not a scientific blog. It’s more of a messy and personal collection of stories, voices, pictures and bits of realization. Together they form a mosaic that will hopefully merge into a (more or less crisp) image.

The Author

My name is Eva-Maria, I live in Regensburg and have a passion for music, food, and anthropology. I have lived in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, and Slovakia and have now returned to my home country to do a Ph.D. at the Graduate School for East and Southeast European Studies (http://www.gs-oses.de/home.html) at the University of Regensburg.

Full list of publications: PUBLICATIONS