Better Societal Impact Evaluation of Research. ENRESSH Brief: Societal Impact

Societal impact has not often been systematically included in research evaluation procedures. Where societal impact is included in research evaluation, it is often defined in a restrictive way relating exclusively to directly measurable economic returns. This limitation is especially important for research, which does not aim to generate direct profits but interacts with, adds value to, and makes sense of, society. This policy brief presents ten recommendations for the evaluation of societal impact with a special focus on how its evaluation can better facilitate research. These recommendations are based on the findings of a long-term multi-country project examining the interactions and roles of research and society across Europe with a special focus on the social sciences and humanities (SSH). Country case studies, conceptual analyses, and policy perspectives are presented in the edited volume “Accountability in Academic Life: European Perspectives on Societal Impact Evaluation” (Edward Elgar, 2023)

Nation and State Celebrate Jan Amos Komenský. A Comparison between the Comenius Celebrations of 1892 and 1920

The celebrations of the Comenius anniversaries in 1892 and 1920 were an important element in the formation of the political culture in the Czech lands, particularly in view of the way they reflected the symbolic creation of the collective spirit of the Nation and State. Based on an analysis of the festive discourse, I conclude that in the new state no answer was found to the basic question of how the independence of the Czechoslovak state was “regained” in Masarykʼs day after the Czech Nationʼs loss of independence during Comeniusʼs time.10611

„Člověk nestojí za nic, nenadchne-li ho blízkost velkého muže.“ Personifikace významového prostoru národních oslav 60. a 70. let 19. století

The paper deals with the problem of symbolic personification within Czech national festivals in 1860s and 1870s. This period represents the peak of the Czech national upheaval in 19th century in form of mass public action of representatives of the national movement. During this identity-building and identity-inventing process the organisation of national festivals played one of the most important mobilizing roles. Symbolic context of Czech nationality was being re-invented by performing the festive culture as a space for communication and confrontation of new and old meanings. The process comprised the multi-level overlaying of different identities, e.g. regional, local, class, professional, religious, within the national frame. One aspect of these ritual enactments was integration of different important persons that were celebrated – creation of national Pantheon. The analysis in this article focuses on these perfomative acts (J. Butler) using historical and anthropological approaches based in concept of culture as “web of significance” (C. Geertz). Main goal is to show how meanings transfer from symbolic national frame to celebrated persons and vice versa. The analysis is done in four steps. Firstly, the symbolic personification is analysed in the case of celebrating Czech patriots active in pre-1848 period – "awakeners of dying Nation". Among these ones particular significance was given to František Palacký whose role as "the father of Nation" is interpreted in Christian context of family metaphors. Third section is dedicated to the personification of Hussite historical context with Jan Hus, Jan Žižka and Prokop Holý as main actors. Last part shows the examples of (mostly unsuccessful) attempts of introducing Catholic symbolism and identity in to the national frame during the saint´s-days of Slavic saints Cyril and Method

JAN CHARVÁT — BOB KUŘÍK A KOL. MIKROFON JE NAŠE BOMBA. POLITIKA A HUDEBNÍ SUBKULTURY MLÁDEŽE V POSTSOCIALISTICKÉM ČESKU

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From ritual and custom to performance or How to study modern festivities?

In this article author suggests new possibilities in studying modern festivities based on thoroughreview of existing literature. His goal is to review and confront three disciplinary discourses thatconceptualized social practices related to festive cultures. First, theories of ritual in social and culturalanthropology are analysed and assessed in relation to modern festivities. Second, the conceptsof custom and habit used in the European ethnology, especially Central European tradition of Volkskunde(including Czech národopis), are presented and considered for research of modern festivities.Third, historical discourse about modern festivities is presented and theoretical challenges relatedto the historical perspective are introduced. On these grounds author proposes a conceptual frameworkbased on performance studies that both reflects advantages of former three disciplinarydiscourses and overcomes their disadvantages. Finally, a set of new and innovative research questionsis suggested.174

Czech national festive culture in 19th century (1860-1890)

This doctoral thesis focuses on researching the festive culture of a nation and its performative ability to shape national self-identifications. By analysis of a variety of activities which culminated between the 1860's and the 1870's this dissertation aims to examine why the interrelation between the concept of a nation and the festive culture was so significant particularly in that historical period, and also how it affected the form and dynamics of national (Czech) self-identification

Do-it-yourself between state socialism and global capitalism. New perspectives on the study of self-help and prosumption

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Humboldt na trhu práce: jak akademické vysokoškolské vzdělávání podporuje úspěch na trhu práce v ČR

The Czech Republic is one of the post-communist countries where the transformation from late industrial to knowledge economies and knowledge societies was complicated by the simultaneous transformations from communist centrally planned economies to democratic regimes and market economies. Furthermore, the transformation of higher education itself brings even more complications into the picture, most notably the vast and rapid expansion – as far-reaching and much faster than in most West European countries. We argue that contrary to the dominant neoliberal discourse, the Czech experience shows that higher education graduates imbued with Humboldtian academic education fare exceptionally well in the contemporary changing economy. Furthermore, their situation shows no signs of deterioration despite rapid expansion of higher education and its Humboldtian nature. Graduates themselves view their study experience as a good basis for their work even though (or because?) they identify their education as theory-oriented without extensive practical knowledge and experience.Vysokoškolské vzdělávání v ČR je většinou založené na teoretických znalostech bez rozsáhlých praktických dovedností a zkušeností. Ale v rozporu s očekáváními dominantního diskursu mají absolventky a absolventi vysokých škol velmi dobré postavení na českém trhu práce

Manifesto for a better societal impact evaluation

In this chapter, ENRESSH collaborators write a “Manifesto for a Better Societal Impact” Evaluation. In this, authors have extracted key principles based on some conclusions from the individual country reports which are broken down and/or extrapolated into generalisable findings drawing from the cross-national comparison. In doing so, this manifesto explores what scholars and policymakers from other European countries, and indeed from far wider international backgrounds, can learn from those countries’ experiences and the cross-national comparison. The chapter also goes beyond analysis, in providing a series of condensed recommendations for the evaluation of societal impact in the SSH with a special focus on how the evaluation can impact the work of academics in a positive way. In this collaborative task, we have sought to simultaneously respect disciplinary differences in knowledge production practices as well as in societal functions of research, while making this process as visible as possible