Michal Šípoš
Michal Šípoš
QUALIFICATIONS
2016 Ph.D., Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of London
2004 Mgr., Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Comenius University Bratislava
PRINCIPAL RESEARCH INTERESTS
Critical Events and Moments; Everyday Life; Ordinary Ethics; Gender; Masculinity; Ethnography and Biography; Research Methods and Ethics; Epistemology in Anthropology; Ethnographic Theory
RESEARCH PROFILE
My research explores what it means to be human by focusing on the concrete and specific, inspired by the dialogue between anthropology, literature, and ordinary language philosophy. Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork with Chechen and Ingush refugees in Poland, my work enhances understanding of the role of formal and informal practices in sustaining the regulatory and disciplinary aspects of the European border regime. It also contributes to discussions on the construction of refugee masculinities in collective centres for refugees. Additionally, I am interested in connections between ethnography and biography, particularly concerning different forms of violence and everyday life.
While my research is rooted in formative ethnographic fieldwork with war refugees, it continues to evolve as new areas of inquiry emerge. For example, I recently began fieldwork with individuals from Prague's creative and cultural sectors. This research explores the interplay between lived experiences of ongoing multiple crises and the emergence of unique artistic forms in the Czech capital. In addition to my ethnographic work, I engage in outreach activities and administrative responsibilities. I am a founding member of the Department of Mobility and Migration at IE CAS, which I led until the end of 2023.
Journal Articles
2024 Futile Attempts to Remake the World: Wars in the North Caucasus and Refugee Masculinities in Poland. Ethos 52(4): 467–479.
2020 ‘We are All Brothers Here’: The Making of a Life by Chechen Refugees in Poland. Population, Space and Place 26(2): 1–11.
2019 Informal Practices and the Street-level Construction of Migrant Deportability: Chechen Refugees and Local Authorities in Polish Accommodation Centres for Asylum Seekers. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 45(7): 1168–1184.
Complete Bibliography (PDF)
Ongoing Projects and Grants
2025–2028 Migration and Us: Mobilities, Refugees and Borders from the Perspective of the Human Sciences. Funded by the programme Jan Amos Komenský (OP JAK). A member of the working group Language, Race and Lived Experience of Migration.
2022–2025 The National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Diseases and Systemic Risks (SYRI). Programme EXCELES (LX22NPO5101), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Principal Investigator from IE CAS.
Past Projects and Grants
2022 International mobility of researchers, technical and administrative staff of the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (EUMOB). Stay at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna.
Board Memberships
2011–2012 MigrationOnline.cz, Multicultural Centre Prague, Member of Advisory Board
Consultancy and Expert Advice
2022 Main author, Migrace a občané ze „třetích zemí“ v ČR [Migration and citizens from “third countries” in the Czech Republic], Czech Academy of Sciences expert opinion (AVEX) 01 2022. (co-author Ostřanský, Bronislav – Koutková, Karla)
External Reviewing
Project Evaluation: French Research Center in Humanities and Social Sciences (CEFRES)
Book Proposal and Manuscript Evaluation: Anthem Press
Journal Articles Manuscript Review: Anthropologica Slovaca; Cargo: Journal for Cultural and Social Anthropology; Central and Eastern European Migration Review; Český lid / Czech Ethnological Journal; Gender a výzkum / Gender and Research; Ibero-Americana Pragensia; Romano Džaniben
Doctoral Thesis Examination: Faculty of Arts, Charles University; Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University
Teaching Experience
2011–2013 Visiting Lecturer, Institute of Social Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava
2009–2010 Assistant Lecturer, Department of Social Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of London.
Conference and Workshop Organisation
2023 September, 12. Living Through and Acknowledging Disruption: Envisioning Ethnography of Resilience in the Era of Multiple Crises. Colloquium, Prague. (co-organiser Brož, Luděk)
2018 January, 30. Consequences of Ethnography: Knowing Violence via the Self and Its Aftermath. Colloquium, Prague. (co-organiser Brož, Luděk)
