Prof. PhDr. Zuzana Beňušková, CSc. (née Zuzana Wagnerová, born 27 October 1960) is a Slovak

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

, cultural and

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

. She is a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of ethnology at University of Constantine the Philosopher in

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth l ...

. Her fields of research are

ethnic minorities The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

social relations A social relation or also described as a social interaction or social experience is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals ...

, customs,

cultural region In anthropology and geography, a cultural region, cultural sphere, cultural area or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associated ...

s of Slovakia and history of ethnology.

Early life

Zuzana Beňušková was born in Bratislava,

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. She is a child of a teacher and sociologist doc. PhDr. Vojtech Wagner, CSc. and PhDr. Irena Wagnerová, CSc., andragogist.

Academic career

Zuzana Beňušková graduated from

Comenius University in Bratislava Comenius University in Bratislava ( sk, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave) is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is name ...

. She started to work at the

Slovak Academy of Sciences The Slovak Academy of Sciences ( sk, Slovenská akadémia vied, or SAV) is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. It was founded in 1942, closed after World War II, and then reestab ...

, Institute of Ethnology, devoting to rituals,

religiosity In sociology, the concept of religiosity has proven difficult to define. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests: "Religiousness; religious feeling or belief. ..Affected or excessive religiousness". Different scholars have seen this concept as ...

and the town ethnology. Since 1996 she also teaches at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Constantine the Philosopher (UCP) in Nitra. In 2004 she became an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree A docto ...

and in 2013 a university professor. She was the Head of the Department of Ethnology and Ethnomusicology at the UCP University from 2005 until 2011.

Projects and publications

Zuzana Beňušková is an author of over 100 journals and publication projects. Beňušková, Z.
Religiozita a medzikonfesionálne vzťahy v lokálnom spoločenstve
/ Interreligious relations in a local communities – Bratislava : ÚEt SAV, 2004. – 198 s. Beňušková, Z.: Tekovské Lužany : kultúrna a sociálna diverzita vidieckeho spoločenstva. / Tekovské Lužany: Cultural and social diversity of the rural community. – Nitra : UKF, 2011. – 145 s. Beňušková, Z. a kol.: Liptovská Teplička od druhej polovice 20. storočia. Nitra : UKF, 2013. – 304 s. Beňušková, Z.: Prečo sú Vianoce tradičné aj nové? In: Popelková, K. a kol.: ''Čo je to sviatok v 21. storočí na Slovensku? '' Bratislava, Ústav etnológie SAV 2014, s. 110–163. Beňušková, Z.: Občianske obrady na Slovensku. Bratislava : VEDA, 2017. – 134 s. Beňušková, Z. a kol.: Tradičná kultúra regiónov Slovenska. – Bratislava : VEDA, 1998 a 2005. – 241 s. (The Traditional Culture of the Regions in Slovakia") (DAJAMA 2010 under the title The Folk Culture) Beňušková, Z. – Jágerová, M. – Nádaská, K.
Dejiny slovenskej etnológie v 20. storočí
. 1. vyd. – Nitra : UKF, 2013. – 88 s. eňušková Zuzana (50%) – Jágerová Margita (30%) – Nádaská Katarína (20%) Beňušková, Z.: Už sa chystá svadba istá. Svadobné obyčaje slovom a obrazom. – Bratislava: VEDA, 2020. 127 s. Beňušková, Z.: Civil ceremonies in socialist Czechoslovakia and post-socialist Slovakia. Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Bratislava, Marenčin PT, 2021, 148 p. (e-Pub)

Other activities

She was from 1992 the editor of the journal Etnologické rozpravy (The Discussions on Ethnology) in 2002 –2003; she was the chairperson of the Slovak Society of Ethnology (Národopisná spoločnosť Slovenska) in 2002–2008. She is a member of the Organising Committee of Etnofilm Čadca film festival.

Personal life

Zuzana Beňušková has a son Matej.

References

6
Slovenskí vedci
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benuskova, Zuzana Cultural anthropologists 1960 births Slovak scientists Slovak ethnologists Slovak people of German descent Living people Comenius University alumni Writers from Bratislava Academic staff of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra