Interview with doctoral researcher Klára Šárovcová

As announced in our newsletter, we are starting a series of a short interviews with our fellow doctoral researchers.

As the first you can read interview with Klára Šárovcová, a doctoral researcher at the Institute of World History FF UK  and a member of the ČAD Board.

Why did you go for a PhD and what area do you specialise in?

I focus on the development of the position of the Pope during the Great Western Schism, a time that provided many impulses on this issue. In particular, I am studying in detail the texts of the masters of the University of Paris, who were intensively involved in the problem of the schism and therefore the position of the Pope. It is an interdisciplinary topic at the intersection of history, theology and law. I am doing my PhD mainly because I wanted to broaden my horizons and understand more deeply the topic that I have been working on since my bachelor's degree.

What problems and challenges does doctoral study bring, what motivates you in your work?

A big motivation for me is the trips abroad, which both push me significantly in my work and allow me to explore different and often enriching ways of research and make scientific contacts. One of the problems I see is a certain solitude that comes with studying. Teaching at the faculty is a great challenge for me; I see participating in shaping students' perspectives on history as a responsibility and as one of the few opportunities where my research is truly meaningful.

Why did you decide to participate in ČAD?

The initial impulse for me was the dismal situation of PhD students at our faculty; it seemed to me that something had to be done about it. I would also like to contribute to giving PhD students the opportunity to connect and get to know each other more, because sharing each other's joys and concerns is very important.