Department for the Study of Religions
Faculty of Arts
Masaryk University in Brno
Czech Republic
Employment - Position
Doctoral student
Education and Academic Qualifications
2015: degree conferred: Mgr.; Field of Study: FF RL Study of Religions; Thesis: "There and Back Again? Analysis of the Causes of Growing Tendencies of Adherence to the Contemporary Paganism. A Case Study of the Situation in the Czech Republic"; Department for the Study of Religions
2012: degree conferred: Bc.; Field of Study: FF RL Study of Religions; Thesis: "Neo-druidism and the Problem of Continuity with the Tradition of the Celtic Religion"; Department for the Study of Religions
Teaching Activities
Spring 2019: FF:RLB303 Study Trip in Religion
Autumn 2018: FF:RLB405 Religion and Violence (guest lecture)
Spring 2018: FF:RLB303 Study Trip in Religion
Autumn 2017: FF:RLB405 Religion and Violence (guest lecture)
Autumn 2017: FF:RLB510 Neopaganism
Spring 2017: FF:RLB303 Study Trip in Religion
Autumn 2016: FF:RLB405 Religion and Violence (guest lecture)
Autumn 2016: FF:RLB510 Neopaganism
Spring 2016: FF:RLB303 Study Trip in Religion
Scientific and Research Activities
Participation in Conferences
2016: Annual EASR Conference "Relocating Religion" (Helsinki, June 28-July 1, 2016); presentation "Religious, Socio-cultural and Political Worldviews of Contemporary Czech Pagans"
2016: 12th ISORECEA Conference & ESA RN34 Mid-term Conference "Religion and Non-Religion in Contemporary Societies: Theoretical, Empirical and Methodological Challenges for Research in Central and Eastern Europe and Beyond" (Zadar, April 21-24, 2016); presentation "Virtual Faith? Religion in (and out of) Video Games"
2015: XXI. World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions (Erfurt, August 23-29, 2015); presentation "Contemporary Paganism and Politics: The Relation of Political and Religious Views among Czech Pagans"
2015: 1st International Conference on Invented Religions (Krakow, March 28, 2015); presentation "'Blessings of the Nine Divines upon You!' Religions Based on Video Games"
2014: Gender in Neopagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe (Krakow, March 7-9, 2014); presentation "From Pagan Studies to Scientific Study of Modern Paganisms" (together with Adam Anczyk)
2013: 12th Annual EASR Conference "Religion, Migration, Mutation" (Liverpool, September 3-6, 2013); presentation "(Re)Constructing the Ritual in Contemporary Paganism"
2013: Witchcraft, Magic and Popular Religion - XI Gustav Vasa seminar (Jyväskylä, June 11-12, 2013); presentation "(Re)Constructing the Ritual in Contemporary Paganism"
2012: Towards a Symmetrical Approach: The Study of Religions After Postmodern and Postcolonial Criticism (Brno, November 29 - August 1, 2012); presentation "Homecoming experience: Retroactive interpretation or valid analytical category?".
2012: 11th Annual EASR Conference "Ends and Beginnings" (Stockholm, August 23-26, 2012); presentation "Individual Beginnings of the Pagan Pathways".
Participation in projects
2016: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges of the Study of Religions (MUNI/A/0931/2015)
2014: Epistemological problems of research in the Study of Religions (MUNI/A/0780/2013)
2013: Interdisciplinary approaches in the Study of Religions (MUNI/A/0747/2012)
University Activities
2018 -: Member of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR)
2017 -: Member of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Arts
2016 -: Member of the Czech Association of Doctoral Students
2014 - 2014: Member of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Arts
2012 -: Member of the Czech Association for the Study of Religions
2011 -: Chief of the Religious Studies Thematic Evenings
2009 -: Chief of the Religious Studies Movie Club
Activities Outside University
2014: Popular-science lecture "Religion in Japan"; (part of the festival of Japanese culture and pop-culture "Natsucon")
2011: Popular-science lecture "Neo-druidism and the Problems of its Continuity with the Tradition"; (part of the "Mezi Světy" festival)
2011: Popular-science lecture "The Religion of the Celts"; (Religious studies thematic evening)
2010: Popular-science lecture "Shinto"; (part of the festival of Japanese culture "Advík")
2010: Popular-science lecture "Ainu"; (part of the festival of Japanese culture "Advík")
2010: Popular-science lecture "The Religion of the Celts"; (part of the Fantasy Festival "Pagancon" line)
2009: Popular-science lecture "Shinto"; (part of the festival of Japanese culture "Advík")
Awards Related to Science and Research
2011: Third prize in the Shinto Essay Competition for work called "Shrines and Trees in the Occident, Adaptation of Jinja Shinto to the Western Culture"
Major Publications
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Alternative Religiosities Before, Under and After the Communist Regime in Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic. In 17th Annual Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR): Religion – Continuations and Disruptions, 25.-29.6. 2019, Tartu, Estonsko. 2019. URLinfo
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Religious, Socio-cultural and Political Worldviews of Modern Pagans in the Czech Republic. In 35th Biennial ISSR Conference, Barcelona, 9-12 July 2019. 2019. URLinfo
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Kříž, půlměsíc, kolovrat a kalašnikov: O roli náboženství v ukrajinské válce. Deník Referendum, 2018. ISSN 2533-5987. URLinfo
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Western Esotericism and Modern Paganism in the Czech Republic. In Consciously Illicit : Transgression in Western Esotericism, 6.-7.6. 2018, Brno. 2018. info
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Sacred Nature, Sacred Earth and Sacred Soil. In 16th Annual Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR), 17-21.6. 2018, Bern. 2018. URLinfo
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Archaeological Sites as Space for the Ritual Practice of Contemporary Czech Pagans. In Leskovar, Jutta; Karl, Raimund. Archaeological Sites as Space for Modern Spiritual Practice. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018. s. 170-181. ISBN 978-1-5275-1610-6. info
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Modern Paganisms and the Public: Presentation and Representation of Contemporary Pagans. In Annual EASR Conference "Communicating Religion", Leuven, 18-21 September. 2017. info
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Religious, Socio-cultural and Political Worldviews of Contemporary Pagans in the Czech Republic. Pomegranate: The International Journal Of Pagan Studies. Equinox, 2017, roč. 19, č. 2, s. 233-250. ISSN 1528-0268. doi:10.1558/pome.33834. URLinfo
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Virtual Faith? Religion in (and out of) Video Games. In 12th ISORECEA Conference & ESA RN34 Mid-term Conference "Religion and Non-Religion in Contemporary Societies: Theoretical, Empirical and Methodological Challenges for Research in Central and Eastern Europe and Beyond" (Zadar, Croatia, April 21-24). 2016. info
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Religious, Socio-cultural and Political Worldviews of Contemporary Czech Pagans. In Annual EASR Conference "Relocating Religion" (Helsinki, June 28-July 1). 2016. info
ANCZYK, Adam a Matouš VENCÁLEK. Coming Home to Paganism: Theory of Religious Conversion or a Theological Principle? Studia Religiologica. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2013, roč. 46, č. 3, s. 161-171. ISSN 0137-2432. doi:10.4467/20844077SR.13.013.1601. info
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Shrines and Trees in the Occident: Adaptation of Jinja Shintô to the Western culture. In Shinto Kokusai Gakkai. Toward a deeper understanding of Shinto Culture; Essays on Shinto: Volume 6. Tokyo: Shinto Kokusai Gakkai, 2012. s. 120-131, 11 s. ISBN 978-4-9906460-2-8. info
VENCÁLEK, Matouš. Motivations for Taking the Pagan Paths : A Case Study among the Czech Pagans. In Anczyk, A.; Grzymała-Moszczyńska, H. Walking the Old Ways : Studies in Contemporary European Paganism. Katowice: Sacrum Publishing House, 2012. s. 119-130. ISBN 978-83-933048-2-0. URLinfo