Mateja Sedmak, born 10 April 1971 in Koper, finished her secondary education at the School for Nature Science and Mathematics in Koper, and in 1990 she started her studies at the Faculty of Social Studies, Department for Sociology, where she graduated with honours in 1995 in the field of sociology – social policy. A year later she entered the international postgraduate study – European Social Policy Analysis. After one-year master’s study at St Patrick’s College Maynooth, the Republic of Ireland, and at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana, she presented her master’s thesis in 1997, titled “The Abortion Policy Historical Background – A Comparative Analysis between Slovenia and the Republic of Ireland”, mentored by dr. Tanja Rener and became a master in arts in sociology – social policy. In December 1997, she was employed at the Science and Research Centre in Koper as an assistant in sociology; at the same time she worked as a teacher at the Gymnasium in Koper. In November 1998, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia granted her the young researcher status, which enabled her further postgraduate training. In June 2001, she presented her doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana in the field of sociology of family titled “Ethnically Mixed Marriages as a Form of Interpersonal Cultural Contact”, mentored by dr. Tanja Rener thus she received the title PhD in Social Sciences. She received an award of Prof. Peter Klinar Foundation for her doctoral dissertation. The award is granted by the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University in Ljubljana; for her doctoral dissertation she also received the award of the Science and Research Centre of the Republic of Slovenia, Koper for the best research work in year 2001.

PEDAGOGIC ACTIVITY:

Since 2003 she is working at the Faculty for Humanities in Koper (she is the member of the Department for Cultural Studies), where she lectures the following courses: Sociology of Everyday Life, Interculturality and Social Theory, Introduction to Social Theory. At the postgraduate master’s level at the Faculty of Tourism Studies in Portorož (TURISTICA), she teaches the following courses: Sociology of Mobile Cultures and Tourism and Social Deviation. Within the Kinesiology programme (FAMNIT), she teaches the course Motor Activity and Social Environment.

She cooperated in the formation of 3 study programmes at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Primorska, namely:

1. The application for the accreditation of Ist level study programme: Cultural studies and Anthropology, 2005.
2. The application for the accreditation of IInd level study programme: Cultural studies and Anthropology, 2006.
3. The application for acquiring the consensus for Ist level study programme Social Policies, 2009.

She mentored many doctoral students within the scope of young researcher status: Boštjan Bugarič, PhD, (got his PhD degree in 2006), Eva Podovšovnik, PhD, (got her PhD degree in 2007), Ana Kralj, PhD, (got her PhD in 2007), Barbara Gornik, PhD, (2009-) and Maja Zadel, PhD, (2011-).
 

INVOLVEMENT IN RESEARCH PROGRAMMESAND PROJECTS:

International project manager:

- Children’s Voices: Exploring Interethnic Violence and Children’s Rights in the School Environment (European Commission - FRC Programme, Jan 2011-Dec 2012).
- Study on Indirect Measurement Methods for Undeclared Work in the EU (Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, Italy, 2009).
- Ethnic Minority and Roma Women: a Case for Gender Equality? (Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, Italy, 2008).
- Study on Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Areas (Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, 2006-2008).
Job Instability and Changes in Family and Household Trends (European Commission; 2005-2006).

National project manager (the selection of five projects):

- Minorities and Border Social Realities as Factors in Integration Processes (the study of the Slovenian-Italian cultural contact area) (L5-7003, 2005-2008).
- Analysis of Family Violence in Slovenia – Suggestions for Preventive and Other Measures (V5-0954; 2004 -2006).
- Women in Slovenian Armed Forces - the Development of Strategies for an Enhanced Integration and Better Working Conditions (M5-0040, 2004 – 2006).
- Identity and Structure of Slovenian Istria (l5-3433, 2001-2004).
- National and Cultural Identity in the Area of Slovene-Italian Cultural Contact in European Integration Processes (V5-0536, 2001 – 2003).

A member of the following national scientific programmes:

- Interdisciplinary Aspects of Mediterranean Slovenia and European Contact Areas (dr. Milan Bufon, 1999-2003).
- Areas of Cultural Contact in Integration Processes (dr. Milan Bufon, 2004-2008).
- Areas of Cultural Contact in Integration Processes (P6-0279) (dr. Milan Bufon, 2000-2011).

Cooperation in the economic sector:

Dr. Mateja Sedmak managed more than 40 projects that were implemented within the Public Opinion Research Centre, financed by various economic entities, newspaper publishing houses, local communities etc. References: http://www.zrs.upr.si/en/Infrastructural+Units/The+Public+Opinion+Centre/References

Work in the international area:

- She was granted her master’s degree (1998) after studying in a common master’s programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana and Maynooth College; Republic of Ireland.
- In 2001, she received a three-month Alpe-Adria scholarship awarded by the University in Trieste.
- In 2004, she received a one-year research scholarship - Consorzia per lo sviluppo internazionale dell'University degli studi di Trieste.
- She managed (two times) a bilateral cooperation with Serbia (Department for Ethnology and Anthropology at the Faculty of Arts, University in Belgrade) (2006-2007) and 2008-2009; financed by ARRS).
- She managed a multilateral cooperation within the ASO (2010-2011) (financed by: Austrian Science and Research Foundation; participating countries: Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania).
- She held 6 lectures at foreign universities: Bielsko-Biała University (2004), University of Sarajevo (2004), London South Bank University (2009), University of Belgrade (2009, 2010), University of Split (2011).

- 2 independent chapters were issued by foreign internationally renowned publishing houses, namely Displacement of Citizenship: the Multicultural Reality of Slovenian Istria (in: Citizenship and the legitimacy of governance: anthropology in the Mediterranean Region, 2011) by the Ashgate Publishing House and When Ethnicity Became an Important Family Issue: the case of Slovenian Istria (in: International Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Mixedness and Mixing, in printing process, issued in 2012) by the Routledge Publishing House.

- She co-authored a scientific monographic work, issued by a foreign publishing house: Le radici e le ali : la vita famigliare in Slovenia (Cassino: Qualecultura).

- She also published three headwords in the international encyclopaedia The Ethnopolitical Encyclopaedia of Europe (Basingstoke, New York: Palgrave Macmillan).

Host lectures:

Faculty of Arts, University of Split (2011),
Faculty of Arts, University of Belgrade (2010),
London South Bank University (2009),
Faculty for Social Studies, University of Ljubljana (2006),
Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana (2006),
Academy for Technical Studies and Humanities, Bielsko-Biali University (2006),
Public lectures for teachers of kindergartens in Koper, namely within the programme organised by the Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (Informing children on the language of the environment in Slovenian Istria: Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (2005),
Academy for Technical Studies and Humanities, Bielsko-Biali University (2004),
Faculty of Arts, University of Sarajevo (2004).

FUNCTIONS:

2000- : Head of Public Opinion Research Centre at UP ZRS.
2001- : Editor of humanist-social edition of Annales scientific journal (Analysis of Istrian and Mediterranean Studies - Series historia et sociologia).
2003-2007 : Deputy Dean for student affairs at the Faculty of Humanities.
2003-2007 : Member of the Senate of the University of Primorska.
2004-2007 : Member of the Senate of the Faculty of Humanities.
2004-2011 : Member of the Commission on the Advancement of Women in Science that operates within the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia.
2005-2007 : Deputy head of the Department for Cultural Studies.
2007- : Head of the Institute for Mediterranean Humanities and Social Studies at UP ZRS.
2007- : Member of the editorial board of Družboslovne razprave scientific journal.
2010- : Assistant director of UP ZRS for scientific and research work.
2010- : Member of the presidency of Slovenian Sociology Association.
2010- : Member of the editorial board of the international journal Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology (University of Belgrade).
2011 - : Member of the Senate of the University of Primorska.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

Professional work

- Since 2001 she has been the editor and since 2003 the member of the editorial board of Annales – the Analysis of Istrian and Mediterranean Studies scientific journal (Series historia et sociologia) (indexed in Thomson Reuters: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI, USA), Thomson Reuters: Current Contents / Arts & Humanities (USA), Sociological Abstracts (USA) etc.).
- She is the (co)author of 16 scientific publications.
- 1997-2003: She organised professional lectures within the Pinina Akademija project; she organised over 40 round tables.
- 1998-2004: she mentored the group for the promotion and development of youth research “With Youth in the New Millennium – Introducing Youth in Science and Technology” (UP ZRS).

Awards

- In 2001, she received the Prof Peter Klinar, PhD, Foundation award, granted by the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana, namely for her doctoral dissertation titled Ethnically Mixed Marriages as a Form of Interpersonal Cultural Contact.
- In 2001, she received the award for excellent scientific and research work, granted by the Science and Research Centre of the Republic of Slovenia, Koper for the year 2001, namely for her doctoral dissertation titled Ethnically Mixed Marriages as a Form of Interpersonal Cultural Contact.
- In 2006, she received the Solemn Document (The Voice of Science) for the year 2005, granted by the University of Primorska to young promising higher education teachers, colleagues or scientific co-workers.

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