Domestic project

The Birth of Bureaucrat. The Power, Culture and Identity of a Modern Bureaucrat of 18th Century

Provider: The Czech Science Foundation
| Project duration: 2016–2018
| Project ID: GA16-12844S

The project is dedicated to emergence of a social class of modern bureaucracy in the 18th century in the Czech lands and its embedding in the contemporary European context. In the 18th century, the traditional officer transformed into a modern bureaucrat. He reached his status at the time of enlightenment when enforcing enlightening reforms as a tool of disciplination and order in the society. The European historiography pays great attention to this phenomenon, but in this country, it is a completely unexplored issue, however significant it is as regards the history and its impact on the present days. The project fills this gap in understanding our society, opening a scholarly discussion over the given topic as well as the actual definition and semantic level of this term. The research involves formation of identity of the bureaucracy as a new socio-professional group, comparison of bureaucrats in the state, municipal and manorial administration, education and careers of the bureaucrats and their involvement in the cultural life, the norms and practice in the administration.

Investigator

Martina Ondo Grečenková
PhDr., Ph.D.

Beneficiary

Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences