Ema Simkova

Diverse Futures and Living Well in 21st-Century Slovakia

Name: Ema Simkova
Primary Supervisor: Prof. Peter North
Year: 1
Discipline: Human-Geography
Presentation type: 3-minute Presentation 
Project Title: Diverse Futures and Living Well in 21st-Century Slovakia

Abstract:

This research explores how alternative livelihoods and community-based economic practices are emerging - or persisting - in post-socialist Slovakia. Amid intersecting crises of climate, inequality, and disillusionment with dominant growth models, the project asks how people define and enact what it means to live well. Drawing on the Diverse Economies framework and post-growth thought, it investigates grassroots initiatives such as eco-villages, co-operatives, and ethical enterprises to examine how historical legacies, national identity, and regional narratives shape sustainability in everyday life. Through a context-sensitive, relational approach, the research aims to reframe how we understand ‘development’ in Central and Eastern Europe - not as catching up to Western norms, but as plural and situated futures in the making. Combining theoretical critique with grounded empirical inquiry, the project contributes to reimagining economic life beyond capitalism and offers insights for more just, localised, and ecologically attuned transitions.