Atlas of Diversity research project​

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Good policy requires good data. This is also true of the area of minority rights. Despite this, policy decisions about minorities are often designed without a proper understanding of the fundamental conditions of said minorities.

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In many cases, this is because of the difficulty of gathering and working with such data. In most countries, identity-related personal data are collected via the method of self-declaration. In the case of stigmatized, unrecognized or contentious minorities, this can lead to the non-reporting or underreporting of minority status, thus an underestimation (or distortion) of the population size and needs of a given minority.

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In 2004, the first Atlas of Roma Communities in Slovakia was published. Authored by a team led by later prime minister of Slovakia, Iveta Radičová, the Atlas worked around this issue by introducing a new research philosophy. The Atlas looked at the existence of minority communities (in this specific case, Roma communities), defining them territorially (as a concentration of similar people living next to each other) and visiting these localities personally to gather the necessary data. The Atlas did not make assumptions about the individual identity or heritage of the people living in these communities; it just reported the existence of such a community, its size and the living conditions therein.

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Our research team was been working with Atlas-style field research since 2016, first taking part in the creation of the third Atlas of Roma Communities (2019). After completing that Atlas, we have worked on systemizing the research methods that define such a research, expanding it to other types of minorities (cultural, religious, ethnic etc.) and other types of context. We have published research on various ethnic groups (Rusyns, Gorals, Vlach Roma, Hungarians), specializing in marginalized, underrepresented and unrecognized minorities. We have published several research reports and created another full book, the Atlas of Gorals in Slovakia (2025), the first of its kind.

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We are happy to bring this product to your research context as well.

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What can the Atlas accomplish?

• Collect unique and representative data on the population size, distribution, living conditions, institutions, cultural patterns and language use of minority groups, including marginalized, underrepresented and unrecognized minorities.

• Create a database that can serve as the basis of policy interventions on the state, regional and local level.

• Create an analytical document that can help a wider audience understand the realities of the group in focus.

• Help underprivileged minorities get their own perspective out by focusing on their interpretation of reality as well.

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How can the Atlas accomplish this?

• The research method is based on the methodology of ascribed community identification, allowing us to traverse the specificities of ethnic data while ensuring maximal data protection standards.

• The research method combines preliminary analysis of existing data with local fieldwork using advanced, verified survey methods.

• Our experienced research team interfaces with local stakeholders to ensure the validity of the findings and the participation of relevant actors in their definition.

 

If you find the Atlas method interesting for your research or policy goals, please contact us at office@institutmatejabela.sk, and we are happy to discuss a possible cooperation employing this verified research method.

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