Religious studies scholar with a focus on comparative religious studies, psychology of religion and the theory of myth. His area of specialization is the historical religions of pre-Christian Europe, especially the religions of Scandinavia. As a Marie Curie Fellow, he spent two years (2018-2020) in Bergen, Norway, researching the surreality of myth and the workings of bodily symbolism in mythological narratives.
He also deals with the topic of heroic myth both in historical religions and in contemporary culture. He is a psychotherapist in training.
For conspiracy theories, his main focus is on their similarities to classical mythology, and especially on the role of metaphor and surreal imagery in conspiracy narratives. He understands conspiracy theories as quasi-mythology, which fulfils several functions at once: firstly, it provides a basic orientation in reality; secondly, it allows social criticism to be expressed in striking images; thirdly, it condenses the complexity of modern society into a surreal shorthand; and fourthly, the impressiveness of quasi-mythological images provides a space for their transformation into social action (the consequences of which are often problematic).
CV / osobní stránky: https://ufar.ff.cuni.cz/en/department-2/staff/jan-kozak/