Literature - Industry - Society between Colonialism and Globalisation: The Role of Literature and the Corporate Press in the Global Activities of the Bata Concern”

This interdisciplinary project, titled Lit-In-Soc: Literature Industry - Society between Colonialism and Globalisation: The Role of Literature and the Corporate Press in the Global Activities of the Baa Concern, examines the intersection of literature, industry, and society through the lens of Bata, the leading Czechoslovak company during its global expansion from the late 1920s to the 1960s.

Positioned within the broader framework of modernity studies, literary history, sociology of literature, and cultural studies, this research explores how Baa utilized literature and corporate media to promote its business model, influence cultural narratives, and construct the identity of the new industrial man.

The project aims to address three core research questions: the representation of global expansion in Batas literary conception, the functions of literature and media in foreign versus domestic contexts, and the engagement of the Bata exile community in the literary scene.Despite existing research on Batas economic, social, and architectural impact, there is a significant gap regarding its cultural and literary dimensions.

This research seeks to fill that gap by analysing Batas corporate publications, travelogues, and the literary activities of its exile community.

By situating Bata as a cultural and colonial agent, this project challenges the prevailing view of Czechoslovakia's relationship with colonialism and offers new insights into the role of modern corporations as cultural influencers in a globalizing world.