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János Dávid obtained his professional qualification at the University of Eger, and soon found himself in the middle of the sociological profession. He started working at the side of Iván Szelényi at the Institute of Social Sciences, where he was assigned with the task of recording the customs and life style of people living near the Visonta Power Station, before the starting of mining activities there. At this time, he acquired the knowhow of preparing interviews that can be used in the long run. The Visonta research project was followed by several others in the same vein up until the regime change, including Roma surveys, inquiries into the customs of workers, or the study of housing facilities in Budapest through the eyes of the people living in them.
In 1988 Dávid and his colleagues undertook a very different kind of research project: they recorded video interviews as part of what was to become a study on workers’ life style, eventually producing a series of investigative documentaries. Based on the recollections of the inhabitants of Salgótarján, he prepared a research study to commemorate the victims of the fusillade of 8 December 1956.
For many years, until 2006, Dávid was engaged in studies related to economic and employment development, returning afterwards to sociological research again. He conducted interviews with the head and staff of various educational institutions on professional training and workforce structure. He says he keeps tons of typewritten interviews at home.
(written by András Páldi university student)
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