The Faculty of Arts of Charles University awarded Prof. Masako Ueda Fidler, a Slavist and Bohemist from the prestigious Brown University, with a gold medal „for her exceptional contribution to the development of Czech studies, the teaching of Czech in the USA, and in particular for her merits in developing comprehensive cooperation between our faculty (and, by extension, the entire university) and Brown University in the USA.“ The award was presented to her by CU FA Dean Eva Lehečková at a meeting of the Research Board of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University on February 19, 2026.
„If I could, I would cut this medal into pieces and give it away, because the partnership between the Faculty of Arts of Charles University and Brown University is not my work, but instead a collective effort. This award is a great honor not only for me personally, but for all my colleagues who have participated in and continue to develop the cooperation between the two institutions. Such long-term multidisciplinary cooperation would not be possible without mutual trust and understanding,“ said Masako Fidler.
Masako Fidler is one of the key figures in Czech studies worldwide. As a professor at the Department of Slavic Studies at Brown University (Rhode Island, USA), she has been teaching Czech language and linguistics since 1990. Thanks to her efforts, Czech studies remain a popular and sought-after field at this prestigious university. In addition to teaching, she actively establishes and develops cooperation with Czech scientific and cultural institutions, thereby helping to spread the good name of the Czech Republic abroad. Since spring 2026, she has been president of the International Association of Teachers of Czech.
Together with Václav Cvrček from the Institute of Linguistics at Charles University, she is developing the Needle-in-a-Haystack method, a globally relevant effort that advances the forms of corpus discourse analysis. Its profound research contribution, whether in discourse analyses focused on anti-system media or in the field of sound symbolism, combines an interest in topics that are normally difficult to grasp, often completely unprocessed, yet relevant both socially and for research.
“In her numerous roles, Professor Fidler has accomplished a great deal with truly remarkable results – as the long-time head of the Department of Slavic Languages, a linguist conducting research together with scholars from the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, and the academic coordinator of cooperation between Charles University and Brown University. She shows us how influential the role of a university professor can be, not only through her own excellent professional work, but also through her other academic activities, in which she ceaselessly and altruistically passes on knowledge and strengthens and advances research bonds,” said Dead Eva Lehečková.
The Faculty of Arts of Charles University Medal is awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of the faculty in the areas of science, education, or academic freedom.
Photos taken by Jiří Stibor
