It seems that in contrast to the contemporary history of former Czechoslovakia, the research on the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries has remained static in the last couple of years. How can the recent historiography on the Bohemian lands be encouraged? Which approaches and research fields emphasizing the mutual relationships between local, national and transnational actors promise new perspectives and interpretations of multiethnic society? The workshop aims at critical discussions of the state of research and of ongoing research projects related to the Bohemian lands and the First Czechoslovak Republic, focusing on comparative or transnational questions in the given period.

Call for Papers

Masaryk-Institute and Archives of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Department of German and Austrian Studies at the Charles University in Prague 

During the past two decades the historical research on the Bohemian lands in the late 19^th and the early 20^th centuries has been flourishing. A number of important studies on multiethnicity, nationalism and national indifference by vernacular and non-vernacular scholars were published and contributed to a more differentiated picture of Bohemian society in transition between imperial order and nation-state. Nevertheless, it seems that in contrast to the contemporary history of former Czechoslovakia, the research on the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries has remained static in the last couple of years. How can the recent historiography on the Bohemian lands be encouraged? Which approaches and research fields emphasizing the mutual relationships between local, national and transnational actors promise new perspectives and interpretations of multiethnic society?

The workshop aims at critical discussions of the state of research and of ongoing research projects related to the Bohemian lands and the First Czechoslovak Republic, focusing on comparative or transnational questions in the given period.

Themes

Anticipated themes of the workshop may include:

- Violence and crime

- Migration, urbanization and rural societies

- Science and society

- Poverty and social inequality

- New Political History and History of international relations

- Rituals and festivities

- Gender history

- Microhistory and Histories of Everyday Life, History of Mentalities

- Popular culture

How to apply

The workshop (May 30, 2014) is intended for the international scholarly community, including historians as well as scholars from other disciplines. We also encourage PhD students to apply.

Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words and a short biographical note to koeltzsch@mua.cas.cz 

by October 30, 2013.

We will inform you by the end of November 2013.

The workshop will be held in English, Czech and German.

The organizers will cover the costs for accommodation for two nights.

Please indicate if you need help with travel funding.

The papers will be circulated before the workshop for preparing the discussion. A publication of selected papers is planned.

Organisers

Dr. Ines Koeltzsch, Ota Konrád, PhD., Dr. Rudolf Kučera