|
|
'The Holocaust Law' and the defence of Polish history under the PiS government
Marková, Lucie ; Šmidrkal, Václav (advisor) ; Kochnowski, Roman (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to describe two central narratives of the Holocaust in the collective memory of Poland on the example of the clash of these narratives in one of the biggest debates in Polish history, triggered by the publication of Jan Tomasz Gross's book Neighbours in 2000. The first attempt to focus legislatively on those who do not follow the official narrative of the past of the Holocaust, was the creation of "Lex Gross" in 2006 during the first period of the reign of the right-wing conservative political party PiS. In 2018, the proposed legislation was elaborated into an Amendment to the Act on the IPN, known as "Holocaust Law" which had provoked a great controversy. The aim of this one-case study of the amendment is to present the motives for the amendment and explain the controversy it provoked within the framework of politics of memory of PiS. The amendment is interpreted in the context of different narratives of Holocaust, so-called memory wars - that means in the collective memories of the national states on the one hand, and of transnational acteurs on the other. Thus, memory may become the subject of populism, which heralds the disintegration of the neoliberal consensus.
|
|
|
The Comparison of Polish and Ukrainian Institutes of National Remembrance and their Interpretations of the Massacre of Poles in Volhynia
Lavrentev, Aleksei ; Vykoukal, Jiří (advisor) ; Zilynskyj, Bohdan (referee)
The thesis compares Polish and Ukrainian Institutes of National Remembrance, analyses Polish and Ukrainian dominant models of the collective memory and historical narratives of the massacre of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia 1943. The analysis also clarifies and compares interpretations of this phenomenon by Polish and Ukrainian Institutes. The subjects of the research are Polish and Ukrainian Institutions of National Remembrance themselves, as the main promoting tools of politics of memory in their states. The thesis covers a period from the revolutionary changes in Ukraine in 2014 (have changed Ukrainian historical narratives and politics of memory) to present days. Political situations in Ukraine (2014) and Poland (2015) are reflected in this thesis, as they are in the direct relation with changings in politics of memory, which have restored the conflict of memory. The first signs of the memory conflict (Yushchenko presidency and the first Law and Justice cabinet) are explained briefly, as thesis is focused on a current situation. The massacre of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, which is the most tragic point of modern Polish-Ukrainian relations, is described as a sticking point between Poland and Ukraine. The analysis argues in detail that Polish and Ukrainian Institutes are...
|
|
|
Valley of the Fallen: Contested site in the Spanish politics of memory
Kolínová, Kristýna ; Tomalová, Eliška (advisor) ; Menclová, Barbora (referee)
A monument known as the Valley of the Fallen is located about fifty kilometers from Madrid. The complex was built by General Franco as a memorial to the victims of the Civil War. After his death, Franco himself was buried here in the basilica caved into the rock. The remains of the dictator situated at such a monumental site together with thousands of victims of the Civil War are, according to many, an unresolved issue for democratic Spain. As many meanings are assigned to the site, the debate about the Valley of the Fallen includes other topics as well. The thesis presents and analyzes the politics of memory and debate on the contested site of memory Valley of the Fallen from the beginning of the Zapatero government in 2004 until the end of the Rajoy government in May 2018. Based on the typology of mnemonic actors of M. Bernhard and J. Kubik, the thesis identifies and classifies national institutional actors participating in this debate. Transnational actors, as well as attitudes of the Spanish civil society, are also mentioned. Therefore, the thesis connects three areas of the collective memory studies: sites of memory, politics of memory and mnemonic actors.
|
|
|
A Historical Reflection on Holocaust in the North American Society
Krausová, Adéla ; Šafařík, Petr (advisor) ; Calda, Miloš (referee)
This bachelor's thesis deals with an evolution of historical reflection on the Holocaust in the north american society. It analyses perception of the Holocaust by American society. There is a premise that Americans connect with Holocaust mainly on an emotional level - often without having deeper factual knowledge of it. Lessons of the Holocaust help them understand contemporary issues and they often use it to interpret historical traumas of their nation. It was concluded that even though Holocaust is often distorted in the mass media, its representation through mass media has positive aspects. The main one is that the most important message about importance of commemoration is transmitted.
|
|
|
Politics of History during the Law and Justice era in Poland 2005 - 2007
Netolická, Zuzana ; Vykoukal, Jiří (advisor) ; Kubát, Michal (referee)
Politics of History in Poland have become the central theme of the Government of Law and Justice in the 2005 - 2007 period. The thesis deals with the definition of the term Politics of History and the term as understood by Law and Justice. The new direction of Politics of History prompted a lively debate in Poland between both Polish historians and the general public. The paper describes how the government conducted this policy and the tools utilized. One of their main motives was the delimitation of political developments in the country after 1989 and the lack of dealing with the communist past. For this reason, one of the subchapters of the work is devoted to significant historical discussions between 1989 and 2005. The central figures of the new direction of historical politics in Poland were brothers Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński, who had the greatest influence on the promotion of this policy in public discourse. In conclusion, the results of the two-year enforcement of historical politics.
|
|
|
State in the process of coming to terms with the communist past - comparison of the Czech and Slovak Republics' approach to the creation of a legislative and institutional basis
Bernášková Chňupová, Soňa ; Kocian, Jiří (advisor) ; Šafařík, Petr (referee)
The Bachelor thesis is concerned with the issue of coming to terms with the communist past in Czechoslovakia after 1989, subsequently in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, focusing on the politics of history and the politics of memory. In the introduction to the problem, the thesis defines the key terms and concerns both different attitudes to dealing with a previous non-democratic regime in the countries of former Soviet bloc, and main factors influencing the different types of approaches to transitional justice. Being focused on a set of policy measures adopted by authorities, the thesis also examines how the rhetorical dimension, judicial dimension and the issue of lustration have been handled in post- communist Czechoslovakia and its successor states. The last chapter draws a comparison between the Czech and Slovak politics of memory, while focusing on the foundation of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and the Nation's Memory Institute.
|
|
|
"The Homeland War": Official Croatian Narrative and the Politics of Memory
Kalánek, Filip ; Šístek, František (advisor) ; Tejchman, Miroslav (referee)
This thesis analyses the official narrative of the Homeland war which is supported by the Croatian state. The thesis follows its development from the very beginning when the war broke out until nowadays. At the same time the thesis deals with the state promotion of this official narrative in the four areas of the politics of memory. Concretely, these areas are: legislation, state institution Croatian memorial and documentation Centre of the Homeland war, education, state holidays and commemorations. Within the thesis, a special focus is put on the activities of the aforementioned Centre of the Homeland war which represents one of the tokens of the state promoted politics of memory as well as one of the main proponents of the official narrative. For research of the official narrative and politics of memory the thesis draws on the theoretical concepts of narrativization and institutional memory. This thesis is a one case study chronologically dealing with the period from the parliamentary elections in 1990 to nowadays events. On the basis of the analysis of the official narrative the main conclusion is that its interpretation of war event from the 90's has not almost changed and still the narrative presents exclusively Croatian narrative. The research of state influence over the perception of the...
|
|
|
Historical Narrative and Identity Building: Museums in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Knappová, Barbora ; Králová, Kateřina (advisor) ; Šístek, František (referee)
The thesis analyses historical narratives presented in exhibitions of the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo and the Museum of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka. It also clarifies who promotes that particular representation of history and which factors influence the decisions museums make. The thesis builds on theoretical literature related to a role of museums in a process of memory institutionalization and identity building as well as to their potential to bring reconciliation in post-conflict society. The subjects of the research are the main museums dealing with the recent history in the two Bosnian autonomous entities, with the History Museum being in predominantly Bosniak while the Museum of Republika Srpska in predominantly Serb environment. The thesis explores the development of the museums, their organization, financing, self-presentation and most importantly the narratives of their permanent and temporary exhibitions. These are analysed especially from the perspective of definition of own group versus the others. The analysis covers museums' activities in the period from 1995 to present days. The thesis argues in detail that historical narrative promoted by the History Museum in Sarajevo reproduces the Bosniak narrative despite its efforts to play a role of state-level...
|
|
|
Memory as a political phenomenon. Reflections on the public debate about The Act on the Lawlessness of the Communist Regime
Rybář, Pavel ; Znoj, Milan (advisor) ; Slačálek, Ondřej (referee)
This thesis aims to set a basic framework for "memories of communism" which come along with attempts on political construction of the past during post-1989 regime. Based on the example of public debate about "The Act on the Lawlessness of the Communist Regime and on Resistance Against It", we will attempt to reveal main resources of anti-communist rhetoric and symbols, and to clarify the role they played in forging political identities in the first half of the 1990s. While the introductory chapter explores concepts which allow us to conceptualize memory in the analysis of the political, other chapters are devoted to various interpretations of the past in the context of discussions of de- communization measures that belong to the category of "coming to terms with the past" (Lustration Act, The Act on the Lawlessness of the Communist Regime). Does Czech anti-communism result from those measures adopted between 1991 and 1993, or does their adoption seek to reduce the plurality of politics of memory? Are attempts to label the previous regime as criminal the exclusive form of anti-communism, or does anti-communism amount to a combination of moral, legal and political arguments that seek to criminalize the previous social and legal order? By analysing different types of utterances we will attempt to...
|
|
|
Liberated Political Prisoners Association 1945-1948
Částová, Barbora ; Vojtěchovský, Ondřej (advisor) ; Šustrová, Radka (referee)
This bachelor thesis "Liberated Political Prisoners Association 1945-1948" aims to present and survey this postwar resistance organization, since its inception in spring 1945 until the merger with other organizations of resistance in Czechoslovak republic. Into this organization immediately after the war joined all prisoners, who were arrested by the Nazis or were thrown into concentration camps for their political resistance movement during World War II and a bereaved after them. Number of members in the largest expansion of the organization was around 80 000th. The thesis describes the origin and development of the organization and its structure. It also focuses on its activities and cooperation with other domestic and foreign organizations of resistance.
|
guest ::
