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Cultural memory and urban space of Vršovice
Sekyra, Daniel ; Řehořová, Irena (advisor) ; Češka, Jakub (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with cultural memory and urban space in the Vršovice district of Prague. The work is devoted to Vršovice as a whole, it presents Old and New Vršovice, including individual selected places. Vršovice developed mainly in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, when new housing estates were created in Prague and urban space planning was in full swing after the war years. The work deals with the topic of memory and how this phenomenon manifests itself in culture and history. It follows several important places and buildings that have played a significant role in cultural memory and in building the identity of the inhabitants, and how these places have been affected by time and changes in society. It also tracks how big the changes were and how these places changed physically. It is mainly concentrated in the area of New Vršovice. The main reason is the greater dynamics of changes in this area. Another reason is the fact that the area of Old Vršovice has already been the subject of many studies and book titles. In this direction, New Vršovice is still a bit behind, and I would like to contribute to the study of New Vršovice. Urban space is, together with cultural memory, the main topic of this work. Cultural memory is a relatively new scientific method to help us understand these...
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The Image of Jan Hus in the Early Modern Czech Literature
Hejdová, Tereza ; Andrlová Fidlerová, Alena (advisor) ; Škarpová, Marie (referee)
The work The Image of Jan Hus in the Early Modern Czech Literature tries to map different ways of description of this Czech preacher in selected literary texts from 15th to 18th century, to capture the changes which his image underwent. The chosen authors come from different countries and use different languages, represent different environments, social classes and opinion groups, they also have different education and religion. Individual literary works were assessedby means of comparing the key episodes that are either repeated in the texts, or the author intentionally did not use them. To understand the image of Jan Hus as a whole, also contemporary iconography was taken into account , which in some cases has been taken from other literary texts than those which were compared, so that the image of Hus whereas complete as possible. The comparison of the texts and iconography showed, how accurate the observation of the described scheme was and how the image of Jan Hus was gradually changing. The combination of written and iconographic material from specific time intervals allowed us to observe the gradual change of conceptions of the personality of Jan Hus and events connected with him, because the authors represent the opinion of their ethnic group and time. The image of Jan Hus is therefore very...
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Bohdan Khmelnytsky in the historical consciousness of Ukrainians
Chaban, Polina ; Mlejnek, Josef (advisor) ; Romancov, Michael (referee)
This diploma thesis focuses on the analysis of the perception of the figure of Bohdan Chmelnyckyj in selected works of art. The research focuses on Russian (Soviet), Polish and Ukrainian works of art. We will discuss such Russian (Soviet) cultural monuments as the Bohdan Chmelnyckyj Monument and the Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kyiv, the film "Bohdan Chmelnyckyj", the Polish film "With Fire and Sword", the Ukrainian film "Bohdan - Zynovij Chmelnyckyj", Lina Kostenko's verse novel "Berestechko" and the series of documentary films "Secrets of Great Ukrainians". The analysis of various works of art will help to define the Russian, Soviet, Polish and Ukrainian view of Bohdan Chmelnyckyj and his activities and to identify similarities and differences in the interpretation of the figure of Bohdan Chmelnyckyj. Attention will also be paid to how works of art influence Ukrainian historical consciousness. The theoretical basis will be the concept of historical memory. In addition, Benedict Anderson's theory of the "Imagined Community" will be analysed. Keywords Bohdan Chmelnyckyj, historical memory, Ukrainian historical consciousness
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The Role of Women in the Velvet Revolution
Gese, Taylor ; Szobi, Pavel (advisor) ; Vykoukal, Jiří (referee) ; Matějka, Ondřej (referee)
The Role of Women in Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution Abstract This thesis investigates the role played by women in Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution of 1989. Overall, it finds that despite the marginal role attributed to women in the dominant narrative of the event, women in fact played a key role in every activity of the Velvet Revolution and therefore were a key factor in its success. Drawing on case studies from elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, it hypothesises about the sources of women's erasure from the historical record and subsequent national memory, arguing that the conservative gender order influenced the type of revolutionary work women did, the lack of visibility they were afforded, as well as their own devaluation of their contributions. Given the similarity in findings, it advocates for the development of an analytical concept to theorise the function of gender in social movements and their subsequent memorialisation. Finally, by documenting the activities done by women, it aims to reorient women as historical and political subjects in the Velvet Revolution, worthy of further historical inquiry. Keywords Velvet Revolution, women, gender, social movements, 1989, Czechoslovakia, historical memory, hegemonic narrative
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In the shadow of Swedish cannonballs over Prague in 1648 - the transformation of historical narrative across the centuries
Fišera, Tadeáš ; Doležalová, Eva (advisor) ; Čechura, Jaroslav (referee)
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) became a global conflict which subsequently involved nearly every country of Europe. The reason for the war was not only the complicated religious situation caused by the fragmentation of the Roman Church in which the Protestant- Union and Catholic League stood against each other, but also political and economic issues. Political reasons can be characterized by the expansion of the House of Hapsburgs into surrounding lands through which they attempted to gain political leadership and supremacy over Europe. The goal of the diploma thesis is not to reconstruct historical event of The Thirty Years' War, but to capture its historical narrative and its changes throughout the centuries. Starting point of the thesis is the year 1648 when the last fights of the war took place during Swedish occupation of Prague. For months, Prague became almost a defence fortress which withstood the Swedish protestant army. This event has been reflected in the picture of national history in two ways: one - the heroic withstanding of Prague citizens of the enemy army, second - the definitive defeat of the hopes of restitution of relations before The Battle of the White Mountain of the utraquistic and protestant fracture of Czech society.
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Putin's Historical Narrative: Problems of Russian Post-Soviet Identity and the Role of History during Putin's Presidency 2000-2008
Knappová, Barbora ; Svoboda, Karel (advisor) ; Kolenovská, Daniela (referee)
The thesis focuses on a historical narrative promoted by president Putin during his first two terms in office during the years 2000 - 2008. Furthermore it aims to analyse the consequences of Putin's uses of history on the domestic and the international level. First, theoretical aspects of political use of history are drafted since they are essential to understand the role history plays in a nation-building process. Consequently, tools used to promote a certain historical narrative are mentioned. The work describes main problems related to the formation of Russian post-Soviet identity and analyses causes of Yeltsin's failure in this task. Subsequently, Putin's political visions such as a need of strong Russia and restoration of great power status are presented. The work also identifies how Putin's political goals project into his view of history. The main characteristics of Putin's historical narrative are analysed on a basis of secondary literature and Putin's speeches. The thesis focuses separately on Putin's use of symbols of three Russian historical époques - the Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the Yeltsin era. Emphasis is put on Putin's attitude towards the Soviet past since his Second World War narrative and his view of Stalin represent a major source of controversies. The consequences of...
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Between history and present. Selected prose of Yury Buida
Zhabska, Kseniia ; Ulbrechtová, Helena (advisor) ; Chlaňová, Tereza (referee)
(anglicky) The goal of my diploma thesis is to analyze Yury Buida`s prose mainly focusing on his cycle Prussian Bride, in which I will be looking for the elements typical for magical realism literature. Another question I will be exploring in this work is going to be a reflection of a historical memory of Kaliningrad Oblast inhabitants. I will be working with the works about magical realism including the one about the magical realism in Yury Buida`s work specifically, as well as with a selection of materials about historical and traumatic collective memory. The contribution of this work will be in a form of Yury Buida`s work analysis (which has not been properly studied until now) and its` representation in a context of a modern European literature studies. Key words: cycle, magical realism, memory, trauma, Yury Buida, Russian Literature of the 20th century
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Where I Come From - Velké Březno and the surrounding area
Zatloukalová, Hana ; Dvořáková, Michaela (advisor) ; Županič, Jan (referee)
Where I Come From - Velké Březno and the surrounding area The aim of this work is to create an educational project for pupils of the fourth and fifth grades to help them understand the connections between countryside, natural resources, population density, economic use of resources and development of transportation networks in the 19th and 20th centuries. The scope of this thesis is determined by the area encompassed by the school district of Velké Březno, that is, the right bank of the Elbe from Ústi nad Labem to Těchlovice. The theoretical part describes the area for which the project has been proposed from the socio- geographic point of view, and includes methods and lesson formats. The practical part contains work material meant as didactic inspiration for teaching local history.
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The Dragon's Pearls: Decoding the Chinese Strategy for the Indian Ocean
Porter, Andrew ; Karásková, Ivana (advisor) ; Karmazin, Aleš (referee)
In the Indian Ocean Region, China's economic and strategic interests are converging as many of its investments lie along the vital ocean routes needed to literally and figuratively fuel its growing economy. The rollout of Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, against the backdrop of, and in line with this convergence, has raised concerns about the military-strategic utility of various infrastructure projects. The increased economic connectivity that drives the Belt and Road has inherent strategic consequences, but the degree to which geostrategic factors drive investments divides analysts. Some believe that certain ports have been purposefully selected as future bases for China's navy. To address the difficulty of comprehending China's foreign policy decisions, this thesis draws on a neoclassical realist interpretation of international relations, and uses geographical location, collective memory, strategic culture, and domestic politics to develop a better understanding of Chinese policymakers' perceptions of their international security environment. This study develops methodology to evaluate the strategic value of a site in context to different basing strategies. The work sheds light on how China views its future position in the world by deciphering intentions behind Chines investments in ports...
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Czech Society and Soviet Army 1968-1991. Some issues from the Soviet perspectives.
Zavorotchenko, Igor ; Mücke, Pavel (advisor) ; Wohlmuth, Petr (referee)
Abstract. This paper explores the memories of Soviet participants in the presence of Soviet troops in Czechoslovakia after 1968. Based on previously existing and new sources, information on the state of the media in the Central Group of Forces is summarized. At the same time, memories and assessments of events by their witnesses are given. Next, the historical myth about the presence of units of the National People's Army of the GDR on the territory of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and their actions against the local population was studied. An attempt is made to interpret this "false memory", widespread in the memoirs of Soviet narrators, to identify the causes of such a myth and its symbolic meaning for those who remember and listen. Also, it is discussed the problem of interpretation and evaluation of the events of 1968 in Czech and Russian collective memories, the attitude of both sides to the definition of the troop's invasion as an act of occupation. Revealed a diametrically opposite perception of this problem by both parties. This discussion naturally brings to the issue of the differences in Czech and Russian historical memories regarding the events of May 1945 and August 1968, the place of these events in symbolic memory and the reflection of these differences in relation of both sides to monumental...
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