INSTITUTE OF CZECH HISTORY
nám. Jana Palacha 2, 116 38 Prague 1
http://ucd.ff.cuni.cz
telephone: +420 221 619 204
e-mail: [email protected]
Major Research Areas
!e Institute of Czech History specializes in Czech history in the context of Europe and Central Europe,
from the dawn of Czech history up till now, analysing the different state systems to which the Czech
Lands have belonged in different points in history. Our academic staff carry out research on the political, social, economic and cultural development of the Czech Lands. !e Institute is composed of several
seminars: Medieval History, Early Modern History, Modern History and Contemporary History. A fifth
seminar, !eory and Methodology of History, is the only Czech academic institution conducting systematic research into the history of historiography and into the teaching of history. !e Institute’s prominent
areas of research interest include a unique research project into the history of all the countries – with
the exception of the Czech Kingdom (Kingdom of Bohemia) – that constituted what was known as the
Lands of the Bohemian Crown (Medieval History Seminar), research into everyday life, religious issues
and intellectual growth (Early Modern History Seminar), development of politics and roles of political
personalities in major social changes (Modern History Seminar) while the Contemporary History Seminar has recently shifted focus into researching the transformation of Czech society following the fall of
communism in 1989.
Profiling Projects
For a number of years, the Institute of Czech History has been responsible for history research at the
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Faculty of Arts by carrying out various research plans exploring the history of the Czech Lands in the
European context throughout history; its recent major project, entitled Czech Lands in the Middle of
Europe: Past and Present, was an interdisciplinary research plan on the changing status of the Czech
Lands in Europe’s history. !e staff of the Institute are involved in numerous other projects. For instance,
research into the constituting countries of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown is currently under way
under a Europe-wide project sponsored by the University of Groningen, Netherlands – Cuius Regio: An
Analysis of the Cohesive and Disruptive Forces Destining the Attachment and Commitment of (Groups
of) Persons to and the Cohesion Within Regions as a Historical Phenomenon. !e Czech sub-project
analyses the formation and cohesion of regions, demonstrating how the principles worked within the
constituting countries of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (Upper Lusatia, Silesia) and how these
countries – together with Luxembourg, the country of origin of one of the major Czech ruling dynasties – interacted with the Czech Kingdom. In partnership with the Institute of Contemporary History
of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Institute is involved in contemporary history research called Czechoslovakia’s Federal Assembly 1989–1992: the Emancipation of the Legislative Power,
analysing the history of Czechoslovakia’s parliament system during the country’s transition from communism towards democracy.
Major Publication Projects
!e Institute of Czech History has established a book series titled Czech History in cooperation with
the Faculty of Arts and the publishing house Nakladatelství Lidové noviny. !e mission of the series is
to ensure regular and long-term publication of monographs of the Institute’s academic staff, excellent
Ph.D. dissertation theses as well as outstanding M.A. theses. Similarly, the journal History – Questions –
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Issues aspires to be our flagship medium with an ambition to appeal to the Czech, and preferably international, community of history researchers. !e journal features articles by members of the Institute of
Czech History and experts from other institutions which are in close contact with the Institute.
National and International Partner Institutions
!e Institute has a regular partnership in organizing conferences with the Institute of History, Academy
of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Prominent international partners include Institut für Geschichte
Universität Wien, a regular scholarship destination of our undergraduates. Furthermore, the Institute
is proud to have a number of visiting teachers from foreign universities and institutions each year; for
instance, Collegium Carolinum based in Munich, Germany, with a research specialization in modern
Czech history.
Major Conferences and Events
!e Institute is a regular organizer or co-organizer of academic conventions. In January 2009, our staff
co-organized a prominent conference called Universities, Rulers and Churches: the Decree of Kutná Hora
(1409) in the Context of History From the Foundation of Charles University (1348) to the Religious
Peace of Augsburg (1555). In June 2009, the Institute co-organized a conference on the history of
intelligence and education called Catholic Enlightenment. From Baroque Piety to the Interiorization of
Faith. In November 2010, the Institute was one of the patrons of a convention called Turks, Swedes and
Czechs. !e Military Versus Towns and Villages in Early Modern Czech History.
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