Celebrating Liberation: The Commemoration and Instrumentalisation of the End of the Second World War in Contemporary Czech and Slovak Politics

ISBN-13: 9783631845363 / Angielski / Miękka / 2021 / 144 str.

Vladimír Naxera;Petr Krčál

Opis

This book contributes to the discussion about the instrumental use of history. It analyses two examples of public festivities related to the events and legacy of the final stage of World War II. The first of these commemoration events is the Liberation Festival in Pilsen, a public event celebrating the liberation of Pilsen in 1945. The second event is the celebration of the Slovak National Uprising anniversary, held annually in Banska Bystrica. The analysis focuses on the manner in which public commemorations of historical events are used and instrumentalised by contemporary political elites. Prior to the political and social relevance of the analysed events, the narratives they produce are transcending into the cultural and commercial spheres.

Spis treści

Prologue - Preface - Introduction: The importance of researching public celebrations and commemorations of the past - Politics, history, memory, and commemoration -Liberation Festival in the most "American city" in Europe - Slovak National Uprising as a "national treasure" and its annual celebrations in Banská Bystrica - Conclusion -Epilogue - List of figures - Bibliography

O autorze

Vladimír Naxera and Petr Krc ál are political scientists at the University of West
Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic. Their research is focused on populism, the use of
history as a political tool, and performative aspects of politics.