Czech and Slovak Studies Events
Czechoslovakia100, BASEES Czech and Slovak Study Day 2018
Friday 11th May 2018, University of Cardiff
On 11th May 2018, the BASEES Forum for Czech and Slovak Studies marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak state with Czechoslovakia100, hosted by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Cardiff University. The day brought together Czech and Slovak specialists (including language experts and postgraduate students) from around the UK, together with Czech and Slovak diplomats, policymakers and stakeholders. It included discussions about the Czechoslovak state’s origins, significance and legacies. Opening remarks were made by Rt Hon the Baroness Morgan of Ely, Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, Welsh Government.
The Forum would like to thank BASEES, the Embassy of the Czech Republic and, the Embassy of the Slovak Republic, and Cardiff University’s Special Collections and Archives for their generous support and cooperation in making this event possible.
BASEES Czech and Slovak Study Day 2017
Friday 19th May 2017, University of Sheffield
The second BASEES Forum for Czech and Slovak Studies in the UK Study Day was hosted on 19th May 2017 by the School of Languages and Cultures, University of Sheffield. The day centred on the sharing of current research ideas and projects and best pedagogical practice. It also hosted the launch of a new anthology of Slovak literature, with leading contemporary Slovak writers and their translators. Like the first study day, it was attended by most emerging and established UK-based researchers and teachers working in Czech- and/or Slovak-related areas
The Forum would like to thank BASEES, the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Centre for Information on Literature for their generous support and cooperation in making this event possible.
BASEES Czech and Slovak Study Day 2016
Friday 13th May 2016, University of Bristol
The first BASEES Forum for Czech and Slovak Studies in the UK Study Day was hosted on 13th May 2016 by the School of Modern Languages, University of Bristol. The day, attended by most emerging and established UK-based researchers and teachers working in Czech- and/or Slovak-related areas, included a showcase of work in progress from four UK-based doctoral students, opportunities to share teaching and research practice, and a talk from the leading contemporary Czech novelist, Tomáš Změškal, about his work and contemporary Czech literature. Změškal also read from his first novel, Love Letter in Cuneiform, which was published in Alex Zucker’s translation for Yale University Press in May 2016.
The Forum would like to thank BASEES, the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Czech Centre London for their generous support and cooperation in making this event possible.
The Masaryk Lecture 2016
Thursday 3rd March 2016, Embassy of the Slovak Republic
The Forum's annual Masaryk Lecture was delivered by Professor Gabriela Dudeková from the Institute of Historical Studies at the Slovak Academy of Sciences at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London on 3rd March 2016. In her fascinating and warmly received lecture ('Playing War': Children and Propaganda in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914–1918), she introduced the audience to a range of materials reflecting how Austria-Hungary sought to influence children's attitudes to war during the First World War. These included, for example, not only posters and pamphlets, but also children's drawings and a psychological survey detailing children's views. At first, these materials prompted some audience amusement, but quickly the full horror of what we were being shown took hold.
The Forum would like to thank Professor Dudeková for her excellent presentation, and the Embassy of the Slovak Republicfor making the lecture possible and hosting us so generously.