New Trends in Czech Studies II
Embassy of the Czech Republic in London, Friday 10 December 2004

I. Aim

The one-day conference to be held at the Czech Embassy in London with the support of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic on Friday 10th December 2004 will address the following
issues.

Since the late 1990s we have witnessed a gradual decline of interest in the study of East European
languages and literatures at undergraduate level but a growth of such students at graduate level.
Though in a slightly better position than, say, Hungarian or Bulgarian, the study of Czech and
Slovak language and literature seems to be no exception from this general trend affecting all modern
European languages. As a large proportion of current teachers of things Czech and Slovak is
approaching retirement, their posts are not guaranteed to be filled since students numbers are
becoming ever more important in the academic decision-making process.

One of the questions we have to ask is whether the study of East and Central European cultures and
societies, especially since many have now joined and others will join the EU, will have a situation
similar to that of the study of Denmark or Holland which is now concentrated in a tiny number of
institutions. While many possible answers to this question could be considered, the aim of our
meeting is to bring together British, Czech and other European scholars from various „regionally
neutral“ fields (philosophy, sociology, cultural theory, visual arts, music, etc.) whose research
and teaching responsibilities include Czech-related topics. The idea is to present highly
interdisciplinary and comparative approaches which, while not denying the importance of linguistic
competence, promote Czech and Slovak themes outside the institutional umbrella of language and
literature departments. At the same time, we would also like to address some of the problems
included in the most recent debates over the academic validity of modern languages or regional
studies departments on the one hand and cultural studies on the other. While the main focus of this
year´s conference is, indeed, the area of Czech studies, the traditional connection to the study of
Slovak-related topics cannot be excluded from our discussion.

One of our aims is to create a network and database of specialists in various fields who may have
individual contacts with colleagues in the Czech Republic or Slovakia but are not fully aware of
each other´s work.

 Co-ordinator: Dr Jiřina Šmejkalová, University of Lincoln
 Supported by: Czech Embassy, London

 II. Programme of the day


10.00
Welcome by H.E. Štefan Füle,  Ambassador of the Czech Republic

Opening by Prof. Robert Pynsent, UCL/SSEES, London

SESSION 1 – Czech themes in interdisciplinary settings

10.30
Prof. Ivan M. Havel, Center for Theoretical Studies, Prague:
"A Desert Country by the Sea" (Czech Science in the International Context)

11.00
Prof. Sylva Petrová, University of Sunderland:
“Glass as a Significant Element of Czech Integration to the other Cultural Contexts.”

Coffee Break

SESSION 2 – Different approaches to literary studies

12.00
Dr. Rajendra A. Chitnis, University of Bristol:
"How much literature do I have to do?"

12.30
Dr. Martin C. Putna, Charles University, Prague/University of Regensburg:
“Homosexuality in Czech Literature: Metodological Problems of Connection between Homosexuality and
Literature.“

Lunch Break

SESSION 3 – The Legacy of Czech and Slovak studies in the new Europe

13.30
Tim Beasley-Murray, UCL/SEES, London:
“Caught between the Rock of Liberal Humanism and the Hard Place of Social Scientism: Czech, Slovak,
Minority Subjects and Discipline.“

14.00
Dr. Erika Harris, University of Liverpool:
“ ‘Europeanisation‘ from Central European perspective“

Coffee Break

SESSION 4 – New Trends in Czech/Regional Studies: Content, Context and Funding? (ROUNDTABLE)

15.00 – 17.00

Introductory remarks:  HE Štefan Füle

Participants:
PhDr. W. Bartoš, Chairperson, Committee for Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport
Prof. R. Pynsent, SSEES. UCL
Prof. I. M. Havel, Center for Theoretical Studies, Prague
Prof. S. Petrová, University of Sunderland
Dr. A. Grey, University of Lincoln, Editor of the European Journal of Cultural Studies
Dr. R.A. Chitnis, University of Bristol
Dr. M.C. Putna, Charles University, Prague/University of Regensburg
T. Beasley-Murray, SSEES, UCL
Dr. J. Šmejkalová, University of Lincoln
Dr. Neil Bermel, University of Sheffield