Institute of Contemporary History

Education:

• 2010: Faculty of Philosophy and Science, Silesian University in Opava (prof.)
• 2007: Faculty of Arts, Charles University (habilitation – doc.)
• 2000: Faculty of Arts, Palacky University Olomouc (Ph.D.)
• 1992: Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, History – Czech Language (Mgr.)
• 1989: Faculty of Pedagogy in Pilsen, Pedagogy – Psychology (PaedDr.)
• 1985: Faculty of Pedagogy in Pilsen, Primary School Teacher Education (Mgr.)

Professional Experience:

• 2017–2023: Director, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• since 2008: Guarantor, Oral History – Contemporary History study program, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University
• since 2005: Professor, Department of Historical Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University
• since 1992: Researcher, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 2000–2017: Head of Center for Oral History, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 1990–1992: Teacher, High School, Prague
• 1986–1990: Teacher, Elementary School, Prague

Other Professional Activities:

• since 2022: Member, Advisory Board, Wrocław Yearbook of Oral History
• since 2022: Member, Contemporary European History Ph.D. study program, Advisory Board, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University
• since 2019: Member od Scientific Board of National Film Archive
•  since 2019: Member, Czech History Ph.D. study program, Advisory Board, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, University of Pardubice
• since 2019: Member, Czech History Ph.D. study program, Advisory Board, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
• since 2019: Member, World History Ph.D. study program, Advisory Board, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
• since 2019: Member, Economic and Social History Ph.D. study program, Advisory Board, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
• 2017–2023: Member, Council of the Institute, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• since 2015: Member, Academy Assembly, Czech Academy of Sciences
• since 2014: Member, International Editorial Advisory Board, Oral History Journal, Department of History, Royal Holloway University of London, England
• since 2014: Member, Advisory Board, Journal of Oral History, Department of History, Gauhati University, India
• since 2012: Honorary President, Czech Oral History Association
• since 2011: Member, Editorial Board, Memo – Journal of Oral History
• since 2007: Member, Association of Historians of the Czech Republic (Historical Club 1872)
• 2015–2020: Member, Evaluation Panel for Modern History and Ethnology, Czech Science Foundation
• 2012–2017: Chairman, Council of the Institute, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 2009–2016: Member, Czech National Committee of Historians
• 2012–2014: Past President, International Oral History Association
• 2010–2012: President, International Oral History Association
• 2010–2014: Member, Newsletter Editorial Board, International Oral History Association
• 2010–2014: Member, International Editorial Advisory Board, Oral History Journal
• 2010–2012: Member, Editorial Board, Words and Silences Journal
• 2009–2017: Member, Council for Cooperation with Universities and Preparation of Scientific Staff, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 2008–2010: Executive Committee Member and Regional Representative for Europe, International Oral History Association
• 2012–2017: Chairman and Member, Council of the Institute, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 2007–2012: Vice-Chairman and Member, Council of the Institute, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 2007–2012: President, Czech Oral History Association
• 2007–2010: Member, Editorial Board, Urban People Journal
• 2006–2012: Member, Social Sciences Committee, Czech Science Foundation
• 2002–2007: Member, Scientific Council, Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• 1999–2000: Member, Program Committee, Society ’89
• 1998–2001: Member, Editorial Board “Bulletin 1999”

International Scholarships and Interships:

• 2011: Aarhus University, Denmark
• 2008: British Library, London, UK
• 2004: Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
• 2000: Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
• 1998: Center of Slavic and East European Studies, London University, British Library, London, UK
• 1997: Aarhus University, Denmark

Selected Research Projects (Principal Investigator):

• 2022–2024: Research of the covid and post-covid times. Together with Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences. With financial support from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences.
• 2017–2019: Student generation of 1989 in longitudinal perspective: Biographical interviews after 20 years. Czech Science Foundation.
• 2015–2016: Historical context of applied research in the Czech Republic from 1968 to 2009 as the basis for optimizing the support of research from public resources. Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.
• 2011–2015: Czech society in the period of so-called normalization and transformation: biographical interviews. Czech Science Foundation.
• 2006–2009: Social and political aspects of existence and development of the independent music genres and trends in the Czech Republic from the 1960s until 1989. Czech Science Foundation.
•  2006–2008: Research of the Czech society in the period of so-called normalization. Biographical interviews with manual workers and intelligentsia. Czech Science Foundation.
• 2002–2004: Political elites and dissent in the period of so-called normalization. Biographical interviews. Czech Science Foundation.
• 1999–2001: Cultural and social activities of young generation and the road to the civil society. Czech Science Foundation.
• 1996–1998: Students during the period of the fall of communism. Biographical interviews. Czech Science Foundation.

Selected Research Projects (Co-Investigator):

• 2016–2019: Virtual assistant for access to historical audiovisual data. Ministry of Culture, Czech Republic (NAKI II).

Selected Bibliography:

• Memoria, storia, simbolo: il novembre 1989 in Cecoslovacchia. [Memory, History, Symbol: November 1989 in Czechoslovakia.] In: Gentiloni Silveri, Umberto, ed. La fine della guerra fredda. Prospettive e punti di vista. [The End of the Cold War. Perspectives and Points of View.] Milan: Franco Angeli, 2022, p. 68–91.
• Ideologie, státní politika a oficiální obraz folklorního hnutí v letech 1945–1989. [Ideology, State Policy and the Official Image of the Folklore Movement in the Years 1945–1989.] In: Stavělová, Daniela, ed. Tíha a beztíže folkloru. Folklorní hnutí druhé poloviny 20. století v českých zemích. [The Weight and Weightlessness of Folklore. Folklore Movement of the Second Half of the 20th Century in the Czech Lands.] Prague: Academia, 2021, p. 33–57.
• Orální historie v oku hurikánu. Reflexe terénního výzkumu koronavirové krize v České republice a zahraničí. [Oral History in the Eye of the Storm. Reflections on Field Research of the Coronavirus Crisis in the Czech Republic and Abroad.] In: MEMO 1/2021, Pilsen: 2021, p. 8–21. (With Jana Wohlmuth Markupová.)
• Sto studentských evolucí: vysokoškolští studenti roku 1989: životopisná vyprávění v časosběrné perspektivě. [One Hundred Student Evolutions: University Students of 1989. Life-stories in a Longitudinal Perspective.] Prague: Academia, 2019. (Co-author and editor.)
• (K)lidová věda?: proměny a konstanty v práci i životě vědců a vědkyň v letech 1968-2008. [Peaceful Science? Changes and Constants in Works and Lives of Scientists in the Years 1968-2008.] Prague: Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, 2018. (With Lenka Krátká and Jana Wohlmuth Markupová.)
• Velvet Revolutions. An Oral History of the Czech Society. New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. (With Pavel Mücke.) Second edition, New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
• Sluchać, poszukiwać, rozumieć. Nie tylko o dialogu interdiscyplinarnym i oral history [Listen, search, understand. Not just about interdisciplinary dialogue and oral history]. In: Wroclawski Rocznik Historii Móvienej. Wroclaw, 2017, pp. 103-118.
• O orální historii po dvaceti letech jejího praktikování [About oral history after twenty years of its practice]. In: Zuzana Denková (ed). Ethnologist in the field. Bánská Štiavnica: Slovak Museum, Association of Museums of Slovakia 2016, pp. 42-53.
• Hledaní zlaté žíly, nebo hromadění hlušiny? Malé zamyšlení nad některými otázkami orální historie [Looking for a golden vein or a pile of rubble?] Small reflections on some issues of oral history. In: Pavel Mücke – Martin Brychta (edd.): On the border between past and present. Current perspectives of oral history. Prague – Ostrava: Czech Association of Oral History – Ostravská univerzita, 2016, pp. 237–250.
• Orální historie – naslouchání, porozumění, hledání [Oral history – listening, understanding, searching]. In: Slovenský národopis, 3/2016, pp. 361–370.
• Třetí strana trojúhelníku. Teorie a praxe orální historie. [A Third Side of the Triangle. Theory and Practice of Oral History.] Prague: Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences, 2012. (With Pavel Mücke.) Second edition, Prague: Karolinum, 2015.
• Příběhy (ne)obyčejných profesí: česká společnost v období tzv. normalizace a transformace. [Stories of (Un)Ordinary Professions. Czech Society during the Period of so-called Normalization and Transformation.] Prague: Karolinum, 2014. (Co-author and co-editor.)
• Around the Globe. Rethinking Oral History with Its Protagonists. Prague: Karolinum/Chicago University Press, 2013.
• Those Who Prevailed and Those Who Were Replaced: Interviewing on Both Sides of a Conflict. In: Donald A. Ritchie, ed. The Oxford handbook of oral history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
• Byl to jenom rock’n’roll? Hudební alternativa v komunistickém Československu 1956-1989. [Was It Only Rock & Roll? Alternative Music in Communist Czechoslovakia from 1956 to 1986.] Prague: Academia, 2010.
• Obyčejní lidé…?! Pohled do života mlčící většiny. Životopisná vyprávění příslušníků dělnických profesí a intelligence. [Ordinary People…?! A Look into Lives of the so-called Silent Majority. Biographical Narratives of Members of the Workers‘ Professions and Intelligence.] Prague: Academia, 2009. (Co-author and editor.)
• Naslouchat hlasům paměti: teoretické a praktické aspekty orální historie. [Listening to the Voices of Memory: Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Oral History.] Prague: Faculty of Humanities, Charles University – Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences, 2007. (With Pavel Mücke and Hana Pelikánová.)
• Der 17. November und seine Ursachen in der Darstellung kommunistischer Funktionaere. [November 17th and Its Influence on the Depiction of Communist Functionaries.] In: Perzi, Niklas, ed., Katrebová-Blehová, Beáta, ed., Bachmaier, Peter, ed. Die Samtene Revolution: Vorgeschichte – Verlauf – Akteure. [Velvet Revolution: Prehistory – History – Actors.] Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009, p. 147–164.
• Mocní? a Bezmocní? Politické elity a disent v období tzv. normalizace. Interpretační studie životopisných interview. [Powerful and Powerless? Political Elites and Dissent during so-called Normalization. Interpretative Studies.] Prague: Prostor, 2006. (Co-author and editor.)
• Vítězové? Poražení? Životopisná interview. 1. díl: Disent v období tzv. normalizace. 2. díl. Politické elity. [Winners? Losers? Political Elites and Dissent during so-called Normalization. Biographical Interviews. 2 volumes.] Prague: Prostor, 2005. (With Pavel Urbášek.)
• Orální historie ve výzkumu soudobých dějin. [Oral History in the Research of Contemporary History.] Prague: Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences, 2004.
• Orální historie: metodické a „technické“ postupy. [Oral history: Methodological and „Technical“ Procedures.] Olomouc: Palacky University, 2003.
• Ostrůvky svobody. Kulturní a občanské aktivity mladé generace v 80. letech v Československu. [Islands of Freedom: Cultural and Civic Activities of the Young Generation in the 1980s in Czechoslovakia.] Prague: Votobia, 2002. (Co-author and editor.)
• Sto studentských revolucí: studenti v období pádu komunismu – životopisná vyprávění. [One Hundred Student Revolutions: Students in the Period of the Fall of Communism – Biographical Narratives.] Prague: Lidové noviny, 1999. (With Milan Otáhal.) Second edition, Prague: Karolinum, 2019.
• Nedalo se tady dýchat: ekologie v českých zemích v letech 1968 až 1989. [We Could Not Breathe Here: Ecology in the Czech Lands from 1968 to 1989.] Prague: Maxdorf, 1996.
• Veřejné mínění o socialismu před 17. listopadem 1989. Analýza výsledků výzkumů veřejného mínění prováděných ÚVVM od roku 1972 do roku 1989. [Public Opinion on Socialism before November 17, 1989: Analysis of Public Opinion Research Conducted by the Institute for Research and Development from 1972 to 1989.] Prague: Maxdorf, 1994.

Prizes and Awards:

• 2022: František Palacký Honorary Medal for Merit in Historical Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
• 2022: Silver Medal of Charles University for the contribution to the development of the field of contemporary history and for the long-time research and teaching activities
• 2011: Miroslav Ivanov Award
• 2010: Břitva Award, Book of the Year
• 2006: Lidové noviny Publishers, Book of the Year