Seminar: Normalization and Postmodernism: Not Just Czech Art History, 1970–1990
We cordially invite you to another in the series of regular seminars organised by the Institute of Contemporary History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which will take place on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. in the Institute’s reading room (Vlašská 355/9).
Based on Milena Bartlová’s new publication (History of Czech Art History II. 1970–1990: The Impossibility of Thinking the Whole. Prague: VŠUP 2025, 584 pp.), this seminar will explore broader questions related to research on the twenty years of normalization, the history of the humanities, and biographical approaches to the study of contemporary history. A specific example from art history will illustrate the functioning of this academic discipline, along with its institutions and the conditions dictated by power-political boundaries. The author will also test a previously formulated thesis that views Czechoslovak normalization within the broader framework of reflexive modernity. Furthermore, the established concepts of “forbidden culture,” “official culture,” and the “grey zone” will be problematized. Using specific examples, the author will demonstrate the strategies employed within the field during the adaptation of Marxism and Marxism-Leninism, as well as during resistance to and avoidance of these ideologies. A specific feature of the author’s position is its duality—she is both a witness and a historian. The challenges and pitfalls presented by this dual role will also be a topic of the seminar.
Speaker: Milena Bartlová (UMPRUM)
Commentators: Marta Edith Holečková (Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences) and Johana Lomová (UMPRUM)
Please note that an audio recording of the seminar will be made and will subsequently be available on the institute’s website and on Spotify.