Jaroslav Charvát and Czech Marxist Historiography
Research background and current progress of the research:
Czech society faced dramatic development changes during the 20th century; besides long-term cultural trends it was largely affected by political influences. This fully applies also to historiography, in particular in the period of totalitarian regimes. Regarding the 20th century Czech historiography research, insufficient knowledge of the transformations of the historiography development is apparent in spite of a perceptible enhancement of the knowledge basis concerning the time of the turn of the 20th century, in particular the entry of the discourse of power into historiography as it occurred around 1948; and within the context of the Marxist-Leninist ideology Czech Marxist (Marxist-Leninist) historiography developed until 1989. The scanty research of the development of Czech historiography conducted so far has investigated the period of Marxist historiography in Czechoslovakia to a rather limited extent, whereas history and historiography methodology belong to key prerequisites of the ability to reflect transformations of the state of knowledge in our research field.
Even though the development of Marxist historiography in the former Czechoslovakia cannot be described unambiguously, there are ways to examine the period historiography on the basis of fundamental topics of necessary researches and relevant sources, including an introduction of the methodological background (see studies by M. Nodl 2001, B. Jiroušek 2006). Unfortunately, a majority of areas within the subject in question are still to be investigated; the topics researched to date on an elementary constitutive basis include contacts of the Communist and western historiographies and several biographical investigations (the personalities of Jan Slavík and Záviš Kalandra representing the time of the pre-dogmatic phase of Marxist historiography; Josef Macek and František Graus representing the established dogmatic phase) while many other issues such as Czech and Slovak relationships in historical science during the Communist Czechoslovakia remain to be investigated. A completely unexplored domain is in particular the entry of personalities of the interwar Historical Group (Václav Husa, Jaroslav Charvát, Jan Pachta, Oldřich Říha and others) into the Czech historiography mainstream, when they clearly dominate Czech historiography around 1948 and "bask in the glory" - especially in the university environment - until the 1970s, many of them at very influential positions. On the contrary, a younger generation of people born mostly in the 1920s dominated the environment of the history-related departments of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. Another question to be answered is whether that division corresponds in any manner with the relationships of either of the two groups of historians with Václav Kopecký (Minister of Information) and Zdeněk Nejedlý (Minister of Education), whose links to historical science were apparent. The applicant's crucial task will be to research the establishment of the dogmatic phase of historiography as the most important break point in the development of Marxism-oriented historiography.
Research objectives and approaches:
The aim of the project is to clarify the basic principles of the functioning of Marxist historiography, whereas much of that will - at this stage - be possible to render only in the form of case studies as a synthetic view of the respective period of Czech (Czechoslovak) historiography cannot be presented without a long-term analytical research, which is after all implied by reviews responding to Josef Hanzal's summary Cesty české historiografie 1945-1989 (1999). The foregoing shows that the research will necessarily have to oscillate between a normative mode and a descriptive mode as it will - in a relatively long term - be very difficult to precisely define standard-setting elements of Marxist historiography covering the entire range of its manifestations: from a pure ideology to attempts to question the fundaments of Marxism, all of which appeared during the time of Marxism historiography dominance (official historiography, grey zone, proscribed historians, exile).
Thus, the author of the project would - besides broader impulses to study Marxist historiography in the form of partial studies including theoretical papers and organisation of a conference discussing the subject of Marxist historiography in Czechoslovakia - see the key task of his research focus of the following years in clarification of the role of the former Historical Group in Czech historiography after 1948, the establishment of the dogmatic phase of Marxist historiography. However, much of that can be done only for individual personalities, not for the entire Historical Group domain. Significant for leftist historians of the interwar period and in particular of the time after 1945 in terms of preparations for the taking of a leading role and - what is most important - the relevant positions in historical science was the Socialist Academy, which was also close to the historians of that domain. It was where the topics and procedures that later became part of the early 1950s historiography were debated. Nevertheless, such Soviet export of historiography to the Eastern Block can be followed only fragmentarily due to a lack of relevant sources for investigation. Regarding the leaders of the Historical Group, i.e. Václav Husa and Jaroslav Charvát, the archival resources concerning Jaroslav Charvát are relatively well preserved in the National Museum Archive, while Václav Husa resources in the Charles University Archive comprise only fragments. Although Václav Husa, perhaps the most conceptual and competent historian of the grouping, cannot be omitted in the research, the penetration of the Historical Group related historians into the centre of historical science can most comprehensively and throughout the longest period of time be tracked by exploring the personality of Jaroslav Charvát, who was active in both the spheres of the established Marxist historiography, i.e. in the university (academic) research sphere and in the Marxist-Leninist ideology sphere, which he represented as a teacher of the Socialist Academy, in particular in the district of Benešov, for his entire life.
Charvát's career - ranging from an archivist at the National Museum, to a senior officer of the Ministry of Information (1945-1948), a university professor (from 1948) and his long career at the Pedagogical and Philosophical Faculties of the Charles University (meanwhile also holding the office of the first Rector of the Pedagogical College in Prague) until the end of the 1970s when he was still active in the academic domain in spite of his advanced age - is an excellent basis for exploration of the political role of the historiography of that time including his contribution to Vladislav Vančura's Obrazy z dějin národa českého at the beginning of the Occupation. Last but not least, Jaroslav Charvát's works are a useful source to follow transformations of the Marxist historiography attitudes to the preceding historiography stages (e.g. his life-long interest in František Palacký) as well as to general history (his schoolbooks), which was his official specialty at the university although he actually published no works on the subject except for university textbooks and schoolbooks.
In addition to archival resources, historians' works and theoretical works concerning historiography and modern history of historiography, the author will have to collect eyewitnesses' memories (oral history).
Project schedule:
The applicant, whose workplace is fully equipped for the envisaged tasks, has set exact dates by which he is able to complete basic tasks within the project, in particular the precisely defined main outputs.
Probes into the available archival resources clearly imply that a research concerning the personality and works of Jaroslav Charvát (1904-1988) is fully feasible and, above all, allows a considerable enhancement of our knowledge of the development of historiography in the 20th century, in particular during the two totalitarian regimes that affected the history of our country.
The first two years will be dedicated to archive research focused on the archival resources concerning Jaroslav Charvát (unprocessed, 24 folders plus documents elsewhere) kept at the National Museum Archive in Prague. Other studied archival resources will include documents concerning Václav Husa and other materials kept at the Archive of the Charles University, as most of Charvát's career was connected with that institution. Additional study resources will be found at the Masaryk Institute, Archive of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where partial information about Charvát's activities are available in resources concerning the Historical Club, the Czechoslovak Historical Society within the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (J. Charvát was intensively involved in its activities in particular during the 1970s; in 1948 he was also a member of the Action Committee of the original Czechoslovak Historical Society established already during the interwar period), in resources concerning the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences Council meetings, etc. His correspondence kept within other resources and archives (i.a. Literary Archive of the Monument of National Literature) will be studied as well. Besides, the applicant will not omit the role of Charvát's wife Ema Charvátová, a historian, who - holding the position of Director of the Benešov District Museum at Jemniště and working as a teacher at the Socialist Academy - was a well-known very active member of the Communist Party, especially in the 1970s.
In parallel, the applicant will be studying literature concerning the Historical Group as well as the Historical Group historians' works in particular in Prague libraries throughout the duration of the project. Foreign literature concerning historiography of the former Eastern Block will be studied for comparison purposes (the applicant intends to make shorter research trips to Leipzig and Berlin, where the most important comparative facilities concerning the subject in question are located).
A conference discussing Czech (Czechoslovak) Marxist historiography will be organised by the applicant's workplace in České Budějovice during the first year of the project duration, probably at the beginning of September 2008. The conference proceedings will be ready for printing before the end of the same year so that the applicant is able to concentrate mainly on works on the final monograph in the following years.
The project time schedule also determines the use of the grant funds. In addition to the operating (mostly literature and office supplies) and travel expenses (these cover the research at Prague archives and in particular the planned research trip as well as the costs of the organisation of the conference during the first year), the funds will be used to cover overheads (sharing the costs of the workplace operation), remuneration and social security and health insurance payments. However, the highest sum will be paid for services. These will include the printing of the conference proceedings (the first year of the project duration) and the monograph (the 3rd year), where the costs of publication thereof in the Historia culturae - Studia and Historia culturae - Biographia series have been determined after consultations with the printing office, and in particular the costs of xerographic prints of archival documents and translations into foreign languages (including translations of summaries of the main outputs).
Specification of the outputs:
In addition to partial outputs comprising mainly studies and conference papers, the project will result in two publications, conference proceedings (2008) and a monograph (2010).
The conference and the follow-up conference proceedings (Transformations of the Discourse of Czech Marxist Historiography, 2008) will be primarily based on a presentation of theoretical and crucial studies on the interpretation and periodization of contextual transformations of Czech historiography with respect to Marxist thinking as an ideological background of the research work, thus depicting inhibitory and stimulating interferences of politics and historical science, transformations of the paradigm of the period historiography. Essential will be questions about the relationship of the pre-dogmatic and dogmatic phases of Czech (Czechoslovak) Marxist historiography. Regarding the conference, some authors of papers will be invited directly (these will include in particular foreign participants, who will provide comparative views of the historiography development) while some others are expected to participate on their own initiative.
The monograph - tentatively titled Jaroslav Charvát in the System of Science and Power (2010) - will, on a biographical basis, answer the question of transformations of Marxist historical science from the pre-war period until after the threshold of normalisation. It will thus explain how Pekař's student (he was concerned with Kryštof Harant at that time) - via contacts with Jan Slavík - came to join the activities of the Historical Group relating to the Dějiny a přítomnost journal, work together with Vladislav Vančura at the threshold of the Occupation, enter the Communist Party officially in 1945 (his family, mainly his uncle Metoděj Charvát, had supported the social democratic movement since the 19th century), and start working as a professor at the Charles University immediately after February 1948. Despite his rather scarce publication activities he was always able to find his way in the period politics and maintained his prominent position in historical science until an advanced age, thus contributing - in certain regards - to the "normalisation" of the society in the 1970s (journal and other reviews, his activities at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Charles University). Moreover, Jaroslav Charvát as a teacher was popular among and followed by many future historians, whereas it should be admitted that some aspects (e.g. the synthetic aspect) of his historiography-related work made him a contributor to innovations of historical science.
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