Hledání dějin

A dialogue between Karel Hvížďala, an inquisitive journalist from Prague, and Jiří Přibáň, a philosopher of law from Cardiff in Great Britain, on the key moments in Czech history, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the republic, in the broad territorial and temporal context from the 9th to the 21st centuries. This span allowed for a peek into the past, asking why and how we view and understand our history in different periods. This search is also related to the effort to avoid reducing history to a mere projection of our frustrations. The authors chose the form of a dialog, through which they attempt to return to the public space the questions that are normally addressed by academics or that we tend to avoid.

"Two compatriots, who feel at home in Europe as well as at home, are concerned: Where are we heading? They examine our past, all of it! The journalist, the more skeptical of the two, makes the sociologizing philosopher of law worried, although the latter does not give in: It becomes a responsible classic. An inspiring dialogue!"
Petr Pithart

"Reflections of two Czech intellectuals about Czech history, the ‘national story,’ collective memory and current politics is a mandatory text facilitating understanding deeper contexts, our current crisis."
Jacques Rupnik