University of Glasgow, 3 – 4 April 2008

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the imposition of communism in Czechoslovakia and the 40th anniversary of the Prague Spring, a conference will be held at the University of Glasgow in April 2008, organised by DCEES in conjunction with the wider CRCEES network. This conference will reflect upon the impact of these momentous events on Czech and Slovak society, culture and politics. The conference will address new and changing perspectives on these historical events and discuss how these events are remembered in the Czech Republic and Slovakia today.

Presentations are invited on any aspect of the events of ’48 and ’68 and their impact on contemporary culture and politics. Themes could include:

•Re-interpreting the events of 1948 and 1968 based on newly available archive materials
•International significance of the events
•Impact on ethnic minorities in Czechoslovakia
•Impact on the arts and media
•Role of exiles
•Attitudes towards the Communist Party
•Portrayal of events in contemporary literature/art/cinema
•Representations of the events in contemporary media

The organisers hope to receive papers from a wide range of disciplines and would be particularly interested in papers which adopt a comparative approach.

Proposals for papers (not exceeding 250 words) should be sent to Laura Cashman l.cashman@lbss.gla.ac.uk no later than 30 November 2007.