Scholars from around the world gather in Prague for World Czech Studies Congress
Scholars from 25 countries have gathered in Prague for the 7th World Czech Studies Congress, held this year under the theme Literature and Languages in Dialogue. I spoke with Dalibor Dobiáš, director of the Institute of Czech Literature at the Czech Academy of Sciences and one of the congress organisers, about this year's programme and how the field of Czech studies is evolving.
This year's World Czech Studies Congress is taking place under the title Literature and Languages in Dialogue. Why was that chosen as the focus?
"The Congress has a tradition dating back to 1995, and it originally started as a congress devoted to Czech literary studies. Over time, however, Czech studies abroad have become much broader, encompassing both language and literary studies.
"Therefore we decided to bring these fields together, and we are very happy that we did because it has made the Congress much more inspiring."
When people hear the term ‘Bohemian Studies’, they often simply think of Czech language and literature. What does the field actually encompass today?
"If you look through Czech, or Bohemian, history, there has never been a history of just one language. In the earliest periods, there were interactions between Church Slavonic, Latin, early Czech, and also German poetry.
"So, when you come to the present, you can see that there have always been multiple languages. This is also one of the questions we are asking: how these languages communicated with each other, how those societies communicated with each other, and how we should discuss this literature.
"And also how we should make this heritage part of our cultural heritage today."
Scholars from 25 countries around the world have come to attend the congress here in Prague. What does that say about the place of Czech language and culture in today's world?
"It's a very encouraging message for me that people from all those countries, representing all continents, are attending the Congress.
"It's also a good message that, despite what we can call globalisation and the digital revolution, Czech language and literature remain subjects of interest in many different environments. This landscape has probably developed quite a lot in recent years, but there is certainly strong interest abroad."
Despite this interest, what are some of the biggest challenges Bohemian studies are facing?
"I think we should find better ways to communicate in today's world and to find common topics with other disciplines, not only philological disciplines but also fields such as media studies or modern computer linguistics.
"We should also think more about how to communicate with an international audience, perhaps by initiating book series with prestigious international publishing houses, and also about how we should discuss these topics with the public, both in the Czech Republic and abroad."
The programme of the congress covers a remarkable range of topics and features a number of distinguished speakers. Of all these debates and speeches, what are you particularly looking forward to, and what do you think will generate the biggest interest?
"You know, that's difficult to answer because, as you mentioned, there is such a wide range of topics. Some people are interested in medieval literature, while others focus on digital media.
"For example, Lenka Řezníková, our second keynote speaker, is one of those who can connect these different fields, looking at the Baroque and how it has been perceived in Czech culture up to the present day.
"I especially like people who are able to connect different areas of interest. I am also really looking forward to the discussion with Derek Sayer, who has come from Edmonton to Prague to present his work and discuss it.
"And on Thursday I look forward to meeting another guest of our congress, Helen Oyeyemi, the British-Nigerian-Czech author, whose latest book is, in a way, a story about this country."
