ETBB155 Czech emigration to the American continent

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
4/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D- (lecturer), doc. PhDr. Daniel Drápala, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. et Mgr. Marie Novotná (assistant)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Roman Doušek, Ph.D.
Department of European Ethnology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Martina Maradová
Supplier department: Department of European Ethnology – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is a basic overview of the issue of Czech emigration to the American continent, which had an individual character from the 17th century and a mass character from 1848. It will attempt to explain the issue in the broader context of Czech and world migration in the 19th and 20th centuries. It will present not only the emigrants themselves and their communities across the ocean, but also other actors who participated in or at least influenced the move. For example, government officials, special organizations, associations or shipping companies. Emphasis will also be placed on the historical development and the current situation of the Czech "colony" in important centres such as Texas, Chicago or New York. Each locality has its own peculiarities, which result, among other things, from its urban or rural character. Finally, the situation of emigrants in the United States and other countries on the continent, such as Canada, Argentina, Brazil or Mexico, will be compared.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students should gain a basic understanding of the migration process between the Czech Republic and the American continent. They should be oriented not only in trends and routes, but also gain an overview of the social status of compatriots across the ocean. Their life will be approached from different angles: political activity, identity and assimilation, language, literature, publishing, religion, society, traditions and customs. The students should then apply this theoretical knowledge in their papers on the subject.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Causes and practical problems of emigration
  • 3. Migration routes and travel
  • 4. The United States and its immigration policy
  • 5. The countryside - Texas
  • 6. Urban Space - Chicago
  • 7. Czech associations: typology and mutual contradictions
  • 8. Czech newspapers and their present function as a source
  • 9. The Church and migration
  • 10. Acculturation and Identity - Tradition Yesterday and Today
  • 11. Czechoslovak Canada
  • 12. Czech emigrants in Latin America
Literature
    required literature
  • POLIŠENSKÝ, Josef and Lumír NESVADBÍK. Úvod do studia dějin vystěhovalectví do Ameriky. Vyd. 1. Praha: Karolinum, 1996, 119 s. ISBN 8071841471. info
  • POLIŠENSKÝ, Josef. Úvod do studia dějin vystěhovalectví do Ameriky. 1. vyd. Praha: Karolinum, 1992, 56 s. ISBN 8070666706. info
    recommended literature
  • Čapek, Tomáš. Památky českých emigrantů v Americe. Omaha, 1907
  • Čermák, Josef. Dějiny občanské války s připojením zkušeností českých vojínů. Chicago, 1889.
  • Hannan, Kevin. Refashioning ethnicity in Czech-Moravian Texas. Journal of American Ethnic History, vol. 25, no. 1, 2005, s. 31–60.
  • Čapek, Tomáš. The Čech community in New York. New York, 1921.
  • Dutkova-Cope, Lida. Texas Czech ethnic identity: “So how Czech are you, really? Slavic and East European Journal, vol. 47, no. 4, 2003, s. 648–76.
  • Baďurová, Monika a Bohumil Baďura. Vystěhovalectví z českých zemí do Brazílie před vznikem ČSR. Český lid 82, č. 4, (1995), s. 323-335.
  • Čapek, Tomáš. The Čechs in America. New York, 1920.
  • Čapek, Tomáš. Padesát let českého tisku v Americe. New York, 1911.
  • Hingarová, Vendula. Česká a slovenská periodika v Argentině. Praha, 2021.
  • Dubovický, Ivan. Češi v Americe. Praha, 2018.
  • HÁJKOVÁ, Dagmar. "Naše česká věc" : Češi v Americe za první světové války. Vyd. 1. Praha: Nakladatelství Lidové noviny, 2011, 162 s. ISBN 9788074220869. info
  • ECKERTOVÁ, Eva. Kameny na prérii : čeští vystěhovalci v Texasu. Vyd. 1. Praha: Lidové noviny, 2004, 286 s. ISBN 8071063592. info
  • HABENICHT, Jan. Dějiny Čechův amerických. V St. Louis: Tiskem a nákladem časopisu "Hlas", 1910, xiv, 777. info
Teaching methods
Lecture, text reading and class discussion
Assessment methods
Written paper and presentation in class - approx. 5 standard pages (approx. 9 thousand characters with spaces); topic: personality of Czech migration or exile (40%) Class activity based on home preparation (30%) Final colloquium: discussion with a group of students (3-4) on a selected topic of Czech migration (30%)
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: every other week.
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