‘… perhaps we should think of history writing, not as something that engages in the building of national identities, but rather as something that critiques all historical identity claims, and in doing so, as a by-product, opens a space for constitutional allegiances and behavioral norms that stand at a remove from what is simply given to us by the past.’ 

Allan Megill "Historical Representations: Identity Allegiance" in: Stefan Berger, Linas Eriksonas, Andrew Mycock (eds.) "Narrating the Nation: Representations in History, Media and the Arts". Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2008, 32. 

Useful tools to complete your final assignment 

Group exercise for the class - 30 minutes for the preparation and 30 minutes for the presentation 

Please divide into groups of 4-5 (please ensure in each group are Czech and international students) 

Each group selects one historical event or period (examples below):

Czech National Revival (19th century) 

Velvet Revolution (1989). 

International examples include the American Civil Rights Movement, the decolonization of Africa, and the independence of the states' former members of the Soviet Union (Sovietsky Soyuz).  

Your own country's historical period you would like to deconstruct

Analyze how the chosen event is represented [nowadays] in 

- Historical texts (official accounts). 

- Popular culture (movies, books).

- Political rhetoric (speeches, policy documents).

Presentation talking points (5 minutes) 

What is the "major narrative" or the narrative you support on the historical period of the country you are working on? 

What is the cultural, historical, and political evidence? 

What is the identity construction of people lived in this period (chose any group you would like to describe).