Current Affairs Is there a Czech European Identity?
Joining the European Union has highlighted many questions about the nature of the Czech European identity. For a historical perspective I spoke with Don Sparling from the Masaryk University in Brno. As a scholar in literature and cultural studies, he says that for much of European history Czech involvement has not been central, but the Czech lands have always managed to absorb and transform outside influences into something that is typically Czech. As various forces have swept across Europe over the centuries, it is very typical that Czechs have found themselves at the receiving end - in both a positive and negative sense. They have absorbed elements of a huge variety of different European influences, but experience has also made Czechs cautious. Professor Sparling begins way back in the 14th Century.
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