Harrison, Michèle Jayne Philippa Cealey (2013) At home in Prague: representations of home in the Czechoslovakian interwar. Doctoral thesis (PhD), University of Sussex.

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Abstract

The First Republic of Czechoslovakia existed from October 1918 to March 1939. Formed from
territories previously part of the Austro-Hungarian or Habsburg Empire, the nation of
Czechoslovakia was a unique democratic state in a Central European region of less stable entities,
establishing a modern and future oriented nation.

This thesis is an examination of the representations of the concept and idea of home across
several different spheres of ideation, examining in turn: the space of nation building, nationalism
and nationhood, showing the uses of home in the creation of and the running of the state;
architectural theorisation and modernist building projects that sought to refashion living styles
and housing, and social and socialist planning manifestos are compared to the initial energy and
enthusiasm of avant garde explorations of everyday life; the concept of home and home life,
coupled with the housewife’s life within them are examined in the stances of the populist
periodicals of the era which were directed towards a female audience.

The final section of the thesis examines, in the penultimate chapter, the concept of home by
in-depth readings of literature and personal writings, feuilleton, diaries, letters and poetry. The
final chapter presents the testimonies of residents of Prague during the interwar, using life
histories and questionnaire responses, to present a completed picture of the multi-level meanings
of home.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Schools and Departments:	School of Media, Arts and Humanities > History
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DB History of Austria. Liechtenstein. Hungary. Czechoslovakia > DB2000 Czechoslovakia > DB2044 History > DB2080 By period > DB2185 Czechoslovak Republic, 1918-1992 G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology > GN301 Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology
Depositing User:	Library Cataloguing
Date Deposited:	13 Jun 2014 09:36
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2022 15:37
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/48912

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