The Ambivalence of Folklore in Social and Political Contexts – A Symbol of Pride and Treacherous Collaboration
Notes on a Chapter from the History of Ethnology in Moravia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7994322 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Martina Pavlicová (0000-0002-4716-8850, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 84 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 65-84 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Národopisný věstník (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2571-0982 • E-ISSN: 1211-8117 |
| Publisher | Česká národopisná společnost, z. s (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.59618/nv.2025.2.04 |
| OpenAlex | W4416854161 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
The period of the 1930s before the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of many countries by Nazi Germany represented a complex historical era for Europe. This also applies to pre-war Czechoslovakia and, from 1939 onwards, to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Historical circumstances affected Czech society in all its aspects. Culture, in particular, came under great pressure: during the period of the Protectorate it could function only within the framework of a totalitarian state and under the threat of persecution if it failed to comply with the conditions imposed by that state. The German nationalistic regime’s orientation towards historicism and traditions led to an emphasis on traditional folk culture, which in the Czech context resonated at certain exponents of the regime and resulted in the misuse of folk traditions. This study not only recalls this fact, which is illustrated by the striking example of the organisation Národopisná Morava [Ethnographic Moravia], but also attempts to demonstrate the broader role of folk culture in society during this period. Even in the period under study, folk culture and its symbolism played roles beyond those associated with its use in the propaganda of the Nazi regime. The paper further argues that the stigma of treacherous collaboration, which burdened the legacy of folk culture, must be researched from multiple perspectives so as to avoid the creation of a stereotyped image and to open the topic for further research and interpretations from the perspective of ethnology
Context (archaeology · Folk culture · Folklore · Nazism · Persecution · Politics · Protectorate · State (computer science · Symbol (formal · Central European national history · European Linguistics and Anthropology · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |