On the Road to High Modernity

Public Festivities in the Bohemian Crown Lands

Karel Šima (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

332 Seiten

2026
Purdue Scholarly Publishing Services (Verlag)
978-1-62671-142-6 (ISBN)

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Why, where, when, and how should individuals engage in festivities? On the Road to High Modernity traces the modernization of public festivities during the nineteenth century, focusing on the Bohemian Crown Lands of the Habsburg Monarchy. Characterized by its rapid and successful modernization in the final century of the Monarchy's existence, this territory serves as a unique laboratory for examining the evolution of modern political culture. As organizers of celebrations navigated the complexities of an increasingly fragmented society marked by ethnic, religious, and social divisions, they faced the daunting challenge of promoting diverse interests. By analyzing the intricate organization of festive events in public spaces, it is revealed how these activities were not merely celebrations, but strategic orchestrations that balanced rationality with emotion, discipline with spontaneity, and the interplay between public and private realms. These modern festivities were instrumental in promoting various agendas within the intricate landscape of Central European identity politics—be it nationalist aspirations, monarchical loyalty, class interests, or religious affiliations. Ultimately, these celebrations had profound implications for the stability or disruption of political and social order in the late Habsburg Monarchy.

Karel Šima is an assistant professor at the Institute of Economic and Social History at Charles University in Prague. He received his PhD in history and cultural anthropology from Charles University. His research interests include political culture from the nineteenth century, theory of history, subcultures and do-it-yourself, and higher education studies and policy. His work has appeared in the European Journal of Cultural Studies, Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, and Nations and Nationalism.

Erscheinungsdatum	17.11.2025
Reihe/Serie	Central European Studies
Zusatzinfo	10 illustrations
Verlagsort	IN
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
ISBN-10	1-62671-142-9 / 1626711429
ISBN-13	978-1-62671-142-6 / 9781626711426
Zustand	Neuware