On Teaching History Under Capitalism and On Talking Heads

Abstract

It is not the intention of the manifesto to draw across the historical community sharp, bi-polar, or generational lines of conflict. What we intend is to evaluate, based on a clearly presented normative position, some contemporary, readily observable but often overlooked trends pertaining to changes in the teaching of history at Czech universities and in the role of historians in the public space. We are convinced that the two phenomena are interconnected and that the changes we openly or implicitly advocate should apply to both areas at the same time.