National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2005 History and Culture Conference

The Czech and Slovak 20^th Century in Retrospect:

Czechoslovakia Behind the Iron Curtain, 1948 – 1970

 

March 11-12, 2005

 

 

The political landscape has changed. After surviving the Nazi occupation, Soviet influences lead to a communist Czechoslovak state. Thousands flee the country, but many stay behind. In the years that follow, privatization becomes a thing of the past, freedoms are curtailed, and the vibrant Czechoslovak people are repressed. Years pass, communism has a human face. Then, an invasion, Prague Spring ends, Normalization begins. This is Czechoslovakia Behind the Iron Curtain, 1948 – 1970.

 

The Czech and Slovak History and Culture Conference examines this tumultuous period in world history. Featured are a keynote address by Dr. Jaroslava Moserová, former senator in the Czech Parliament, and a film and discussion by Emmy award-winning director and screenwriter Zuzana Justman, plus leading scholars who tell the compelling story of life in a newly communist Czechoslovakia.

 

Sponsored by a major grant from Humanities Iowa

••••••

 

An official program of the University of Iowa Year of Arts and Humanities

 

Additional sponsor support from:

The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES) and

International Programs, University of Iowa

 

PRE-CONFERENCE FILM SERIES

Most films are in Czech with English subtitles. Unless otherwise stated, each film is shown at 2 p.m. in WFLA Heritage Hall at the NCSML, followed by discussion. All are free and open to the public.

• Sunday, Feb. 13: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). Philip Kaufman. Set against the backdrop of the invasion of Prague in 1968, this is a film about how individual lives are influenced by personal choices and very public events.
• Saturday, Feb. 19: The Competition (1963) Miloš Forman. This film features two short films: Do We Need All Those Brass Bands? and The Audition. In the first film, participants in a band competition try, but fail, to overcome tradition. In the second film, amateur singers audition for a role in a Prague cabaret.
• Sunday, Feb. 20: Murder Czech Style (1966) Jirí Weiss. This black comedy is a neglected masterpiece of Czech New Wave film.
• Sunday, Feb. 27: All My Good Countrymen (1968) Vojtech Jasny. One of the least-known films from this miraculous era of Czech filmmaking. Completed barely before the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, it was immediately banned and never shown. The film tells enchanting and funny stories about a group of characters in a small Moravian village immediately following the socialization of Czechoslovakia in 1948.
• Sunday, Mar. 6: The Joke (1968) Jaromil Jires. Based on Milan Kundera’s novel of the same name, this film is a stunning visual of life in Czechoslovakia during the Stalinist 1950s.

Thursday, Mar. 10:children at Theresienstadt: Hoskova, Voices of the Children (1996) Zuzana Justman. Profiles three people imprisoned as Helga Kinsky, and Michael Kraus. Blends survivor interviews with excerpts from their diaries and drawings from the wartime years. Produced and directed by Zuzana Justman, another Theresienstadt survivor. Won an Emmy Award in 1998 for outstanding historical programming. 7:00 p.m.

 

 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE (tentative)

 

Friday, March 11, 2005

8:00 – 8:45 a.m.

Conference Registration at Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel

 

8:45 a.m.

Welcome by NCSML president/ceo Gail Naughton

 

9:00 – 10:15 a.m.

Communist Europe 1948 – 1970 by Dr. Kenneth Basom, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Northern Iowa

 

10:15 – 11:30 a.m.

Czechoslovakia, 1945 – 1953: A Problem of Intelligence by Dr. Igor Lukes, Associate Professor of History, Boston University and Harvard University

Prague Spring – Nine Months of Dubcek by Dr. Jitka Sonkova, Lecturer in the Russian program, University of Iowa

11:45 a.m. LUNCH (and musical program)

The Songs and Piano Music of Petr Eben performed by Dr. Sheila M. Allen, Associate Professor of Music, Texas Christian University, School of Music, and Dr. David Yeomans, Professor Emeritus of Music, Texas Woman’s University

 

1:15 p.m.

Journalists in Slovakia, 1948 – 1970: A Force for Change by Dr. Owen V. Johnson, School of Journalism/Department of History, Indiana University

Limonadovy Joe (1964) and the Art of Eastern-European Parody by Oleg Timofeyev, University of Iowa

 

2:30 p.m. BREAK

 

2:45 p.m.

Naturalization, Planning, Reform: The Czechoslovak Economy, 1948 - 1970 by Dr. Catherine Albrecht, Chair, History Department, University of Baltimore

The Triumph of Art Over Adversity: The Music of Petr Eben by Dr. Sheila M. Allen, Associate Professor of Music, Texas Christian University, School of Music

 

4:00 p.m.

Open House at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

 

7:00 p.m.

Cedar Rapids Buffet Dinner at the Crowne Plaza

 

8:15 p.m.

A Trial in Prague (2000) with filmmaker Zuzana Justman

 

Saturday, March 12, 2005

 

8:00 a.m.

Conference Registration at Crowne Plaza Hotel

 

8:45 a.m.

Comments by NCSML president/ceo Gail Naughton

 

9:00 a.m.

The Key Sources of Czechoslovak Foreign Policy After W.W. II, Its Position Between the Superpowers by Dr. Slavomir Michalek, Faculty of the Historical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences

 

10:15 a.m.

Czechoslovak Judiciary 1948 - 1970 by Mr. Otto Ulc, former member of the Czechoslovak judiciary system, Professor Emeritus, SUNY Binghamton

Drum-rolls Funerary: The Demise of the Czechoslovak Avant-garde by Dr. Diana Davies, Director of International Studies Program, University of Iowa

 

11:30 a.m. LUNCH

 

1:15 p.m.

Saving Grace a film by Rev. Kenneth Gumbert, O.P. Associate Professor of Film Studies, Providence College

Communism: Personal Stories – Roundtable Discussion Facilitated by Carmen Langel

 

2:30 p.m. BREAK

 

2:45 p.m.

Human Rights Under Communism in the Former Czechoslovakia, a discussion with Rev. Kenneth Gumbert, O.P. Associate Professor of Film Studies, Providence College

Communist-era Youth Brigades in Czechoslovakia by Dr. Ellen Paul, Assistant Professor of History, Fort Lewis College

 

5:30 p.m.

Wine and Cheese Reception at the NCSML

 

7:00 p.m.

Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel

 

8:30 p.m.

The Alteration of Thinking and Behavior under Communism and How it Still Lingers by Dr. Jaroslava Moserova, Physician and Former Senator in the Czech Parliament

 

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

 

Complete and mail this section with your check or payment information to the address below. Please copy and use a separate form for each individual. Registration is not complete until payment has been received.

 

Name _________________________________________________________

 

Address _______________________________________________________

 

City ______________________________ State _________ Zip __________

 

Daytime Phone: __________________ E-mail address: _________________

 

Registration options: Select ONE registration option.

1. NCSML Member Early Registration for Full Conference $80 _____

(Registration postmarked by 2/14/05)

2. Non-Member or Late Registration for Full Conference $90 _____

 

3. One-day Registration $50 _____

 

(Check one: ____ Friday ____ Saturday)

 

Conference Meal Options:

 

Friday lunch (Lasagna: vegetarian or meat - circle your preference) $17 ____

 

Friday buffet dinner (Buffet: Broiled Tilapia with Lemon Butter or Sliced Pork Loin with Apple Herb Sauce - circle your preference) $30 ____

 

Attending Saturday Complimentary Reception at the NCSML? $00 ____ Yes ____ No

 

Saturday dinner (New York Strip Steak with Portobello Mushroom Wine Sauce or Penne Pasta Florentine - circle your preference) $35 ____

 

Registration and Meals Total $ ______

 

Payment Method (check one)

 

_____ Check enclosed, made out to: NCSML

 

_____ Charge to my Credit Card: ____ MasterCard ____ Visa ____ Discover

 

Card Number: __________________________ Expiration: _____/_____

 

May we share your contact information with other participants? ____ Yes ____ No

 

Mail Completed Registration Form and Payment to:

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

30 16^th Avenue SW

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 U.S.A.

 

(You may also fax the form with credit card information to: 319-363-2209)

 

 

CONFERENCE INFORMATION

 

Location: Conference sessions and meals are at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel, 350 1^st Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. See schedule for events at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

 

Registration Information: Select from full conference registration, or register for a single day. NCSML members save $10 off full registration by registering prior to February 14^th. (To become a museum member or to confirm your membership, call 319-362-8500.)

Registration cancellations after March 7^th will be subject to a $25 handling fee; meals are not refundable after March 7^th.

 

Accommodations: Blocks of rooms have been reserved at the following:

 

Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel (350 1^st Ave. NE): $72 + tax, per night single or double. Group rates are valid for booking from January 20, 2005 through March 12, 2005. The hotel advises to make reservations as soon as possible. The rate will be available as long as we have rooms available, up to and including March 12, 2005. Call 319-363-8161 or 1-800-2Crowne and ask for the "National Czech and Slovak Conference" rate or make room reservations on the Crowne Plaza web site under "National Czech and Slovak". If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact: Jeanne Cole, Crowne Plaza Five Seasons, 319-363-8161 Ext: 7212 or at dosced@lodgian.com

 

Best Western Cooper's Mill (100 F Ave. NW): $49.95 + tax, one queen; $59.95 + tax, two queens; $69.95 + tax, one king. Call 319-366-5323 and ask for "Czech/Slovak Group" or give the confirmation number 32656. Rate expires Feb. 15.

 

For more information about Cedar Rapids and accommodations

Visit the Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site at www.cedar-rapids.com or call 1-800-735-5557 for a copy of the Cedar Rapids Visitor’s Guide.

 

Directions to the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel: From Interstate 380, take Exit #20B (7th Street, US Cellular Exit). Drive through 1st stoplight to 2nd stoplight (1st Avenue). Turn right onto 1st Avenue. On the right, two blocks down, there is a parking ramp between 4th and 5th Streets, skywalk access to the Hotel is on the 3rd floor.

 

 

Return to NCSML Home Page

 

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5904

Phone: 319-362-8500 · Fax: 319-363-2209

 

This page was updated May 06, 2005