National Culture and the Seif-Invention of a Czech Bourgeoisie in the Regional Town of Prostějov in Moravia 1848-1864

Am Beispiel der Stadt Prostějov in Mähren, 1848-1864

Abstract

The article focuses on the inherent ambiguities and disparities in the development of nation, national culture and small town bourgeoisie, here demonstrated for the regional town of Prostějov in central Moravia. By analysing the library of the local Czech reading club between 1848 and 1862 the author shows, how the books and reading materials were received by the reading patriots and forged into a tool of interpretation and recreation of contemporary reality. A socio-critical analysis illustrates in which manner historical myths were adapted in order to fulfil the contemporary need for social legitimation. In a second step the author analyses the social profile of the members of the reading club in order to reveal the unconscious function, the 'second meaning', which the reading club fulfils for its members. According to him this 'second meaning' lies hidden in the integrative force of the organisation, manifested through the shared experiences in acquiring a common nation culture. The construction of a Czech national culture at the same time constitutes a sharp demarcation from the lower classes. By reinventing themselves as a nation, the Czech patriots simultaneously invented themselves as a bourgeoisie.