Světový názor a autorská (sebe)reflexe v české historiografii soudobých dějin
The Worldview and the Author´s (Self)Reflection in Czech Contemporary History

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to present the opportunities for research into the worldview of historians, especially historians focused on contemporary history, where it can be assumed that their set of values may influence their interpretation of the relatively recent past. The author first defines the notion of worldview and justifies the analytical use of this concept in historiographical texts. He also considers the relationship between memory, history and historiography in the given context. The author states that not many Czech historians have so far reflected on the relationship between (individual and collective) memory and the work of the historian, especially with regard to his or her position in contemporary society, which is often reduced to the role of an objective “discoverer of historical truth”. Such (self)reflection presupposes the acknowledgement of the influence of the historian’s individual worldview (a complex of opinions and attitudes shaped by upbringing, education, memories, generational affiliation and so on) on his or her scholarly activity. The author of the study offers two possible and complementary ways to learn about the historian’s worldview: first, through his or her own testimonies and statements from more personal texts and ego-documents (essays, interviews, memoirs or social mediaposts), and second, through the analysis of his or her scholarly texts (journal studies, monographs and book reviews). The author demonstrates both approaches with concrete examples of works by historians of Czech contemporary history and concludes by outlining the aims and purpose of examining the historian’s worldview.

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