I had a fantastic time at UT, Austin and at the 23rd Annual Czech and Slovak Studies Workshop, 23–24 February, where I presented a paper, Understanding Czechoslovak Nationalism through the Occult Lenses. Colleagues attending the workshop who had mostly background in history were both surprised by the occult topic. They suggested plenty of thought-provoking comments and ideas to pursue further.
I wanted to especially discuss following questions:
- Where were the Slovaks? (Need more archival research in Bratislava or get in touch with someone there. I know no one.)
- Is it meaningful to talk about “Slavic” occultism? (Slavic universalist and/or nationalistic while German racist/nationalist)
- What are the important works on nationalism and ethnicity in the CE region?
While the answers to the latter two questions are clearer now, I plan to spend more time in 2025 on the Slovaks and their impact on the developing Czechoslovak occult milieu.
Here is a part from my presentation providing a general overview.
