Description
Book SynopsisThis study uses the Czech national movement in the Austrian Empire between the late 1820s and the late 1850s to examine the complex set of social, physical, physiological, and moral requirements through which women became crucial social and political actors responsible for the existence of modern national communities. Situated within the larger frameworks of public and private spheres, contemporary Czech discussions of the positionality of women, and an understanding of the categories of gender and woman as fluid concepts, this book analyzes how Czech nationalistsin relation to and in comparison with other nineteenth-century nationalist movementsproposed that women become the central agents of the process to guarantee the continuity of the nation.
Trade ReviewThe power of language to construct Czechness is well explored in the book. . . . * Slavic Review *
This fascinating study draws on rarely consulted Czech sources—novels, private correspondence, and advice literature—to complicate our understanding of the Czech national movement’s first three decades. Contrary to the prevailing myth of gender harmony among Czech nationalists, Dáša Frančíková reveals women’s agency in negotiating their private sphere responsibilities and public sphere aspirations. Most significantly, Frančíková highlights the importance of female friendships in strengthening women’s resolve to become active participants in the burgeoning national movement. -- Cynthia Paces, The College of New Jersey
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Negotiating Spaces and the Boundaries of the Public and Private: Women and the Construction of the Modern Czech National Community Chapter 2: “My Dear Only One”: Women, Nationalist Romantic Friendships, and the Boundaries of Public and Private Chapter 3: The Queer Story of Kateřina Maršalová: The Female Soldier, the Ideal Woman, and Masculine Femininity Chapter 4: Women Guaranteeing the Future Existence and Belonging in the National Community Chapter 5: “A Matter of Physical Health and Strength”: Disciplining the Female Body and Reproducing the Modern Czech Community
