Abstract
The study focuses on critical overview of history of teaching and research in field of ethnology at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in wider context of development of Czech ethnological and anthropological discourse; from their philosophical and ideological roots to beginning of ethnological academic research in the half of the 19th century conducted within other fields of study (literary history, philology, mythology, historiography, physical anthropology and archaelogy), institutionalization of ethnology as separate field of study in the first half of the 20th century, to current state of affairs. Special emphasis is put on development of institutional background of ethnological research at the Prague university (both Czech and German one) and important personalities of the field.
Closing part of the study is devoted to contemporary discussions on discoursive identity of Czech ethnology, field standing between European ethnology, sociocultural anthropology and comparative folkloristics.