Libuše in America: Perception of America by Czech and Slovak women in the interwar period (state of art literature and criticism)
Abstract
The talk has for its aim exploring the perception, images, representations and potentially fantasies of America that Czech and Slovak women captured in their texts during the interwar period (be it literary or other - private correspondence, private diaries etc.). Do the female impressions of America differ fundamentally from those captured by men? Which are the values that are most often put forward by man and women visiting the United States? The focus on the interwar period is partly guided by the fact that the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937) had privileged ties with the United States.
First of all, his philosophical and political affinity played an important role. Secondly, his close ties were also due to personal reasons, his wife being of American origin.
The daughter of Czechoslovak president, Alice Masaryková (1879-1966), who served effectively as the First Lady after her mother's death, studied sociology in Chicago and worked with such prominent figures such as Julia Lathrop, Jane Adams and Mary McDowell. Her American ties had a topical importance for the Czechoslovak sociology and social work but also for the women movement.
Thus, her perception of America is of particular interest.