The "Émigré Europe" project and the emigration of Czechoslovak students and scientists to the Netherlands in 1933-1989
Abstract
The research project "Émigré Europe: Civil Engagement Transfers between Eastern Europe and the Low Countries 1933-1989", funded by CELSA (Central European Leuven Strategic Alliance) and running from 2021 to 2023, examines to what extent emigration from Central Europe to the Benelux countries has affected local society. The following study not only presents the basic characteristics and objectives of this project, but also shows how this project can be useful for the study of the Czechoslovak scientific exile in the twentieth century. Using the example of scientists who emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the Netherlands between 1933 and 1989, it shows the motivation of Czechoslovak emigrants, students and scientists, behind choosing the Netherlands as the country of their destination.
One factor was the scholarships from the Dutch University Asylum Fund (UAF), which enabled dozens of students from Czechoslovakia to continue their higher education in the Netherlands. Moreover, the tradition of Czechoslovak-Dutch contacts in certain fields, especially astronomy, was also an important factor. Last but not least, there were also individual influences, such as previous scientific or study internships in the Netherlands, scientific contacts with Dutch scientists and research institutions, and other factors.