International workshop
Date and location: 17–18 September 2026, Prague
Organizers: Pavel Horák / David Smrček / Rudolf Kučera (Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
Host: Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences, GA ČR Protest Culture in the Bohemian Lands between 1890 and 1938
Languages: English
Protests, demonstrations, and riots were central to the political and social life of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. As societies modernized and mass politics emerged, the street became a crucial stage for articulating dissent, negotiating power, and expressing collective identity. This “contentious politics” was not merely spontaneous outbursts of popular sentiments but a deeply cultural phenomenon, rich with symbols, rituals, performances, and continuously evolving repertoires of action.
This workshop aims to bring new momentum to the historiography of European protest culture during an era of rapid civil society development and political transformation from 1789 to 1939. Protest culture was closely tied to the rise of mass politics and democratization across European states. With industrialization, the growth of labor movements, and expanding political participation, ordinary people’s modes of public expression changed fundamentally. New forms of protest—strikes and demonstrations—emerged; yet, they remained intertwined with older performances such as shaming rituals or pogroms.
Organized as part of the Czech Science Foundation project “Protest Culture in the Bohemian Lands between 1890 and 1938”, this workshop moves beyond traditional state-versus-society dichotomies. Instead, we want to explore protest as a dynamic process of communication, interaction, and mutual learning—conceptualizing them as symptoms of deep social crises when consensus breaks down, and institutional legitimacy faces open challenge. Our focus lies on the interplay between grassroots protest practices and state decision-making mechanisms. We are particularly interested in the anthropology of protest as lived experience: the role of emotions, creativity, improvisation, and local leadership at the “mezzo level.”
The keynote speaker will be Olivier Fillieule, Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), affiliated with the Centre de recherche sur l'action politique de l'UNIL (CRAPUL) and Centre recherche LIVES.
You can find the workshop programme in the attachment.
