*** Free illustrated talk by Jana Burešová ***
Although Czechoslovakia was headline news in 1938/39, little was known about its cultural heritage. Patriotic exiles in Britain therefore determined to preserve their cultural identity, and to host multi-faceted events at the Czechoslovak Institute and elsewhere. The Communist-inspired Czechoslovak-British Friendship Club, the Czechoslovak army’s SOKOL branch, and regional clubs also played key roles within the Anglo-Czechoslovak community.
Dr Burešová is a committee member of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies, at the University of London. She has contributed to a number of publications, and co-edited Exile and Gender II: Politics, Education and the Arts (Brill, 2017). Her book ‘Women Came Too! …’ regarding the experiences of Czechoslovak refugee women in Britain, 1939–1950, will be published by Peter Lang in 2019. She is currently co-authoring a work about the Czech Refugee Trust Fund.