Mały naród, małe dziedzictwo? Česká otázka w eseistyce XX i XXI wieku (wybrane przykłady)

Minor Nation, Minor Heritage? The Czech question (Česká otázka) in 20th- and 21st-century Essay Czechs questioning their self-identity, a nation with its own state, would seem anachronistic nowadays. Yet questions about Czechs’ identity and their cultural heritage, or even their historical mission, are still important for Czech society. A number of 19th- and 20th -century texts, important to the Czech Question have been republished in journals, newspapers and books since 1989. In the times of uncertainty and renewed rise of nationalism and populism in Central Europe, thinking about small/minor nations and the role they play in Europe is both a pressing issue and an ethical one. The author of the article presents the discussion about the Czech Question (česká otázka) and the Czech Fate (český úděl) from its beginning to its present form. She focuses on 20th-and 21st-century essays written by T.G. Masaryk, J. Patočka, M. Kundera, V. Bělohradský, J. Pehe, K. Kosík. The problem of being an uncertain nation in an unstable European region seems to be a major and an extremely important issue for all of the above mentioned philosophers and essayists. The uncertainty they write about has its roots not in the number of citizens or in the state territory, but in some kind of ‘smallness’ of the Czech mentality. The author of the article considers the importance of that discussion for other small/minor nations or even cultural and ethnic communities (e.g. Kashubians, Sorbs, Vilamovians/Wilamowiceans, Upper Silesians), because they are asking similar questions.