BIOGRAFICKÝ SLOVNÍK EVROPSKÉ ETNOLOGIE V KONTEXTU ČESKÉ A SLOVENSKÉ OBOROVÉ LEXIKOGRAFIE

Special lexicographical publications are created by different fields of science along with general dictionaries and encyclopaedias. This is the case of ethnology since the times of its beginnings, which go back to the end of 18th century in Central Europe. In the beginning encyclopaedias about life and culture from the point of view of the whole world were the most popular. However, later publications dealing with national culture and culture of different European nations emerged. Formation of national state after the Word War I led to production of encyclopaedias, which were supposed to encourage national sovereignty in a new political background. After 1989 the concept of ethnography and folkloristics was substituted by the project of European ethnology. An effort to define new concept of ethnology and to set boundaries in relationship with other fields of science led to production of lexicographic publications, which were supposed to explain mentioned phenomena. Professor Richard Jeřábek from Masaryk University in Brno has been working on biographical dictionary of European ethnology since 2003. It contains 267 entries of personalities, who contributed to forming of European ethnology since 19th century.