Jak psát dějiny moderních univerzit? Polemika nad IV. dílem Dějin univerzit v Evropě

The fourth volume of the synthetic work „A history of the University in Europe. Universities since 1945“ presents not merely a comprehensive overview of the development of post-war higher education but it also leaves us with a number of unanswered questions on the topic itself, as well as the means, possibilities and aims of the historiography of modern universities in general. The author critically interprets the main areas in which profound factual errors and manipulations typical for this prestigious, yet political rather than historical work, occur. In part two of his contribution, the author formulates fundamental premises for critical, although primary resource based, comparative research of post-war universities as a unique, supreme and scientifically oriented form of higher educational preparation of the elites in a slowly, but nonetheless academically merging Europe. He explains that universities are not merely market-oriented institutions of higher learning and producers of easily applied outcomes of research but also intellectual environments with important links and roles for society as a whole.