This poignant reflection on alienation and belonging explores the lives of five remarkable individuals who faced nationalism and intolerance in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. For many in Prague, belonging is tied to the nation, represented by its grand medieval architecture and monuments celebrating a shared history. However, not all residents felt included in the narrative of national belonging. Socialists, dissidents, Jews, Germans, and Vietnamese have faced hatred and persecution in their own city. The author shares the stories of five marginalized figures over the past two centuries who crafted their own definitions of belonging. They include an aspiring guidebook writer, a German-speaking newspaperman, a Bolshevik carpenter, a mixed-heritage actress who experienced Communist terror, and a Czech-speaking Vietnamese blogger. Although not famous, their lives reveal the tensions between exclusionary nationalism and the diversity present in everyday life. Through their struggles against alienation, they created alternative communities in cafes, workplaces, and online. As they navigate the city—strolling through parks, participating in political marches, or documenting their experiences—these outsiders embody a city designed for others. This powerful meditation on place, nation, individual, and community envisions how cohesion and difference can coexist, addressing a universal need for belonging.
Chad Bryant Book order (chronological)
Podtitul: Nacistická vláda a český nacionalismus Jedinečná práce mladého amerického historika, jež zkoumá život v Praze ovládané nacisty v době německé okupace. Autor se v této knize věnuje jak politickým, tak především hospodářským a sociálním dějinám. Prostřednictvím mnoha originálních analýz vykresluje každodenní život v okupované Praze, chování obyčejných Pražanů i politických elit ve vztahu k Němcům. Stranou však nenechává ani pražský kulturní a intelektuální život, jejž autor nazírá jako jednu z forem české národní rezistence vůči okupačnímu režimu.
On the heels of the Munich Agreement, Hitler’s troops marched into Prague and established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Nazi leaders were determined to make the region entirely German. Bryant explores the origins and implementation of these plans as part of a wider history of Nazi rule and its eventual consequences for the region.