Klara Pinerova

Klára Pinerová

Klara Pinerova PhD candidate at the Institute for Economic and Social History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague

As a PhD candidate at the Institute for Economic and Social History at Charles University, I focus on the long history of socialist dictatorship. My main interest is the postwar penitentiary system in Czechoslovakia and East Germany and the Czechoslovak tertiary educational system in the 1970s and 1980s. During my PhD study I was involved in several projects. Winning a doctoral research fellowship at the Wirth Institute gave me a great opportunity, not only to focus on my doctoral research and finish my PhD dissertation, but to experience a distant country, meet different people and learn about their customs as well. From a scientific point of view, I have broadened the international contacts in my field of research. I applied for several conferences in North America where I have the chance to meet colleagues dealing with Czech studies and or Central European history in general. Discussions of different topics with other doctoral research fellows from Central Europe provide both an inspiring environment and recognition of a common past arising from the end of the Austria-Hungary Empire and communism in our countries. One of the responsibilities as a Wirth fellow is the development of the Institute's relationship with Czech and Slovak communities in Canada. I teach Czech language courses and keep in touch with the representatives to inform them about cultural and academic activities organized by the Wirth Institute that their members might be interested in.

Time for my doctoral research, exchanges with international contacts and conferences is an important part of my experience of the fellowship, however, not the only one. Canada, in the minds of many, is remarkable because of its natural beauty. I set out with a lot of knowledge about the Klondike Gold Rush and with images of a country full of snow, ice, lakes and bears and I have found almost everything (except the bears). The University of Alberta provides it all: lectures by internationally recognised experts, an excellent library, fully equipped sports centre, and a broad offer of leisure activities.

Contact

E-mail: pinerova@ualberta.ca; klara.pinerova@seznam.cz
Telephone: +1 780 492 6390
Address:
University of Alberta
Wirth institute for Austrian and Central European Studies
Suite 300 F
Arts & Convocation Hall
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T6G 2E6

Institute for Economic and Social History:

http://uhsd.ff.cuni.cz/node/99

NGO Political Prisoners.eu:

www.politicalprisoners.eu / www.politictivezni.cz