Why this initiative
As far back as early Europe, Universities were an exemplar of Europeanism, not only because they used a single language – Latin – and had a common curriculum describing a universal man elevated above all national particularisms, as well as the fact that university masters had the right to teach the members of any nationality on the continent. While it is true that the universalistic principle of the Middle Ages was surpassed by the principle of the nation in Romantism, perhaps this was only to allow us to overcome the nationalist antagonisms that accumulated in Europe in the 19th and particularly in the 20th century through a superior, universal, integrating principle in the reuniting of Europe.
One of the greatest Czech literary critics of the past century F. X. Šalda, Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy & Art of Charles University in Prague, predicted a unification of civilization in Europe shortly before the outbreak of World War II, in spite of the threat of the approaching cataclysm of the war, on the basis of general principles, law and justice, stressing that, for small states and nations, the fact is that we must knowingly reroute our nationalism to a universal denominator, equilibrating it efficiently and deliberately with universalism. Salda recalled that we did this in a very fortunate manner in the Middle Ages, we did this in the Revivalist period and we must do this today and tomorrow. And Salda, a disciple of the Western and, in particular, the Romanic cultural world, puts the issue more precisely: “I believe in the mission of the center in Europe”, and simultaneously asks a rhetorical question: “Could it perhaps be a Central European idea, and especially our own idea?” in the 1935 essay entitled “Czechness and Europe”. He simultaneously points out to the generations to come that “it is a cultural program for more than just one century”.
Although history soon denied him this vision, it became clear several decades later that it was not a futile one. Today, in spite of all the skepticism about globalization, there does exist a common denominator of European culture and now even of politics and there also exists a Central European culture, a historic space of Central Europe, later defined by another professor of the same Faculty, Karel Kosík, as a controversial space and a space of controversy, however with nations as its entities that are looking for a form of coexistence, perhaps even more urgently today than ever before.
It seems that, in the triumvirate of intellectuals, politicians and experts, the first of these are heard the least. It is as if universities were losing their privileged position in the educational system, although society formally does not contest their importance. At the time when new nations were constituted, this new project of collective identity was created by intellectuals. Today, when the situation has changed not only in Central Europe, national projects have become a reality guaranteed by the state, and it is therefore the task of intellectuals to react critically towards them. However, this also demands a scholarly reflection, in which our universities should participate by cooperating in meaningful projects that are inspiring for everyone involved. At a time when a common progress of history in Europe is coming into consideration, cooperation between Central European universities could provide a good fundament, not only for historiography, but for all the humanities. This is a promising idea and perhaps, as F. X. Šalda predicted, for more than just one century.
Doc. PhDr. Rudolf Chmel, DrSc.