From Praha to Prague

From Praha to Prague
Author :
Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages : 215
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780806159621
ISBN-13 : 0806159626
Rating : 4/5 (626 Downloads)

Book Synopsis From Praha to Prague by : Philip D. Smith

Download or read book From Praha to Prague written by Philip D. Smith and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2017-10-12 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Around the turn of the twentieth century, thousands of Czechs left their homelands in Bohemia and Moravia and came to the United States. While many settled in major American cities, others headed to rural areas out west where they could claim their own land for farming. In From Praha to Prague, Philip D. Smith examines how the Czechs who founded and settled in Prague, Oklahoma, embraced the economic and cultural activities of their American hometown while maintaining their ethnic identity. According to Smith, the Czechs of Prague began as a clannish group of farmers who participated in the 1891 land run and settled in east-central Oklahoma. After the town’s incorporation in 1902, settlers from other ethnic backgrounds swiftly joined the fledgling community, and soon the original Czech immigrants found themselves in the minority. By 1930, the Prague Czechs had reached a unique cultural, social, and economic duality in their community. They strove to become reliable, patriotic citizens of their adopted country—joining churches, playing sports, and supporting the Allied effort in World War II—but they also maintained their identity as Czechs through local traditions such as participating in the Bohemian Hall society, burying their dead in the town’s Czech National Cemetery, and holding the annual Kolache Festival, a lively celebration that still draws visitors from around the world. As a result, Smith notes, succeeding generations of Prague Czechs have proudly considered themselves Czech Americans: firmly assimilated to mainstream American culture but holding to an equally strong sense of belonging to a singular ethnic group. As he analyzes the Czech experience in farm-town Oklahoma, Smith explores several intriguing questions: Was it easier or more difficult for Czechs living in a rural town to sustain their ethnic identity and culture than for Czechs living in large urban areas such as Chicago? How did the tactics used by Prague Czechs to preserve their group identity differ from those used in rural areas where immigrant populations were the majority? In addressing these and other questions, From Praha to Prague reveals the unique path that Prague Czechs took toward Americanization.


From Praha to Prague Related Books

From Praha to Prague
Language: en
Pages: 215
Authors: Philip D. Smith
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-10-12 - Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Around the turn of the twentieth century, thousands of Czechs left their homelands in Bohemia and Moravia and came to the United States. While many settled in m
From Praha to Prague
Language: en
Pages: 178
Authors: Philip D. Smith
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-10-12 - Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Around the turn of the twentieth century, thousands of Czechs left their homelands in Bohemia and Moravia and came to the United States. While many settled in m
Prague - Czech Republic
Language: en
Pages: 260
Authors: Hana Černá
Categories: Travel
Type: BOOK - Published: 1999 - Publisher: Hunter Publishing, Inc

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Annotation Fully colour-illustrated travel guides packed with information on the history and culture of a destination.
Time Out Prague
Language: en
Pages: 144
Authors:
Categories: Travel
Type: BOOK - Published: 2002 - Publisher: Time Out Guides

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Described as Europe's most beautiful and enigmatic city, Prague is based at the geographic heart of the Continent. THE TIME OUT GUIDE TO PRAGUE keeps up with th
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Prague
Language: en
Pages: 274
Authors: Craig Turp
Categories: Travel
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-02-01 - Publisher: Penguin

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Few cities have as much to offer as Prague, so it can be difficult to decide how best to spend your time, but the Eyewitness Travel Guide helps you to get the m