Associate Professor Hana Kubátová received the Bedřich Hrozný Prize for Creative Initiative

On the occasion of the 678th anniversary of the founding of Charles University, Charles University Rector Jiří Zima honored personalities who have contributed to the spread of the university’s good name or who have achieved extraordinary creative initiatives. The ceremony took place on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in the Great Hall of Karolinum.

The Bedřich Hrozný Prize for Creative Initiative was awarded to Associate Professor Hana Kubátová from the Institute of Political Studies FSV UK for her publication Christian Nationalism, Nation-Building, and the Making of the Holocaust in Slovakia. In it, she presents a comprehensive analysis of the role of Christian nationalism in the building of the Slovak state during World War II and its contribution to the realization of the Holocaust.

“Hana Kubátová’s work significantly contributes to the visibility of Czech science in a global context and engages in a broader international debate on the nature of fascism, collaboration, and ethnic violence. Although the work deals with a historical topic, its conclusions about the mechanisms of radicalization of society and the misuse of religious and national identity for political goals are completely relevant to the present,” the explanatory statement reads.

“I greatly appreciate the Bedřich Hrozný Prize. At the same time, I realize that what I take away most from the last year are the interviews with people who found a piece of their own story in the book: family, regional, sometimes painful. With those who felt they could confide in each other, because it is our common story and we can only tell it together. That is the dimension of the book’s reception that I did not expect and that struck me the most,” says Hana Kubátová about the prize. You can read about her research and how the book was created in a portrait interview here on the science website at FSV UK.

Hana Kubátová is currently on a research stay in Vienna, therefore she was unable to attend the ceremony in person.

Congratulations!