Slovene Studies as part of South Slavic studies has a long tradition in Czech culture. The fruitful relationship between Slovene and Czech scholars and writers began in the Romantic period. It was not by chance that the first lectureship of Slovene was founded in 1914 at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. Subsequently, the teaching of Slovene experienced great success but also went through periods of challenge and difficulty, due to the dramatic political changes in Czech society in the turbulent 20th Century (especially after 1947 and 1968). The positive transformation of Slovene Studies into an official study programme came after 1993/94. After 2008 the understanding of Prague Slavic Studies changed: the "Slovene specialisation" became part of the study of the Balkans and South Slavic region. In the 21th century there is still clear a tension between the philological and historical (cultural) concept of Slovene Studies and South Slavic Studies.
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