Public engagement
My research on fascism, complicity, and the Holocaust informs my writing and speaking for a broader public in Czech and Slovak media, especially on historical memory, academic freedom, and democracy. Below is a selection.
Selected Op-Eds
Fascism, Complicity, and Memory
Banální antikomunismus nám o skutečných dějinách řekne jen málo, Deník N, 27 August 2026
Holokaust je aj náš slovenský príbeh, Denník N, 9 September 2025 (with Monika Vrzgulová)
Arizovaný majetok, ale aj ženské oblečenie či ‘očista do krajnosti’ – na čo všetko si Slováci nárokovali v 40. rokoch?, Denník N, 7 May 2025
Fico, Tiso a iné historické paralely, Denník N, 14 March 2024
Academic Freedom and Democracy
Došlo k zásadní změně: Přestali jsme se mýlit, Seznam Zprávy, 13 August 2026
Jaký radikalismus na univerzitách potřebujeme? Dobrá věda je nepohodlná, ne nebezpečná, Deník N, 13 April 2026
Nejdřív přijdou pro vědce. Jako historička vím, co následuje pak, Deník N, 16 March 2026
History and the Present
Dějiny jsou zpátky v kurzu. A mně z toho není dobře, Deník N, 3 June 2026
Jaký život je ještě možné žít, Respekt 7/2026, 8 February 2026
Earlier op-eds: Denník N author page.
Selected Talks, Interviews & Podcasts
The Holocaust, Complicity, and the Book
Hoaxy a podvody: “Vašečka & Kubátová: O dedičstve slovenského fašizmu.” With Michal Vašečka on the legacy of Slovak fascism; 31 May 2026.
SME Dejiny.sk Podcast: “Kolaboráciu s nacistami si obyčajní ľudia ospravedlňovali vykosteným kresťanstvom.” On the moral justifications and cultural frameworks that enabled everyday collaboration; 11 May 2025.
Jakub Ferencik Podcast: “The Making of the Holocaust in Slovakia.” An English-language conversation on state-building, religion, and genocide in Slovakia; 26 February 2025.
Democratic Backsliding, Academic Freedom, and the Present
Romancov & spol. (Deník N): “Jak nás na současnou krizi demokracie připravily ty minulé?” With Michael Romancov on what past crises of democracy, notably in the sixteenth century, can suggest for today; 28 September 2026.
Milion chvilek pro demokracii: “Nenecháme si ukrást budoucnost.” Letná Park, Prague, 21 March 2026. Speaker at the largest Czech civic demonstration since 1989, attended by an estimated 250,000 people. Drawing on comparative evidence from Slovakia and Hungary, I argued that proposed NGO registration legislation reshapes academic and civic life before it even takes force, and that this law has its relatives in Moscow, Budapest, and Bratislava.
Denník N: “Vracia sa fašizmus?” A debate with Martin M. Šimečka and Tomáš Nociar on the limits and uses of historical analogies with fascism; 8 October 2025.
Book Presentations
Since 2025 I have presented the book at the Jewish Museum in Prague, the University of Vienna, Northwestern University, UNC Chapel Hill, and at festivals and venues across Slovakia.