The aim of the current paper is to assess the Bulgarian reflections on T. G. Masaryk's death in 1937. I am going to apply the theoretical approach of the German historian Reinhart Koselleck, who asserted that the "political cult of the dead" should be explored in a certain historical context and the commemoration of the "dead hero" was intended to reconstruct historical events and images. Therefore, before approaching my main objective, I will make a brief overview of the Bulgarian image of TGM in the context of the Bulgarian-Czechoslovak political relationship during the interwar period. I rely mainly on Bulgarian and Czechoslovak periodical press as well as on archival sources, published documents, and secondary literature, related to the subject. In my case study the periodical press assumes the role of intercultural communication and a mechanism of constructing cultural and national stereotypes.
This article examines the cultural and religious aspects of the social life of Chicago Czechs in the second half of the 19th century. Firstly, there is a brief outline of the history of Czech Chicago. There is a description of the role of schools, cultural societies and religion in fostering the patriotism and national identity of Chicago Czechs. Finally, there is a look at the religious relationship between the Czech Catholics and freethinkers, and their influence on everyday life in Czech Chicago.