Publication details
A Cold War Science? Myths about Computing in Czechoslovakia
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Current historiography of computing in Czechoslovakia consists mainly of articles written by the actors themselves. Looking at these actor accounts and contrasting them with archival evidence and published material calls for a broader discussion of history of computing in Cold War Czechoslovakia. Recent trend among Czech historians shows a move towards a less black-and-white perspective. Most notably, this can be seen in the works of Michal Pullmann and Martin Franc, who study political history and history of consumption in Czechoslovakia, respectively. The talk showed a more sober perspective on history of computing in Czechoslovakia --- one that would allow me to explain the contradictions between oral history and archival sources, as e.g. the received view that borders were closed, but computer scientists travelled a lot, even to the West. It was a result of long-term work on untangling history of computing in Cezchoslovakia. |