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Leeds Beckett lecturer to discuss the show trials of 1950s Czechoslovakia
In the final instalment of the Leeds Cultural Conversation series (a collaborative venture by the Centre for Culture and the Arts at Leeds Beckett and Leeds City Council), Dr Kelly Hignett, Senior Lecturer in History at Leeds Beckett, will explore evidence and insights from previously closed archives about the 1952 Slansky trial in Czechoslovakia.
The talk, which is sponsored by Palgrave Macmillan and will include a short dramatisation of part of the trial, will take place at 12.30pm on Wednesday 11 May in the Court Room at Leeds Town Hall. Places can be booked at http://bit.ly/1SR0DEb.
The trial centred on former Rudolf Slansky and 13 other high ranking leaders of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party (11 of whom were Jewish), who were charged with a range of anti-state activities including conspiracy, treason and espionage. 11 of the men were executed, including Slansky, and three were sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial was part of a Joseph Stalin-inspired purge of ‘disloyal’ elements in the national Communist parties in Central Europe, as well as a purge of Jews from positions of leadership.
Dr Hignett explained: “Under pressure from Stalin, Klement Gottwald, president of Czechoslovakia and leader of the Communist Party, feared being purged, and decided to sacrifice Slansky, a long-time collaborator and personal friend instead.
“Under-duress or after torture, those put on trial publicly confessed to all crimes and were sentenced to death or life in prison. Taking place at the height of the Cold War, the trial received extensive publicity and media coverage, both within Czechoslovakia and internationally. There was particular interest here in Britain, because the defendants were accused of links with UK politicians and intelligence services.
“In my talk I will be discussing how knowledge and understanding of the trial has evolved as a result of new evidence and insights. I will also be considering the wider impact of the trial, by asking how the family members of the victims experienced the trial and exploring to what extent those affected later achieved rehabilitation and retrospective justice.”
Dr Kelly Hignett joined the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities in 2012. Her research relates to crime, social deviance and dissent in communist central and Eastern Europe. She has previously published articles in several peer-review journals and edited collections, and has presented a number of research papers both in the UK and internationally. Dr Hignett is currently researching women’s experiences of repression in communist Czechoslovakia, and is also writing a new book about the Slansky case.
The LCC series has seen some of the Centre’s leading academics deliver lunchtime talks in some of the city’s most iconic buildings. Subject matter has ranged from The European Capital of Culture to LGBTQ histories and heritages, and the life and Crimes of William Sheen – the inspiration for Charles Dickens’s Fagin.
Dr Susan Watkins, Director of the Centre for Culture and the Arts, explained that the aim of the Leeds Cultural Conversations series was to involve people in the centre's research: “We wanted to get away from the idea of a separation between town and gown. Leeds Beckett University has a long history of public engagement work and we wanted as many people as possible to know about the fascinating range of research that our Centre academics are doing.
“It has been great to work with Leeds City Council and Palgrave on this series. It has allowed us to reach a bigger audience and the publisher Palgrave's ‘Campaign for the Humanities’ is something we are closely involved with. We look forward to the series returning in 2016/17.”
Abi Mitchell, Arts Officer (Projects) for Arts Development at Leeds City Council, added: “The series has proved a great partnership project. The diverse and inclusive range of talks and performances have attracted a wide and varied audience from the Leeds city region.”