This coming summer, from June 26 to July 12th, the Manhattan Beach Community Church Senior Choir will be touring a series of central European cities in Hungary, the Czech Repubilc, Poland and Germany.

On Tuesday, 25 March, 2008 I will be presenting:


Faultlines: The Religious and National Histories of Central Europe


I will not speak on the details of the places you will be visiting. Instead, I will offer a general framework for understanding this region's history and its place in European history. Of course, questions and discussion will be welcome before, after and during the presentation. Comments before and after the presentation are also welcome right here at this blog. Just click on "add comment" below this story or reply to one of the comments already posted.

If you are interested in particular aspects of the history of the region, perhaps I can recommend literature. Right now I am reading Laszlo Kontler's A History of Hungary which is the standard general history of Hungary in English. It is written for the interested general reader as well as the specialist. My impression of it so far, however, is that it is a bit "heavy" for a first go at Hungarian history. The author does make the effort to occasionally step back from the detail, however, and offer the broader coverage necessary to better understand the Hungarian situation in context. A comparable work on Poland is Norman Davies: God's Playground. Unfortunately, it is even longer - two volumes!

I will be adding other titles as they come to mind.

Also check out Connie's blog Exploring Solo. She's looking for and discussing historical fiction relevant to the trip.