Václav Havel Posthumous Reclamation of a National Hero?

Abstract

A playwright, philosopher, and president, Václav Havel was well known at home and abroad for all his “careers” and contributions. This article compares and contrasts the recognition accorded to Havel at home and abroad, examining differing assessments and aspects of his legacy—his key contributions to politics, history, and the history of ideas. Within the Czech Republic, we refer to processes and types of memorialization such as local media, exhibitions, how Havel is and was referenced in protest, and more “official” memorials. This national process of reclaiming Havel increasingly brings his domestic profile into accord with his long-standing international stature—which was decidedly not the case while he was in political office. By following avenues of evidence and example from institutional and official levels to more decentralized, local, and unofficial initiatives, we explore which aspects of Havel’s own usable past are referenced, which in turn illuminates how collective memory is shaped. The process of memorializing Havel and paying tribute to his ideas and legacy is necessarily unfinished. Although he died in 2011, how Havel is remembered will continue to evolve, along with larger national and international discussions of dissidence and the impact of Charter 77, as both he and the Velvet Revolution continue to resonate in movements for political change in authoritarian regimes.