Matthew S. Witkowsky

Envisaging the Gendered Center: Prague's Municipal Building and the Construction of a "Czech Nation," c. 1880-1914

The main subject of Witkovský's study is the interpretation of expressions of Czech national consciousness and the origin of the Czech national discourse. For this purpose, the author uses Jacques Lacan's model of linguistic analysis. At the heart of the question of national consciousness he places the mythical figure of Libuše, who, according to him, embodies both the phallic mother and the desire to unify genders, reflected in the neuter category of Czech grammar. Witkovský devotes a large part of his study to the Municipal House in Prague, focusing on the interpretation of the symbolic meanings of its decoration.

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