Habilitationsschrift--Wien, 2001. / Bibliogr. p. 395-422.

My diploma thesis is dedicated to the problem of creating a cult of personality around ice hockey coach Ivan Hlinka. It is focused on two key periods: The first is the victory of the Czech ice hockey team at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano in February 1998 , the second is the period after Hlinka's tragic death in August 2004. The aim of the thesis is to analyze how much media influence the creation of a cult of personality by reporting about these two events. Objects of interest of my thesis are the process that puts a coach almost into the role of national hero . The second aspect of the work is the tabloidization of the topic such as a tragic accident and subsequent Hlinka's death. The thesis defines a cult of personality generaly and also from a historical perspective and adds the most famous reprsentative of cult of personality - Soviet dictator Josif Vissarionovich Stalin. In addition, it is dedicated to the cult of personality of athletes in general. This thesis not only presents Ivan Hlinka from a hockey standpoint, but mentions also his personality through a conversation with his longtime friend Josef Beránek sr. The final analysis is devoted to the representation of Ivan Hlinka in two specific print media during the two selected periods.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 394-420).

Submitted diploma thesis describes the life of priest František Pravda, born Vojtěch Hlinka. He was well-known writer and founder of short stories with rural theme. The thesis introduces Hlinka as a writer, but primarily as a man of many other professions and interests. The way of life brought him to Hrádek u Sušice to work for an aristocratic family of Sturmfeders. Attention is concerned with mutual relations between the Czech patriot and four generations of German baronial family. Hlinka worked as an educator of feeble-minded Ottokar Sturmfeder in Hrádek´s castle. His extraordinary psychopaedics talent is compared with usual provincial and European contemporary standards. There is also depicted Hlinka´s political, writing and religion career and his other interests. The thesis doesn´t overlook Hlinka´s contacts with important representatives of artistic and political life, which helps to complete the picture of Hlinka´s personality.

The purpose of this diploma thesis is to cathegorize the Slovak Republic (1938-1945) in the non-democratic regimes typology, primarily with regard to theories of Fascism and regimes in the "grey zone" between Fascism and Authoritarianism. The thesis explains the dynamics of Fascisation in Europe in the mid-war period, and places the Slovak Republic to this context of "the Fascist era". In the practical part, it will be dealt with divisions of the regime internally and in the Hlinka's Slovak People's Party. Based on this, the Slovak regime will be defined as Parafascist. Keywords Fascism; (First) Slovak Republic; Slovak State; Hlinka's Slovak People's Party; Para- Fascism; Hlinka Guard; Jozef Tiso; Alexander Mach