Christian Nationalism, Nation-Building, and the Making of the Holocaust in Slovakia
Open to the Public | Lunch Provided by Pita Inn
Lunch from 12:00 PM
Lecture begins at 12:30 PM
Kubátová’s upcoming publication, Christian Nationalism, Nation-Building, and the Making of the Holocaust in Slovakia (Oxford University Press, 2025) explores how communal murder and betrayal intersected with nation-building during World War II. Considering ethnic cleansing as a confrontation between protagonists of the regime and civilian populations, this book exposes the crucial role of Christian nationalism in cultivating complicity and collaboration. A state ideology adapted to fit the concerns of the urban elites in Bratislava, whose power hinged on appeasing not only Hitler but also local elites, religious figures, gendarmes, and teachers. Previous scholarship on fascism has typically focused on state actors operating from urban centers and orchestrating coercion. In contrast, Kubátová focuses on the evolving relationship between the center and the eastern borderlands of the Slovak state, illustrating how nationalist ideas and agendas travel across time and space.