Jan Oliva (1971) is a PhD student at the Université Michel de Montaigne, Bordeaux III, France and the Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic within the framework of thesis co-tutorials between the Universities of Bordeaux and Prague. His thesis advisors are Christophe Bouneau (France) and Ivan Jakubec (Czech Rep.). The title of his thesis project is The Czechoslovakian transport networks between the wars: an overall historical approach.

A historical, multimodal approach to the transport problem in Czechoslovakia between the wars will permit us to understand the high stakes involved and reveal the original solutions put to the test in this field by this little country of Central Europe.

The evaluation of these facts enables the historian not only to describe the past situation, and eventually explain that of the present, but also to put forward certain hypotheses and even give some guidance for choice in the future. A study of the Czechoslovak transport networks will in this way contribute, within the comparative international perspective, to the decoding and understanding of a fragment of the European network.

Jan was engaged for four years in economic and social history research, specializing in the history of transport in Czech countries in the 19th and 20th centuries. After receiving his degree, of which the dissertation dealt with the development of Czech railways in the 19th century[1], and his Master's degree, covering the period from 1918 to the present and exploring the whole spectrum of transports[2], he wished to devote his PhD. to the question of transport in central Europe.

Jan is a member of the International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T²M) and participates in the research project Logiques Spatiales de l'Innovation of the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine (France) and in the ESF research network Tensions of Europe. He holds a grant from the French Association pour l'Histoire des Chemins de fer (AHICF).

Contact: Jan Oliva, joprotec-mail@yahoo.fr

Papers

• The Czechoslovak state and its transport policy facing the new boundaries in Central Europe (1918-1923), delivered at the 2nd international conference of Tensions of Europe Network in Lappeenranta, Finland on 25th - 28th May 2006.

• Die Schaffung eines tchechoslowakischen Strassennetzes in gesamtverkehrspolitischer Betrachtung 1918-1939 als Beitrag für das Workshop des Arbeitskreises Verkehrsgeschichte der Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte, in Köln, am 11. und 12. Mai 2006, zum Thema: Geschichte der Straße; Bau, Nutzung, Raumerschließung von Fernstraßen.

• The uphill road towards a multimodal management of public transport in Czechoslovakia between the wars, delivered at the final conference of the COST 340 action - Towards a European Intermodal Transport Network: Lessons from History, Paris 13 - 15 June 2005.

• Innovation et territoire dans la question des choix politiques entre transport routier et transport ferroviaire dans la Tchécoslovaquie de l'entre-deux-guerres at the conference "Les territoires de l'innovation, espaces de conflits"; Bordeaux 18 - 19 November 2004 (in the framework of the research program Les Logiques Spatiales de l'Innovation de la MSHA).

• Normalisation, co-ordination and methods of regulation of Czechoslovakian transport between the wars at the 2nd conference of the international research association «Transport, Traffic and Mobility» held in Dearborn, USA, from 4 to 7 November 2004.

[1] 2001 "Maîtrise" Master's degree in History, at the Michel de Montaigne University, Bordeaux III, France ; research director Christophe Bouneau ; subject: The concept of the network in the history of Czech railways in the 19th century; (awarded a grant by AHICF)

[2] 2002: D.E.A. (Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies) Master's degree in History at the Michel de Montaigne University, Bordeaux III, France ; research director Christophe Bouneau ; subject Le concept de réseau dans l'histoire des chemins de fer tchèques : du concept de réseau aux systèmes d'exploitation ferroviaires (depuis la genèse du réseau ferré juqu'en 1989) [The concept of a network in the history of Czech railways : from its theoretical concept to the running of the railway system (since the beginning of the railway network until 1989)]