Creating and Preserving Community: Czech Americans in Omaha, Nebraska.

Abstract

Czechs are one of the many diasporic communities that exist in the United States. The state of Nebraska contains one of the largest Czech diasporas in the country. This thesis looks at the Czech diaspora in Omaha, Nebraska - the largest city in the state. Through the use of interviews and archival research, a fragmented microhistory of the community is created answering the questions of how the community has changed since its founding, how it maintains its ethnic heritage, how it represents itself to the public, and what its future holds. This thesis argues that the key challenges to the vitality of the community are generational shifts, conflicts and lack of cooperation between community organizations, and finances.