Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2025, 61(3): 323-332

Ladislav Holy: A Larger-than-Life Character with Extremely Strong Opinions. An Interview with Kate Holy (featuring Petr Skalník)

Lenka Jakoubková Budilová

Faculty of Humanities, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Charles University

This interview with Kate Holy, widow of the prominent Czech-British anthropologist Ladislav Holý, offers both a personal and scholarly perspective on the life and work of this remarkable figure in social anthropology. Conducted in connection with the forthcoming Czech translation of Holý’s Anthropological Perspectives on Kinship, the conversation combines Kate Holy’s memories with additional commentary by Czech anthropologist Petr Skalník. The text covers Holý’s life in exile in Scotland, his academic work and field research in Africa (among the Berti and the Toka), his relationship with both Scotland and his homeland, which he left in 1968. The interview also reflects on his personal life, and his founding of the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. The final part presents the activities of the Ladislav Holy Memorial Trust, which has supported anthropological research since his death. The interview is supplemented by Holý´s bibliography.

Keywords: Ladislav Holý, social anthropology, Czech exile, Africanist fieldwork, University of St Andrews

Received: June 23, 2025; Revised: July 4, 2025; Accepted: July 7, 2025; Published: September 1, 2025  Show citation