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The problematics of social cohesion
Havran, Mikuláš ; Hrubec, Marek (advisor) ; Barša, Pavel (referee) ; Jüptner, Jan (referee)
S U M M A R Y This submitted dissertation thesis deals with the problematics of social cohesion through effects analysis of cultural values on the development of social and political relations in a society as such. The efforts of the thesis are not only directed towards articulation of Rawls's principals of justice, but they also reveal the desire to connect with the topic of the basic human rights from which questions of a suitable concept of societies derive. It actually means that the suitable concept in which it would be possible to achieve, from the point of view of intersubjective relations, a sufficient level of social cohesion and that way to strengthen an important factor for sustainability of social relations in societies as such. From the point of view of methodology, these thesis are for sufficient review as well as easier orientation in the whole work divided into 4 parts, which split further into 5 chapters. Before the four parts, the INTRODUCTION comes and it tries to be not only practical, but also academic in style to provide an introductory beginning of my work. Then, it is possible to say that every part of the four in my thesis deals with a research area of social sciences that is related to politological research as such. Nevertheless, my intention is to persuade readers that there is a...
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Critical media pedagogy - theoretical underpinning and contribution to media education
Valenta, Petr ; Sak, Petr (advisor) ; Havlík, Radomír (referee) ; Kartous, Bohumil (referee)
Critical media pedagogy - theoretical underpinnigs and contribution to media education Dissertation Mgr. Petr Valenta Keywords critical theory, critical media pedagogy, media literacy, critical pedagogy, media, ideology, discourse, power, symbolic power, knowledge Abstract The theoretical dissertation analyzes the traditional media education model issues, which derives from the orientation of media literacy on the dominant paradigm of media effects research in media studies. Media education takes the "media effects concept" and uses it to organize its own teaching practice. Theoretical dependence on media studies and the concept media effects leads media education to protectionism and normativity, which is reflected in the directive establishment of knowledge, skills and values pupils may acquire. This situation has negative effect on efforts of developing critical media thinking as independent on social authorities. Moreover, media education potentially reproduces the dominant modes of knowledge about media and society, without revealing them as social constructions. The theoretical basis for changing the paradigm of media education to become more critical and transformative practice able to form the student's personality as an autonomous, critical- thinking and committed citizen is presented in the second...
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Representation of visual arts in Události v kultuře during the first two years of broadcasting of the television block ČT art (August 2013 - August 2015)
Lebedová, Veronika ; Sládková, Hana (advisor) ; Köpplová, Barbara (referee)
The main topic of this thesis is the role of media in society with respect to the relation between media, society and culture. The thesis aims to reassess selected issues, based on critical theory of media and society, and to verify their relevance in contemporary Czech context. These subjects are theoretically based on several concepts of authors connected with the so called Frankfurt School and on the critical theory developed by their followers. Their opinions are applied on the Czech environment through the perspective of cultural studies because of the shift in social and historical context since the former theories appeared. After media studies left the ideas of technological determinism, their dominant paradigm has changed to social constructivism, being interested in the meaning of media contents. In cultural studies, the meaning is interpreted using tools of structural and semiotic analysis. The same research perspective and method are applied in this thesis. Considering the interpretation of meaning in the representation of art in the program Události v kultuře, we could partly reflect on the mythology and ideology of Czech society in its relation to culture. The primary result of the empirical research is the fact, that media messages about art represent (implicitly or explicitly)...
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The Origins of Totalitarianism Viewed by First Generation of Critical Theorists
Danovská, Krista ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Tuček, Milan (referee)
The goal of the thesis is analysis of the origin of the totalitarian system in the work of Theodor Adorno, Erich Fromm, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse, as representatives of the theoretical framework of critical theory. The analysis is carried out both in terms of the individual - the text works with the researches of the authors working with the concept of the authoritarian character - and in the analysis of societal factors leading to an undemocratic systém using texts following the philosophy of history. Work explores the overall context of the operating of selected authors, because the situation, during which the first generation of critical theorists formed their works was an important factor which influenced their thinking. The findings from selected studies include the fact that people with lower social status are more susceptible to tend towards a totalitarian system with strong authoritarian elements. Results from two different research one before the war and postwar one show that propensity for undemocratic system is rife. Texts dedicated to the philosophy of history show that modern capitalism and enlightened society elements are leading to totalitarianism. The authors leave this topic after their return to Frankfurt to a renewed Institute for Social Research.
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"The Grand Conspiracy: A Lacanian Reading of Contemporary Conspiracy Theories"
Bohal, Vít ; Armand, Louis (advisor) ; Vichnar, David (referee)
The numerous and varied conspiracy theories which circulate in the contemporary discourse are subject to hyperstition, insofar as they are grouped into wider, more elaborate structures. Some of them become hierarchic to such a degree, that they may, in Michael Barkun's typology, be labeled as "superconspiracy" constructs. No author is more prolific and systematic in the crafting of these constructs than the guru of anglophone conspiracy theory belief, David Icke. The work attempts to keep as its object of study the work of David Icke and his "reptoid hypothesis," as it is effectively one of the most elaborate and baroque conspiracy theories which populate contemporary political discourse. It is Icke's oeuvre which this thesis attempts to recontextualize within the confines of critical social theory and Žižekian psychoanalysis. The existence of a "paranoid style" as professed by Richard J. Hofstadter can be noted throughout the history of western culture, from the Homeric gods, scheming behind the scenes, to its modern incarnations culminating in the superconspiracy constructs of David Icke, Alex Jones, and others. The work focuses not on specific conspiracy theories and their claim to facticity, but rather attempts to trace the structural features of Icke's construct and establish their underlying...
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Orientalism reversed: Critical analysis of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
Bruner, Tomáš ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
This thesis uses the Critical theory to explore the history and functioning of African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. This judicial institution was established in 1998. However, it did not rule any decision on the merits until 2013. All cases had been refused because it lacked the jurisdiction. Finally in 2013, two judgments were issued that solved the factual situation of applicants. Nevertheless, the danger still exists that the Court will function only if the states will allow it to do so. Such inactivity of the Court is firmly inconsistent with the intensity of human rights violations on the African continent. In the same way, it falsifies the presuppositions of liberal institutionalism that the international institutions should strengthen cooperation between states and contribute to the development of mutually interconnected areas: economic development, democracy and human rights protection. The thesis is an empirical case study which opposes the liberal-institutional ideas. It uses the Critical theory in narrow sense to show that those ideas played certain role in the establishment of the Court. Nonetheless, the real willingness of the states to empower the Court with authority and limit their sovereignty was absent. The Court, as a procedural enlargement of substantive human rights...
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How to think Architecture in a new way. Late though of Peter Eisenman and his critical theory of architecture
Tourek, Jiří ; Říha, Cyril (advisor) ; Pětová, Marie (referee) ; Zervan, Marian (referee)
Dissertation thesis "How to think Architecture in a new way. Late though of Peter Eisenman and his critical theory of architecture" tries to summarise and analyse the key thoughts of architect and thinker Peter Eisenman in his late oeuvre. The point of departure of his theoretical thinking seems to be refusal of any timeless essence of architecture and a will to "dislocate" architecture from influence of metaphysics. The way to this is "criticality", a notion constituted with three basic terms: interiority (the interiority of architecture defines the discipline, what it is that makes architecture singular), exteriority (external concepts that change architecture by being internalised into the discipline and changing it) and anteriority (anteriority is the sedimented history of architecture; history of interiority). These three terms are according to Eisenman connected in a notion of "undecidability" that serves as a central criterium to criticality and in a "diagram" that is a mean to overcome metaphysical implications of architecture. At the end of the thesis there is a summary of Eisenman's theoretical work and its importance and an attempt is made to set so conceived whole in its entirety to the thought of "end of metaphysics". In this context is Eisenman seen to be in a position similar from...
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The Positivism Dispute in German Sociology. The development, main ideas and continuation
Vondráková, Renáta ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Petrusek, Miloslav (referee)
Diplomová práce Spor o pozitivismus v německé sociologii. Renáta Vondráková. 2012. Abstract The main theme of the work is the issue of positivism dispute, which is commonly referred to discussions that occurred in German sociology in the sixties. It was a debate between advocates of critical theory, which were Theodor W. Adorno and Jürgen Habermas, and the concept of critical rationalism of Karl R. Popper and Hans Albert. The discussion initially was confined to issues related to the logic of the social sciences, for many reasons, but rather applied to differences between the concepts and challenges of science from the perspective of both the above approaches. Also the description and discovery purposes and contexts that led to the overturning topic discussion are devoted to this work. The aim is to describe the external influences as widely as possible and how it affected the final understanding of the dispute, but also how well the positivism dispute turned the concepts of science in the following period. The first part is concerned with social and historical situation in which the dispute arose. Followed by an outline of key terms that in connection with a dispute likely occur, in fact it is the analysis of major issues. Emphasis is placed on a thorough description of the first two contributions to the...
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The ideal of community in modern societies
Štěch, Ondřej ; Hrubec, Marek (advisor) ; Znoj, Milan (referee) ; Skovajsa, Marek (referee)
of doctoral thesis This thesis deals with the problem of community conceived as an important ideal in modern societies. Its departing point in understanding modernity is the concept of social imaginaries as developed by Charles Taylor. The interpretation of this concept shows, that community is always only an alternative model of social relations. Despite this situation, it is an always recurrent ideal. The question is, why it is so and in which forms it manifests itself. The first question is answered with the help of the theory of recognition of Axel Honneth, which analyzes moral development of the subject in connection with communal relations. Identity is always anchored in the experience of recognition, and this experience needs to be confirmed in human relationships. Community, then, is the place of such confirmation. The thesis then proceeds to the reconstruction of various shapes of the ideal of community. In the reconstruction of these two most important forms of community, the thesis relies on the work of communitarian theorists and of Benedict Anderson. The first one shows small, mainly local communities growing out of free will of their members. Such communities are formed for various purposes. The second important form are imagined communities, especially nations. The thesis is...
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Neo-Marxism and psychoanalysis as a source and inspiration of Frankfurt School
ŠACHLOVÁ, Tereza
In my thesis I will pursue the ideological foundations of the Frankfurt School, a significant social philosophical group of the 20th century. Marxist and psychoanalytic basis will be reflected in conjunction with a critical theory of society and a phenomenon of culture industry. The purpose of this work is to present influences which formed a theoretical work of the Frankfurt School, its research in a modern society and a contribution to the so-called commodification of culture and art related to the expansion of mass culture.
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