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Supercivilization. Patočka's Concept of Modernity and it's Relevance In The Context of Contemporary Historical Sociology.
Homolka, Jakub ; Arnason, Johann Pall (advisor) ; Skovajsa, Marek (referee)
This thesis deals with the concept of modernity called "nadcivilizace" ("supercivilization") that was developed in the nineteen-fifties by Czech philosopher Jan Patočka (1907-1977) in his originally unpublished study Nadcivilizace a její vnitřní konflikt. The main goal of the thesis is to introduce this concept in the framework of the author's life and work, as well as in the context of current research in the field of historical sociology. This goal is fulfilled through three main steps, which are preceded by preliminary remarks about the issues of nowadays civilizational analysis. The first part is focused on the introduction of the author's concept of modernity as it was presented in the aforementioned study. Patočka's original term "nadcivilizace" is introduced and put into the context of civilizational analysis. At the same time, the circumstances of the genesis of the text, and the spiritual framework of the epoch in which Czech philosopher lived, are presented. Second part attempts to put the original concept into the author's lecture of philosophy of history, and to demonstrate the changes that occurred in Patočka's understanding of modernity in his work Kacířské eseje o filosofii dějin (Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History, 1975). Finally, the last part is dedicated to the problem...
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Modernity and the Changing American South: Alienation in a Selection of Fiction by Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty
Halášková, Lucie ; Roraback, Erik Sherman (advisor) ; Ulmanová, Hana (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to explore the theme of alienation in selected fiction by Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor, taking into consideration the geographic as well as ideological positions from which the two authors write, contextualizing their work in its portrayal as well as critique of the South. Firstly, the insular nature of the South is examined vis-à-vis ethnic and racial othering. The exclusionary social politics of Southern communities are satirized and subverted, as the two authors pit the xenophobic and racist tendencies of their provincial characters against a cultural landscape that fails to accommodate their narrow- minded world view. The gap between the Southern ideology and its contemporaneous reality can be partially accounted for due to the rise of consumer culture, which is discussed in its impact on race relations and social mobility as well as religion. The following chapter, entitled "Commodity Culture and the Americanization of the South," explores the conflation of religious and consumerist ideologies, negotiating the proclaimed adherence to Protestantism in the South with the rise of consumer behaviour as supplanting spirituality. The impact of a ritualistic adherence to capitalist structures is analyzed as promoting a culture of hyper-individualism, narcissism and alienation,...
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Walking and writing the world. An approach to modernity in Bohemia and France from the beginnig of the 19 th century to the 1948's
Matysová, Kristýna ; Hrbata, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Kyloušek, Petr (referee) ; Hrbata, Zdeněk (referee)
Walking and writing the world. An approach to modernity in Bohemia and France from the beginning of the 19th century to the 1940's In Christian allegoric texts the Pilgrim traditionally symbolizes the journey of mankind to heaven. From the second half of the 19th century on, poets, travelers, and vagabonds pursued the quest of an afterlife from within city walls. This dissertation examines the different representations of modern wandering via an in-depth analysis of the theme as encountered in French and Czech literature and arts from the early 19th century to the 1940's. It reveals, in chronological order, the different artistic approaches to modernity. By bringing out the various patterns that emerge from the texts, while taking into account the historical and social contexts in which they were created, this work adds to existing knowledge on the cultural similarities between France and Bohemia. It also examines the different literary genres which originate from mankind's need to walk and write the world.
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Social Theory and the Late-Modern Approaches to the Study Of Culture
Lachmann, Filip ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Holeček, Tomáš (referee)
Sociology, social science and human sciences in general are interested in the study of culture since its inception. This concern, however, have transformed over the years and the development of individual disciplines, especially in the 20th century, where the phenomenon of culture has become one of the main indicators of social coexistence. The concept of culture itself represents a very wide range of activities, objects and characteristics tied with the human and his behavior. This work focuses on the process, during which social scientists have begun to perceive the culture no longer just a file or a store of values, but as part of power struggle, hegemony, ideology and oppression in their everyday impact on the scientific knowledge and the creation of social discourse. It notes the rise of critical theory, which arose mainly in the context of the so-called "cultural turn", starting in the postwar period. It records the development of social theory as a discipline combining several approaches, grounded in a larger frame of reference, the main aim is to highlight the difference between social science typical for modernity and more or less postmodern authors, which we nowadays consider the leading scientists and philosophers of the 20th century. This report covers the Frankfurt School of T. Adorno,...
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Portrayal of Female Family Members in Selected Works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Tlamková, Sabina ; Topolovská, Tereza (advisor) ; Higgins, Bernadette (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to analyse the position of women in Nigerian family and to estimate the extent of their emancipation and/or dependence on men in Nigerian society, traditionally considered to be patriarchal. The analysis is based on the interpretation of the novels Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun and the short story collection The Thing around Your Neck, written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a prominent contemporary Nigerian author. The theoretical part focuses on political, social and economic representations of women in pre- colonial Nigeria and in colonial and modern, post-colonial Nigeria. An antidote to the stereotypical depiction of women in African literature, Adichie's work typically presents female characters who are educated, independent and emancipated. This stands to challenge the image of Nigerian women who are dominated and controlled by men.
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"Fiat lux!" Public Lighting in Czech Towns in 19th and the Beginning of 20th Century
Jelínek, David ; Himl, Pavel (advisor) ; Pokludová, Andrea (referee)
The phenomenon of introducing public lighting in Czech cities is mainly associated with the increase in population in regionally important centres of industry, trade, craft, or administration. Unlike classical historiographical monographs, this work aims to investigate how the introduction of public lighting took place, who was involved in it, and what was at stake. Through the analysis of literary sources, particularly newspaper articles (both national and local) and archival records, the thesis seeks to highlight the attributes of light not only as a purely practical urban element, but also as a carrier of symbolic levels of security and progress. It is shown that light played an important role as a maintainer of security and prevented criminal behaviour by its presence. It is further revealed that light was a manifestation of civilization, education, and progress. Having public lighting on the streets was therefore not only a practical but also a symbolic issue. It was also reflected in the electoral programs of local political parties. It was not, however, the municipalities that incurred considerable costs in upgrading the lighting infrastructure (setting up gas plants, power stations, laying pipes); it was private entities that entered into contracts with municipalities for decades. However,...
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Patočka and Modernity: a study of Patočka's dialogue with Max Weber and its importance in the context of contemporary civilizational analysis
Homolka, Jakub ; Arnason, Johann Pall (advisor) ; Skovajsa, Marek (referee) ; Cajthaml, Martin (referee)
Patočka and Modernity Jakub Homolka Abstract: This thesis deals with the work of Jan Patočka (1907-1977), probably the most important Czech philosopher of the twentieth century, and with his understanding of modernity. More precisely, the thesis focuses on Patočka's work from the perspective of contemporary civilizational analysis, which leads our attention especially to Patočka's dialogue with the work of the German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920). The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part introduces Patočka's work in general; it summarizes the situation of Patočka's heritage, subsuming existing findings and future challenges. The second part discusses the perspective of civilizational analysis, a subdiscipline of contemporary historical sociology, and explains the link between this field of research and Patočka's work. Finally, the third part presents an interpretation of Patočka's work which emphasizes the very perspective of civilizational analysis: the focus is on Patočka's dialogue with Weber's work, which is most notably expressed in the philosopher's idea of "rational civilization". In this way, the thesis contributes to the existing interpretations of Patočka's work as well as to the discussions of the theoretical concept of civilizational analysis. Key words: Jan Patočka; Max Weber;...
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