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Approches to the Study of Culture and Social Theory
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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Language and Totalitarianism
Váňa, Tomáš ; Mlejnek, Josef (advisor) ; Kučera, Rudolf (referee)
The diploma thesis Language and totalitarianism deals with the relation between these two phenomena. On the basis of key thinkers dealing with totalitarianism it formulates its own definition of totalitarianism. It presents the communication theory of Karl Wolfgang Deutsch, on which basis it points to the close relation between communication and political systems, concretely between language and totalitarianism. Language is analysed mainly on the thoughts of Ferdinand de Saussure and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Totalitarian language is explained using mainly Orwell's totalitarian language newspeak in 1984. A practical analysis of a sample of Rudé právo form the era of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in the years 1948-1989 shows its manifestations in real use. At the end of the thesis political correctness is introduced as an example of totalitarian tendencies in liberal democracies.
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Prague Linguistic Circle and its Influence on Modern Linguistics.
VOKÁČOVÁ, Veronika
The theoretical part of my bachelor work is focused on characteristics of the Prague Linguistic Circle, its developmental stages, members and membership and theses. It also describes two significant theoretical conceptions: functional perspective and classification of language functions according to Roman Jakobson. Jakobson's classification of the functions of language and its application onto the text collectively with qualitative analysis are subjects of exploration of the practical part of my bachelor work.
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Dramatic Art and Problems of Puppet Theatre
REMIŠ, David
This thesis is mainly devoted to explore the nature and boundaries of Puppet Theater. It presents the basic similarities and differences between Puppet Theater and drama. The theoretical support for this thesis makes texts of Otakar Zich, Petr Bogatyrev and Jiří Veltruský, which are devoted to the issue of Puppet Theater.
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Postmodern Czech Performances in Theory and in Practice
Etlíková, Barbora ; CÍSAŘ, Jan (advisor) ; VEDRAL, Jan (referee)
The thesis deals with the way of using the term postmodernism by the Czech-language theatre critique. In the first part I decided to discuss the thesis' subject in the context of other languages' schools of thought. I identified two main possible ways by which philosophers from abroad define the term "postmodernism" in its general meaning. In the first case (e.g. Charles Jencks) I on one hand found out that the term defined as postmodernism can be easily applied considering art -and therefore the theatre as well- but on the other hand I also found that the term itself merge with the meaning of modernism. In the second case (e.g. Jacques Derrida) I came to a conclusion that even though the definition of postmodernism does not merge with definition of modernism, it can be applied only with great difficulties in the cases of theatre and of fine art. Subsequently, I tried to illustrate the way the three approaches manifested themselves into the Czech-language discussion about postmodernism.
In the following parts of the thesis I adhered to the theatrical issues more strictly. On the basis of the analyses of two so-called postmodern theatre performances made a ground for the theoretical approach to the means of expression considered as postmodern. (The terminology I used is the one deriving from the work of Otakar Zich and from the Czech structuralism.) In the conclusion of the theatre-theoretic part of my thesis I took the view that the means of expression used in the so-called postmodern theatre productions do not differ in their very nature from the modern ones; that there are different requirements of viewer's reception in the postmodern performaces though. In the very end of my work I considered the problems that appear with the direct transfer of Jacques Derrida's philosophy to the theatre.
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Dramatic text as an ideological direction
Součková, Kateřina ; ETLÍK, Jaroslav (advisor) ; DROZD, David (referee)
Bachelor thesis Dramatic text as an ideological direction deals with an impulses, which can offer a dramatic text to a dramatic piece without endanger an autonomy neither of them. In order to find the ideological direction, it uses an explication as a "technological reading" of dramatic text, which is trying to discover its own motif-thematic structure without interpreted it. It analyses a charakter and a function of components of dramatic text, their mutual relation and their relation with a dramatic piece. This theoretic basis is being examinated by the explication of The Cherry Orchard by A. P. Chekhov. The motifs and the themes of this drama are confronted with the production of The Cherry Orchard at Theatre on the Balustrade in Prague. On grounds of this comparison it tries to find out, how much is connected the relation of their basic themes with the relation between a dramatic text and a dramatic piece in general.
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Myth and Art in the Structural Anthropology of Claude Lévi-Strauss
HORÁKOVÁ, Markéta
This thesis will deal with the work of Claude Lévi-Strausse, famous personality of French structuralism. It will focus on his application of structuralism in antropology, particularly the structural analysis of myth and art. The aim of the thesis will be to show contribution of Claude Lévi-Strauss to the structuralist investigation of culture and, alternatively, to theory of aesthetics.
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Music As A Sign
JAROLÍMOVÁ, Jana
The thesis is interested in the problem of musical sign. In which ways can we speak about musical sign and which elements of musical material can become signs? These are the basic questions which we are interested in. This thesis is divided into three parts. The first part attends to the common theory of sign. The historical survey with the main ideas of philosophers and thinkers will be helpful to find out basic terms and problems of semiotics. In the second part of thesis we look at the historical reflection of musical sign in order to find out in which way it was treated with music and musical sign in each historical period of European music. In the third part we focus on musical semiotics, but we will consider some problems of musical aesthetics and musical psychology, too. In the end we make recapitulation of answers to the aforesaid questions.
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Modelling the human approach to world
Sigmund, Tomáš ; Toman, Prokop (advisor) ; Řepa, Václav (referee) ; Havel, Ivan M (referee)
The work "Modelling the human approach to world" is part of the mutlidisciplinary field of informatics which deals with production and use of information systems in enterprises and other communities. It contributes to its development in the area of human-machine relationship and communicating information. At present information systems (IS) are used for collecting, distributing, storing, processing and conveying information. Their components are hardware (machines) and software. Without information systems today's work with information wouldn't be possible. People remain in spite of intensive implementation of information technologies the main element for companies' operation. Information technologies help man, cannot replace him however. To understand the role of information technologies it is important to be aware of the difference between man and machine (computer) information processing from which we can deduce the implications for business operation. The computer is only able to work with a reality model prepared by a human being. Reality is in information systems represented by means of signs. Even though we can understand the information system as a tool similar to classical tools (typing machine, filing cabinet etc.), there is a difference, because these tools don't exist as physical objects, but only as signs. The symbolic nature of information systems didn't interest researchers in the past very much, but now it increases. The first reason can be found in the massive implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT), which calls for intelligibility of their representation; the second reason can be found in the fact that computers are used as media with functions similar to textbooks, letters, newspapers, telephones, films, where the importance of semiotics has already been recognized. The advancement of hardware requires from software developers abilities similar to professional artists. The third reason lies in the fact that production processes are more and more controlled by computers. Cooperating people must rely on symbols mediated by computers (Andersen, 1997). IS are more complex and important is their influence on people on many levels and through many means. Structuralism may be of some help as it studied similar phenomena in the first half of the 20th century. In the first part of my work I described the differences between human and computer information processing, in the second part I analysed the modelling theories which take into account the human approach and at the end I deduced general conclusions for the relationship between man and computer in information system and suggested some recommendations on how to improve their relationship and make human understanding and use of information in information system easier. One of the researchers who studied the difference between man and machine was Hubert Dreyfus. He came to the conclusion that there is a principle difference between man and machine. He identified some typical situations where man and machine differ: Rule following, bodily existence, situations, pattern recognition etc. Dreyfus' analysis will be supplemented with the analysis of public space, intentionality and language. I don't want to present a complete description of human approach to world, I rather sketch some key points to clarify the difference between man and machine. From the analysis of man and machine two conclusions emerge: on the one hand proposal how to analyse and propose information system which would better connect subjective and objective aspects; on the other hand importance of IS integration into the business culture and the whole context of human work. As a suitable approach appears in compliance with P. Ricoeur structuralism and its analysis of narrativity. In the area of IS development there are four so called socio-technical theories which try to incorporate some principles of human approach to world into their modelling procedures and balance the superiority of technical view on the human computer interaction. The main common feature of these theories lies in the emphasis on the importance of human factor for organisations (they consider organisations social systems). The role of technical equipment is seen in the support of human activities. They are called Language Action Perspective, specifically methodology DEMO, Organisational Semiotics, Theory of Organised Activity and Human Interaction Management. DEMO methodology focuses on communication which is analysed by means of four axioms based on the language act theory. The theory differentiates between locution, illocution and perlocution. Locution deals with the proposition's content, illocution is related to the intention which we communicate the proposition with and perlocution contains effects in the addressee. From these three perspectives production and communication acts are analysed. Organizational semiotics deals with the semiotic aspect of human communication. It uses a six-stage semiotic ladder with physical, empirical, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and social level. On all these levels communication and its signs are analysed. On the first three levels machines can be used, on the next three levels the human work with information is carried out and machines don't help there much. Organisational semiotics emphasizes the social level where organisational, social and cultural norms play an important role. Theory of organized activity is based on the theory of units which the group has in common. The theory divides the world on actors and things. For the activity to start both these elements must be present. Typical features of actors are interest and responsibility. The human interaction management tries to modify the proposal and functioning of information systems in order to respect the principles of human work. The basic argument of human interaction management is that most processes where people are involved is in instant change which cannot be governed by rules independent of the process participants. Flexibility is necessary for success. K.H. Broninski, the author of Management of Human Interaction, calls for support for mental work a transformation of information into knowledge. He proposes a procedure structuring work. It consist of five parts: research, evaluation, analysis, constrain, task. Another piece of knowledge of the Human interaction management is that a big proportion of human work has small concrete results, and cannot be quantified. However time spent on researching, comparing, evaluating, generally information processing and their transformation into knowledge, is a substantial part of a worker cooperating with colleagues and other people. It is better for employees to have supportive rather than directive leadership, as people are individuals. People do things in different times, in different ways, on the basis of communication with others, according to the state of resources and their mood. They do what they consider most appropriate in given situation. Continual process change must be possible and it is necessary to support it. Human activities are creative, exploratory and loosely structured. The socio-technical theories neither explicitly address the difference between man and machine nor try to unify their perspectives organically. However they show some content elements which are important for human beings. When considering the human approach to world we cannot be limited to a set of perceptions where man and machine differ. We should consider their arrangement which allows for new ways of understanding reality. The synthesis of the elements can be carried out only when the elements are linked together into a structure, e.g. a plot. Another problem lies in the necessity to consider time. Progressive development and its modalities constitute integral part of a homogenous stylistic form. Two rationalities are at work here; the one understands the world in its unity mediated by a form, best of all and most generally by a narrative; the other systemizes the first understanding and transforms it onto a syntactic level. The modelling techniques use the second syntactic rationality; we can reach it only in time, however. Stories have many advantages in comparison to other ways of conveying information: aims, causes, chances, agents are unified in time and space into a plot. Originally different elements are unified in the plot. They seem accidental; however they gain necessity in the plot. Other important aspects are source of information, narrator, rhythm, repetition and focalization. These elements can be separated on three levels: text, plot, fabula. They concentrate on different elements and their relations. We will use the results of work of the structuralist J. Greimas and his theory of actants suggesting which role can be considered in narrative information conveying. His semiotic square is a method of understanding context elements. Analysis of the elements of narrative which are the results of structuralist research cannot substitute the narrative understanding; we can only approximate it and explain it in further details. We encounter a creative act which cannot be reduced on rules and formalized. That is why a creative approach of the author is necessary in the development of IS. The conclusion achieved in the analysis of differences between human and machine that human understanding and behaviour is not completely formalizable was found in our attempt to use the structuralist approach on design and functioning of information systems. The interconnection of objective world of machines with the subjective human understanding is possible in a story created by a creative human being able to ensure organic and natural unity.
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