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Subcultures as a frame of socialization and construction of identity: individual and collective identification in the postmodern society using the examples of the metal and otaku subcultures
Podlešáková, Štěpánka ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Korecká, Zuzana (referee)
The thesis is focused on subcultures as a specific form of postmodern collectivity as well as one of the important frames for identification and socialization processes in the postmodern society. The relations between these three fundamental themes - postmodernity, subcultures and identity - are examined from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, post-subcultures theory and cyberethnology. The basic argument is that specific (social) conditions of postmodernity influence (amongst others) the creation and the nature of new forms of scoiality (e.g. subcultures, neo-tribes, youth cultures), as well as the identity of these social groups and of individuals. Postmodern identity must be searched for, chosen, built-up and represented by the individual in a continual process. Due to the transparency of postmodern society, this actualisation of the self-identity depends on outside conditions, personal life politics and achieved status rather than on the ascribed one. Largely, the origin of the subcultural collective identity is based on a tendency remain in opposition to the commercial and passive mainstream. The borderline between subcultures and the dominant culture is not fixed but influenced by postmodern processes and consequently blurred. Rather, the difference between them is constructed and expressed...
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The image of a mother in the written culture of Romani (the rise of the Romani literature and the Romani creative writing)
Hušková, Stanislava ; Šalanda, Bohuslav (advisor) ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (referee)
This thesis is featuring the genesis of the gypsy literature in Czech Republic and is introducing the historical and political background, terminuses and essential events having impacts on the literature written by Gypsies. The characteristics, genres and subjects (traditional and new) of their literature are inducted in the thesis, too. Next part of the thesis refers about the Gypsy's writings focusing on the phenomenon of the mother as this phenomenon can be found in all of the forms and genres of the Gypsy literature. The thesis presents the way of imaging of the mother in author's works and explains the invariableness and prodigiousness of the mother. The picture of mother in the Gypsy literature is reproduced by many citations of the book and periodical works of Gypsy authors from Czech Republic. Gypsy literature works are closely oriented on the reality of the life of Gypsies and the Gypsies are introduced by the themes generally understood as the "Gypsy" ones. The stories and persons are usually taken from real life therefore the works can help to understand the Gypsy society itself.
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Anthropological conceptualisations of sexual categories
Prokopík, Petr ; Vrhel, František (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (referee)
The thesis inquires into the possibilities which anthropological study has in attempting to conceptualise the rich manifestations of human sexuality. It discusses the problems of biological determination and normativity in the study of sexuality as well as its problems in cross-cultural applications. In examples of interpretation of well known phenomena such as "hijra", "two-spirit" and "ritual homosexuality" it demonstrates theoretical concepts of "third sex", "third gender", and "sexual lifeways" as possible tools of cross-cultural categorization. It presents an original field research investigating the formation of a specific new alternative sexual category within gay communities in three language contexts - Czech, English and German. Offering a situational analysis which concerns not only a description of cultural meanings and symbols known by actors, and an analyses of historical development, but also offers an interpretation of actors subjectivity displayed in individual motivations, desires and meanings created and used by actors. It endeavours to give a reflection of relations between sexual category and individual motivations during the process of accepting sexual identity and forming an alternative sexual category.
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Critical look at NGOs practices in the regional development. A contribution to the problems of culture change and processes of aculturation
Kobes, Tomáš ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Kotalová, Jitka (referee)
The activity of NGOs issue is one of the major topic of Slovakian regional development and Romany issue. Participation of Slovakian NGOs was not a matter of course in the issue of regional development. The growing NGOs participation is based upon assumption of the Strategy of Slovakian government explicitly introducing Romany Issue to the context of regional development, NGO and foreign funds. Within the issue of regional development NGOs activities are not understood as a factor of democratization, but they are conceptualized as an initiator of social and cultural change. In the theoretical view classical conceptualization of change is not sufficient. The major theoretical frameworks that are criticised within these concepts are evolutional patterns, idealistic and materialistic determinism. They classify societies and cultural diversity in the dichotomies of traditional vs. modern, underdeveloped vs. developed. The basic mistake of these dichotomies is the idea about different dynamics of constituted social systems, where someone has to live in modernity and another one has to live in his naturalness or in tradition and superstitions. On the other hand the formal standpoint is too abstract without the reflection of social context. Nominated conceptual solution tries to get over these theoretical...
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Critical look at NGOs practices in the regional development. A contribution to the problems of culture change and processes of aculturation
Kobes, Tomáš ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Kotalová, Jitka (referee)
The activity of NGOs issue is one of the major topic of Slovakian regional development and Romany issue. Participation of Slovakian NGOs was not a matter of course in the issue of regional development. The growing NGOs participation is based upon assumption of the Strategy of Slovakian government explicitly introducing Romany Issue to the context of regional development, NGO and foreign funds. Within the issue of regional development NGOs activities are not understood as a factor of democratization, but they are conceptualized as an initiator of social and cultural change. In the theoretical view classical conceptualization of change is not sufficient. The major theoretical frameworks that are criticised within these concepts are evolutional patterns, idealistic and materialistic determinism. They classify societies and cultural diversity in the dichotomies of traditional vs. modern, underdeveloped vs. developed. The basic mistake of these dichotomies is the idea about different dynamics of constituted social systems, where someone has to live in modernity and another one has to live in his naturalness or in tradition and superstitions. On the other hand the formal standpoint is too abstract without the reflection of social context. Nominated conceptual solution tries to get over these theoretical...
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Ethnology and historical anthropology
Náhlovský, Michal ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (referee) ; Vrhel, František (advisor)
Historical anthropology as a relatively independent science discipline has been found quite not a long time ago. However, its foundations can be observed much farther away to the past. One of the most important moments there was an application of the anthropological procedures onto historical research. Nevertheless, Historical anthropology is still pursued by historians rather than anthropologists. This work (studies) is interested in how Ethnology as an anthropological discipline may be of assistance to the Historical anthropology. It is trying to evaluate previous procedures in Historical anthropology which should now on result from an ethnological perspective.
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Forms and mechanisms of Romas community marginalisation in the Estearn Slovakia
Mušinka, Alexander ; Vrhel, František (advisor) ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (referee) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee)
In my work I focus on the ways and mechanisms of marginalisation of Romas, especially from the viewpoint of habitation. From the territorial viewpoint, the work is based on data from the Presov Region in the Slovak Republic. This work monitors the issue at three levels. The first level is a general level, where I present the conditions of Romas in the Presov Region from the territorial viewpoint. I point out at territorial and spatial distribution of Roma communities in the region. The prior goal is to monitor the extent and variabilites of the marginalisation, i.e. where are Roma communities located in the region and whether they are integrated, separated or segregated communities. The second level is monitoring efforts for integration of the Roma community to the majority society, in the form of analyses of four national programmes where I indicated their levels of success/failure. The third level is a presentation of selected forms and mechanisms applied by the majority society to marginalise Romas in the field of habitation. I have performed monitoring of this aspect in selected locations of the Presov District, in the form of case studies. The first part of the work has been compiled on the basis of data obtained during performance of the overview of Roma communities in the Presov Region, which was...
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Family roles and migration: the case of Afghan families living in the Czech Republic
Lomová, Ester ; Tomandl, Miloš (referee) ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor)
The topic of this thesis is the issue of family roles of man and woman in the context of change that can be caused by migration. The basic assumption is that the dominant socio-cultural structure is influencing the socio-cultural structure of immigrants. This influence is the cause of social change in the lives of immigrants. The questions formulated in this thesis are: What changes are occurring on the level of family life? Which factors are these changes influencing? What the changes mean for the actors themselves? The answers are sought with the help of scientific literature and the results of interviews done with Afghan immigrants living in the Czech Republic.
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I am not this body: body and sacred self among Czech Hare Krishnas
Klepal, Jaroslav ; Vrhel, František (advisor) ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (referee)
Since the 1990s the question of religious "cults", "sects" and '''new religious movements" (NRMs) general1y, which entered the social space of the Czech post-communist state with a desire to obtain rights and authorities that the state legislation has ordinarily circumscribed to historically recognized churches and religious groups, has been debated. These debates met an increase in the precautions of state policies, redefining a relationship between the state and religion. These debates also met an increase in anti-cult movements, founded by ex-members of NRMs together with theologians, psychiatrists, and social workers, who attempt to revea1 and neutralize the "unhealthy control" and "pathological personality disorders" among NRMs members. And finally, these debates met an increasing interest in different academic fields where scholars discovered in NRMs a new subject for both their theoretical speculations and empirical researches. Scholars have mainly considered the issue of defining NRMs, the issue of their proper typologization, and, more empirically, the issue of forming ideational and ideological systems of NRMs. The nature of these religious and "pseudo-religious" systems has been discussed predominantly, followed by debates about how various concepts of these systems are related, and how these...
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Butterflies
Laube, Lukáš ; Vrhel, František (referee) ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor)
The present paper is concerned with male prostitutes, whom the author calls "butterflies". Its aim is to portray this groups' everyday reality and life on the streets, however, the name of the city and their specific meeting points are to remain unrevealed. According to their age, "butterflies" can be divided into three groups, the oldest ending at the age of thirty, when "butterflies" become literally unsellable. The social origin of "butterflies" consists of several factors which are the cause of their ending up on the streets and selling their bodies. This "business" is a predominantly seasonal issue, since the number of "butterflies" severely increases during the summer months. As for their ethnic origin we can clearly conclude that above 50 % of the people earning their living as male prostitutes are ethnic Romas. The majority of "butterflies" are heterosexually oriented. It is important to understand that their behavior can be completely explained by financial motivations, that is, they are merely trying to survive on the streets by any means possible. A unanimous community among "butterflies" is non-existent, instead, they form systems of alliances, which occasionally cooperate. Their lack of self-reflection implies that they are often unable or unwilling to cope with their situation and pretend to...
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