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Israeli Folk Dance:History and Presence with a Particular Focus on Dancing in the Czech Republic
Šilarová, Anežka ; Stavělová, Daniela (advisor) ; Korecká, Zuzana (referee)
This thesis intends to introduce Israeli folk dance from a number of different perspectives. In the first part, based on literature review, the author presents the origins of Israeli folk dances in Israel as well as their roots and the way they further function in a current Israeli society. Special attention is given to the problematic labeling of Israeli folk dance as "folk". The second part of the thesis is based on the author's own field work and describes the ways Israeli folk dances are practiced in the Czech environment. Whereas in Israel these dances are mostly connected with demonstration of Israeli identity, they get different meanings in the Czech environment. Firstly the author attempted to reconstruct the history of spreading of Israeli folk dances in the Czech environment and to map the different groups involved in these dances. Collection of these facts can be further used as an information source for all researchers wishing to conduct studies on Israeli folk dances in the Czech Republic in the future. Secondly the author concentrated on the ways of practicing Israeli folk dances in a Prague group called Besamim. Based on participant observation and interviews with the dancers the author attempted to illustrate the significance of these dances in the lives of people, who practice them...
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Liminal phase of ritual according to V. Turner
Vávra, Antonín ; Gebelt, Jiří (advisor) ; Kostičová, Zuzana (referee)
1 Summary In my work "Liminal phase of ritual according to V. Turner" I presented Turner's approach to religion and rituals. I tried to show how his life's work has evolved and how far there before Victor Turner died. During his lifetime he deloped his own approach to rituals, which emphasized its procedural structure. For his contributions received great admiration in terms of its analysis, research of pilgrimage, medical anthropology or popular studies. Although his ideas were presented fairly well, they were scattered in many essays. Turner cannot be applauded as a great systematizer. However despite criticsm that he received, so clearly the most valuable contribution remains conceptual apparatus that created, ritual analysis and research of Ndembu.
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"Techno-communitas": Transformation of the Freetekno phenomenon from the perspective of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Beaufort, Martin ; Heřmanský, Martin (advisor) ; Jurková, Zuzana (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to provide a social anthropological analysis and interpretation of the freetekno party phenomenon in the Czech Republic from synchronic and diachronic perspective. The author bases his argument on both his own field research and professional literature on the topic. An extended case method serves as a basic methodological Framework. After introduction of selected theoretical concepts (music scene, neotribes, youth subculture, rites de passage, liminality and liminoidity, spontaneous communitas and rhizom) as well as outline of the current state of research in the area of study of the freetekno party phenomenon, there is an empirical part of the thesis which consists of two main parts: the historical-ethnographic and the analytical-interpretative. The first part describes the first rave party in Great Britain, expansion of this phenomenon in continental Europe, its adoption in the Czech Republic and its gradual evolution up to the present. The following part serves as an analytical-interpretation of the above-outlined situation and a subsequent socio-anthropological interpretation. Freetekno scene is described as neotribal rhizom and freetekno events are subsequently conceptualized as unique ritual processes. The transformation of the freetekno phenomenon is then...
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The role of women in the world of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale & The Testaments
Beránková, Anna ; Topolovská, Tereza (advisor) ; Chalupský, Petr (referee)
This thesis is concerned with the world of The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and The Testaments (2019), works of Margaret Atwood. The dystopian theocratic totalitarian regime featured in these novels invites a socio-historical and anthropological analysis and interpretation from the perspective of the subjugated female characters. The theoretical part, introduced by an overview of Atwood's work, provides the reader with crucial information regarding the historical parallels which inspired the narrative, as well as a delimitation of relevant anthropological concepts, such as liminality or status reversal. Subsequently, using both the knowledge gathered in the theoretical and in Atwood's works, the rise of the fundamentalist cult of the Sons of Jacob and their project, the Republic of Gilead, is explained, and their ideology is uncovered in the first section of the practical part. Second part of the interpretation focuses on the position of women within the system that subjugates and oppresses them. The analysis is performed by the means of comparing and contrasting the ideal models of the positions of women as designed by the architects of the system with the actual application on the example of selected characters. The ultimate aims of this thesis are to prove the innate sexism and misogyny of the...
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"Techno-communitas": Transformation of the Freetekno phenomenon from the perspective of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Beaufort, Martin ; Heřmanský, Martin (advisor) ; Jurková, Zuzana (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to provide a social anthropological analysis and interpretation of the freetekno party phenomenon in the Czech Republic from synchronic and diachronic perspective. The author bases his argument on both his own field research and professional literature on the topic. An extended case method serves as a basic methodological Framework. After introduction of selected theoretical concepts (music scene, neotribes, youth subculture, rites de passage, liminality and liminoidity, spontaneous communitas and rhizom) as well as outline of the current state of research in the area of study of the freetekno party phenomenon, there is an empirical part of the thesis which consists of two main parts: the historical-ethnographic and the analytical-interpretative. The first part describes the first rave party in Great Britain, expansion of this phenomenon in continental Europe, its adoption in the Czech Republic and its gradual evolution up to the present. The following part serves as an analytical-interpretation of the above-outlined situation and a subsequent socio-anthropological interpretation. Freetekno scene is described as neotribal rhizom and freetekno events are subsequently conceptualized as unique ritual processes. The transformation of the freetekno phenomenon is then...
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The become of pilgrim: Pilgimage as a proces of the construction of pilgim body
Picková, Tereza ; Spalová, Barbora (advisor) ; Kotyk, Lukáš (referee)
This work focuses on analysis of Europe's most massive pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, which I use as a case study to show how contemporary pilgrims understand their experience. Through the analysis of interviews with 9 other pilgrims and my own auto- ethnographic diary with a strong dose of reflexivity I want to show that pilgrimage can be understood as a process of constructing a pilgrim body. To gain such form of habitus, or in other words "to become a pilgrim", is achieved through several different strategies, such as walking, socialising, solitude, separation (from everyday life), asceticism, and others. This experience results in a form of gained habitus, or a technique of the body (Mauss 1968) which can be learnt and used in everyday life after the pilgrimage ends. Pilgrim body is then a complex skill, consisting of physical, psychical, spiritual and social dimension, each describing different aspect of the pilgrimage itself, all embodied in the physical body of a pilgrim. Through such approach I want to show, that we might understand pilgrimage as a form of physical experience with transcendental overlap, focused mainly on individual progress, but constructed together in friendly communitas of pilgrims, described by Victor Turner in his classic study (Turner 2004). Usage of these...
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Liminality in modern society: Erasmus as a Rite de Passage
Picková, Iva ; Cirklová, Jitka (advisor) ; Morávková, Eva (referee)
This bachelor's thesis focuses on the topic of liminality in modern rites of passage which are represented here by the Erasmus+ programme. It looks at how some of its aspects differ from the liminal phase of ritual as described by Victor Turner. The work is based on research that took place during five-months studies at KTU (Kaunas University of Technology) in Lithuania within the frame of Erasmus study programme. The data was obtained through participant observation and also nine semi-structured interviews with other program participants. The research discovered that a change in liminal characteristics in modern rites of passage occurs through the globalization process. The thesis deals in detail with individual phenomena connected with the process of globalization. One of them is, for example, the development of modern technologies, which results in loosening of isolation of liminal persons and it also allows them to maintain contact with their home and the original structure. Another point is the reduction of space-time distances and the simplification of mobility, which also increases the sense of detachment from the structure of the society in which these liminal persons are located. Globalization also has an impact on the intensity of communities, because through the process of...
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From monasteries to men. The significance of monastic architecture and its art in the New Spain of 16th century
Brenišínová, Monika ; Křížová, Markéta (advisor) ; Štěpánek, Pavel (referee) ; Marek, Pavel (referee)
In my dissertation, I inquire into the phenomenon of monastic architecture and its plastic decoration in 16th century New Spain. The aim of this work is to present Mexican monasteries and their artistic significance. In my analysis, I build on the interpretation of monastic architecture from the perspective of early colonial society, I also reflect on the individual level, assessing its impact on the conquest and colonization of America. The methodology of this research project combines analysis of historical (e.g. study of historical sources) and art historical processes (iconological analysis of E. Panofsky) with analysis of anthropological concepts (e.g. rituals of transition of A. van Gennep, thick description of Cl. Geertz, concepts of liminality, structure and communitas of V. Turner). During my PhD studies, I conducted a field trip in Central Mexico (2013), supported by a grant from the Government of Mexico. I visited and documented one hundred and sixteen monasteries and the photographic documentation is the main empirical source of my analysis which further draws from the study of historical sources and academic literature. My research primarily focuses on three aspects: 1. the monastic architecture and art; 2. the role of the monastery in the process of European conquest and colonization...
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Pilgrimage legends in Bohemia in the Baroque period
Andršová, Tereza ; Chlup, Radek (advisor) ; Zdichynec, Jan (referee)
In this paper I deal with the cult of Virgin Mary in Bohemia in the period after the Battle of White Mountain, when there was a very significant rise in the Marian devotion and pilgrimage sites. Around the half of 17th century a substantial change in the social order occurred due to the Battle of White Mountain and subsequent consolidation of Habsburg power. This paper deals with the legends concerning the origin of the pilgrimage sites and the books of miracles. I based my interpretation mainly on the theory of Victor Turner. I was influenced also by a book by Mary Douglas Purity and Danger. I use the examples of Svatá Hora and Stará Boleslav to show how Marian pilgrimages respond to the socio-political changes. Pilgrimage legends managed to link different periods of Bohemian history and thus to legitimate the reinforcement of Catholicism as well as the Habsburg reign. They also managed to bridge social differences and release the social tension, since they involve people from all social classes and articulate a state where the social hierarchy is abolished.
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