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Consumerism and the environment - geographical and some other contexts
NEUMAN, Jiří
The thesis has a clear aim to outline the issue of consumerism and its inevitable development in contemporary modern society. There is an attempt to show its origins, practices and consequences. It also seeks to draw attention to the increased threat of ecological catastrophe associated with consumerism that could arise from the consequences of poor waste management in developing countries, particularly on the African continent. This region has been chosen as an ideal non-consumerist world. The United States of America, on the other side, is presented as a contrast to Africa as a typical country where consumerism is high, and its population is the world's biggest polluter in terms of waste production. The theoretical part relies on expert heuristics, which are supported by electronic resources in the form of various projects and analyses that have been previously carried out and now used to investigate the problem described.
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The Social Death of Things? Minimalism as an alternative lifestyle
Brunerová, Aneta ; Zandlová, Markéta (advisor) ; Abu Ghosh, Yasar (referee)
The popularity of the minimalist lifestyle has been growing rapidly since 2008, especially in the American context. In recent years, this phenomenon has also been noticeable in the Czech Republic, manifesting itself in a critical revision of consumer society, to which it responds and defines itself in new forms of (anti)consumption. This thesis aims to examine minimalist consumption practices and to analyse minimalism mainly through the lens of material culture studies. With the help of ethnographic practices, I focus on selected aspects of the minimalist lifestyle, including its connection to environmental and anti-consumerist attitudes, attitudes towards material objects as such, or the position of minimalist actors in the social field. Keywords: ethnography, minimalism, material culture, consumer practices, consumer society
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New Forms of Tourism and their Impact on Cities
Klicnar, Filip ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Šanderová, Jadwiga (referee)
This thesis charts the increasing volume and changing nature of tourism in Europe. It was allowed by the liberalization of air travel market (the emergence of Low-Cost Carriers), and by the emergence of sharing economy (Airbnb). Followed by these changes a new segment of tourists, who were described as independent travelers, emerged. The thesis focuses on the interaction of those three factors and their effect on urban space - thus on its socio- geographic, socio-economic and socio-cultural fabric. Because of Low-Cost Carriers, tourists and travelers are concentrated in several European cities - those which were able to accommodate its environment for these airlines. In the cities, tourism spread from the concentric zones of the city center to the zones of the inner city, where a new tourist industry was adjusted for independent travelers. This touristification deepens the process of gentrification and spatial inequalities. Because of Airbnb, the limited hotel supply in the city center was surpassed, and the accommodation sector was integrated into residential fabric of the inner city. Those touristified spaces of the city become socio-culturally heterogenic. However, with increasing costs of living in the inner city, this space is more and more socio- economically homogenous. Consequently,...
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Still life
Svačinková, Alena ; Hůla, Zdenek (advisor) ; Uhl Skřivanová, Věra (referee)
The bachelor thesis deals with meaning of objects in our society. This thesis is divided into three parts - practical, didactic and pictorial part. The theoretical part examines an ordinary and necessary subject, subject as a bearer of meaning and a subject as a protective and ritual thing. I am simultaneously reffering to consumerism and sensitive understanding of the subject as a value in today's society. I compare the tools of the past with a mobile phone. The teoretical part is followed by the didactic part, which is composed of three artistic lectures I have given. Me and children discussed the following topics: Painted still life, Shop window and The box with my stuff. The pictorial part focuses on everyday objects. I have created the cycle of twelve still lifes. Each still life coresponds to one particular person, who is close to me, and symbolize their important things.
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Gender and Media in the Age of Post-Modernity: Revealing Gender Stereotypes in the Contemporary Czech Advertising Discourse
Olbertová, Martina ; Šoltys, Otakar (advisor) ; Nečas, Vlastimil (referee)
ENGLISH SUMMARY The main objective of this thesis was to provide a complex perspective on the mutual relationship of gender and media in the age of post-modernity with a special attention to the stereotypical gender portrayal presented to us by the contemporary Czech advertising discourse. We chose to demonstrate this problematics through the methods of semiotic analysis on the analytical sample of 5 advertisements (consisting of selected TV commercials) representing various aspects of stereotypical gender images appearing in the today's Czech advertising contents. We then subjected these selected advertisements to the analytical methods in pursuit of finding the answers to the questions related to the media image of men, women and our society that the stereotypical gender depictions contained in these advertisements help to construct. Although many of these advertisements appear to be openly sexist or even misogynic on the first sight, using the mechanisms of semiotic analysis we came to a rather opposite conclusion proposing the analyzed contents are rather pro-feminine tending toward an extensive masculine critique. This result, however, is based mainly on the mechanisms of oppositional reading of the subjected texts. On the other hand, it is presumable that the "average media consumer" not having access...
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Rationality of the Debtor
Procházka, Ivan ; Tuček, Milan (advisor) ; Kuchař, Pavel (referee)
This work deals with the indebtedness of consumers. It examines the causes of the debotrs themselves. Based on a secondary analysis of past research in the area of financial literacy, consumer behavior, statistical data, but also of qualitative research in the form of case study seeks to answer the question why the debtor becomes the debtor, the extent to which the indebtedness and indebtedness viewed as rational behavior but also if the debtor is accompanied by rational reasoning or irrational behavior. It concludes that the debtor can not be considered entirely rational. Applied policy then the issue of over-indebtedness problem takes into account the irrational assumptions by the debtor only marginally and does not reflect as one of its main causes.
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Masculine Identity in Chuck Palahniuk's Early Novels
Ondrášek, Jakub ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor) ; Chalupský, Petr (referee)
This MA thesis deals with the masculine identity of the three main male characters of Chuck Palahniuk's early novels Fight Club, Survivor and Choke. It consists of two parts. The first theoretical part briefly explores anthropological and sociological notions of masculinity, with the focus on the manhood in the contemporary USA. As such it serves as the theoretical basis for the second part of literary interpretation. There the masculine identity of the three main characters is discussed. As all the three characters experience the same development of masculine identity, the interpretation advances along this progress. Its stages are identity crisis, turning to the traditional male strategies, rejecting those strategies and searching the basis of one's identity in a personal relationship.
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Zero Waste lifestyle mapping
Nováková, Kristýna ; Spalová, Barbora (advisor) ; Orcígr, Václav (referee)
The work explores the perception of Zero Waste lifestyle from the perspective of people who live this lifestyle. The main aims of the research are to map the perception of Zero Waste lifestyle in terms of what the lifestyle means for informants and how they perceive it. I also deal with the motivations that these people have for their lifestyle, whether it be external or internal, and I try to map the negative or positive benefits that Zero Waste brings to the lives of its followers. The work is based on qualitative research, namely on seven interviews with people who live in the Zero Waste lifestyle, with whom I conducted semi-structured interviews. Using a thematic analysis, I have identified ten categories that characterize Zero Waste lifestyle: the pursuit of change, the conversion / change of thinking, the voluntary modesty / the fight against consumerism, the saving of money, the fashion trend, the education, the spiritual / religious aspect, the fulfillment / joy / happiness, community sharing, moral contradiction. The main findings of the research are precisely the Zero Waste lifestyle characteristic that builds on authentic information taken directly from people living in this lifestyle. My findings mainly relate to characteristics of Zero Waste, how these people perceive their lifestyle...
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Phenomenon of Czech Household Debt
Šrédlová, Jana ; Mašková, Pavla (advisor) ; Dobiášová, Karolína (referee)
The bachelor work deals with an issue of Czech household indebtedness. The author focuses especially on a topic of over-indebtedness and its causes. Life on credit became a serious problem, which has negative impact on society. The first part is devoted to explain trends of an increasing consumption based on theories of consumer and postmodern society. The topic of poverty and social exclusion is described in connection of debt problems. The second part engages present situation of household indebtedness in the Czech Republic and compares it with international statistics of European Union. Special part is dedicated to confront situation in Great Britain with the Czech Republic. The key part of work focuses on drivers of over-indebtedness. There are three main reasons: low income, high costs and low level of financial literacy. The author proceeds to analyze ways of prevention the low level of financial literacy, including debt counseling and educational programs for children who attend both primary school and high school. The last chapter explores a profile of a debtor as a result of conducted interviews and analysis of statistical data.
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