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Getting Back to 'Europe': An Analysis of a Possible Self-Perceived Inadequacy of Czechs Towards the West
Ertin, Sinan ; Německý, Marek (advisor) ; Gulenko, Petr (referee)
This thesis explores the concurrent role of Western hegemony alongside the lasting effects of communism in the challenges faced by post-socialist countries, with a specific focus on the Czech Republic. While communism is commonly seen as the primary cause, we argue that cultural ideas associated with Western hegemony predate communism and have deeply influenced Europe's identity. The thesis is divided into sections that examine the concept of progress throughout history and its relevance to Western European identity, followed by an exploration of hegemony through examples from post-socialist nations, including the Czech Republic. The thesis concludes by addressing potential criticisms and providing an exercise that applies the concepts of hegemony and progress to contemporary Czech society. This analysis aims to present an alternative perspective that acknowledges the simultaneous effects of both communism and Western hegemony in shaping the challenges faced by post-socialist countries during their transition.
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Post-colonial discourse in Spanish-speaking media: Framing of October 12th in Spanish and Mexican newspapers
Segura Mondéjar, Mar ; Němcová Tejkalová, Alice (advisor) ; Géla, František (referee)
In the aftermath of colonial relations, the vestiges of colonialism persist in contemporary societies, manifesting themselves in spheres such as economics, politics and culture; and perpetuating inequalities between nations. The commemoration of October 12th illustrates this issue. This date marks the arrival of Columbus in America in 1492 and is celebrated as Spain's national day and in former Spanish colonies throughout the Americas. However, the celebration has faced increasing criticism due to its colonial origins. This research employs a qualitative news frame analysis to investigate the framing of October 12th celebrations in Spanish and Mexican newspapers from 2012 to 2022. The analysis reveals a predominantly critical perspective in the portrayal of the celebration, leading to increased polarisation around the event. The presence of colonial discourse, which glorifies the colonial era and exempts the colonisers from past wrong doings, has been identified and is more prominent in Spanish publications. By shedding light on the framing of the October 12th celebrations, this study contributes to understanding the persistence of colonial legacies in the media. The findings underline the need for critical examination and reflection on historical events to foster awareness and promote more...
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Mentality of the Oppressed: An Analysis of Czech Inferiority Complex Towards the West
Ertin, Sinan ; Marková, Alena (advisor) ; Německý, Marek (referee)
In this paper, we examine what we see as a Czech feeling of inferiority towards the western nations. Though the so-called post-communist syndrome seems to be a popular way to explain the negative self-perception of Czechs, we will argue that this phenomenon stems from the trauma, which Czechs experienced when transitioning from communism to the globalized capitalistic market. We believe that this trauma was brought about by the rhetoric of ''coming back to Europe'' as it is based on a heritage of orientalism in Europe, in combination with the general mentality of the oppressed, as thematized by the post-colonial theorists such as Franz Fanon or Paulo Freire. To verify our hypothesis, we conducted a survey with 189 respondents from all the regions of the Czech Republic.
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"The other" geography of alternative food networks: farmers' markets as a travelling concept
Fendrychová, Lenka ; Chromý, Pavel (advisor) ; Kostelecký, Tomáš (referee) ; Pauknerová, Karolína (referee)
Boom of the farmers' markets in 2010 represented a brand new phenomenon in the so far rather calm development of the Czech alternative food networks (AFNs). Unprecedented was the extent of political support at the local and state level as well as the interest of media and consumers. My PhD project originates in the desire to understand this phenomenon. I realized qualitative research of practice and discourse of the farmers' markets in the territory of Prague metropolitan area (PMA) during the years 2011 and 2012. The main research methods included interviews with organizers, observation at the markets, and the content analysis of the mass media. In the course of the research it became obvious that the current academic discourse, rooted primarily in the Anglo-American context, cannot be applied to the Czech reality. Also, the specific features of the farmers' markets in the PMA could only partially be explained by the differences between the Czech post-socialist context and "the West". An interpretation of the boom of farmers' markets in the PMA, consistent with the results of my research, was only enabled by an innovative approach which combines the concept of the travelling theory, postcolonial sensitivity to the mutual relations between source and target contexts, and the findings of the studies...
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Koloniální nemovité dědictví a obrazy města ve východní Asii: Případová studie Kóbe a Inčchonu
Zimt, Alexandra ; Halbich, Marek (advisor) ; Horáková, Hana (referee) ; Knotková - Čapková, Blanka (referee)
This paper studies two former treaty ports, Kobe in Japan and Incheon (Chemulpo) in South Korea following the scholarship of Jennifer Robinson (2006) in building social scientific knowledge upon case studies of the so-called "ordinary cities". Using a "bricolage" of sub-fields of social anthropology and research techniques, the study focuses on the built remnants from the colonial period in the two cities and their perceived image to further develop on ethnographies of sensescapes and post-colonialism. The present study is an addition to the scholarship of urban anthropology through tracing out the formations of personal images of a city among their inhabitants, emic perceptions of "danger" and "oldness" in relation to built environments in Japan and South Korea and discussing the relevance of post-colonial sensibilities for place image creation. Keywords: urban anthropology, socio-cultural anthropology, collective memory, city branding, city image, post-colonialism, settler urban heritage, Japan, South Korea
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"The other" geography of alternative food networks: farmers' markets as a travelling concept
Fendrychová, Lenka ; Chromý, Pavel (advisor) ; Kostelecký, Tomáš (referee) ; Pauknerová, Karolína (referee)
Boom of the farmers' markets in 2010 represented a brand new phenomenon in the so far rather calm development of the Czech alternative food networks (AFNs). Unprecedented was the extent of political support at the local and state level as well as the interest of media and consumers. My PhD project originates in the desire to understand this phenomenon. I realized qualitative research of practice and discourse of the farmers' markets in the territory of Prague metropolitan area (PMA) during the years 2011 and 2012. The main research methods included interviews with organizers, observation at the markets, and the content analysis of the mass media. In the course of the research it became obvious that the current academic discourse, rooted primarily in the Anglo-American context, cannot be applied to the Czech reality. Also, the specific features of the farmers' markets in the PMA could only partially be explained by the differences between the Czech post-socialist context and "the West". An interpretation of the boom of farmers' markets in the PMA, consistent with the results of my research, was only enabled by an innovative approach which combines the concept of the travelling theory, postcolonial sensitivity to the mutual relations between source and target contexts, and the findings of the studies...
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The Satanic Verses: In Quest of Identities
Poncarová, Petra ; Nováková, Soňa (advisor) ; Varhaníková, Halka (referee)
in English This thesis is concerned with the theme of identity in Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, namely with the metamorphoses of identity in relation to space. The issue of space and identity comprises both the analysis of the concrete locations and their impact on human beings, but also broader topics such as the mass migration in the second half of the 20th century. The novel is (in)famous mainly for the charge of blasphemy that was brought against it, and for the international controversy that followed its publication, but this thesis tries to read the novel as a literary work of art, as a manifestation of free authorial imagination which nevertheless addresses many issues of great social and political relevance. The first chapter defines the scope of the thesis, its methods and main theoretical sources; the second begins the actual discussion of identity: how are identities presented at the beginning of the novel. This chapter also briefly introduces some theoretical attitudes to identity. The relation of identity to space is the topic of the third chapter. Salman Rushdie's writing in general is characterized by the author's deep interest in the transformations of human identity under the influence of migration, and in The Satanic Verses, this theme becomes both the formal and the...
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