Czech Society Research Articles

They Shall—or Shall Not—Pass? Communist State Borders in the Czech Culture of Remembrance after 1989

This article is part of the special section titled From the Iron Curtain to the Schengen Area, guest edited by Wolfgang Mueller and Libora Oates-Indruchová. This article analyses the formation of the two mutually opposing memory poles of the communist past that crystalized in Czechia after 1989. To this end, it focuses on the issue of communist state borders, which slowly developed into one of the most controversial memory conflicts. Anti-communist Iron Curtain discourse established a new mainstream “national memory” using the previous border regime as a prime example of the non-democratic rule that violated values that were constitutive of liberal democratic order after 1989. Nevertheless, the Communists’ border discourse did not fade away after 1989. It was sustained by communist politicians, party members and former Border Guards. It still influences the public memory of state borders by stressing their legitimacy, legality, and ultimately the inevitability of protecting them. The search for unequivocal heroes and evil-doers of the communist state border regime strengthens this split memory and makes embracing its complexity hardly possible. The existence of these two opposing memory discourses, which refute one another, is not just an example of group conflict over the “right” memory. It also illustrates deep postcommunist divides in Czech society going beyond the watershed events of 1989.

A conception for the use of mechanical support for the treatment of advanced cardiac or pulmonary failure in the Czech Republic: A joint statement of the Czech Society of Cardiology, Czech Society of Intensive Care Medicine ČLS JEP, Czech Society of Cardiovascular Surgery ČLS JEP, Czech Society of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive care Medicine ČLS JEP, Czech Transplantation Society, Czech

A conception for the use of mechanical support for the treatment of advanced cardiac or pulmonary failure in the Czech Republic: A joint statement of the Czech Society of Cardiology, Czech Society of Intensive Care Medicine ČLS JEP, Czech Society of Cardiovascular Surgery ČLS JEP, Czech Society of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive care Medicine ČLS JEP, Czech Transplantation Society, Czech

E-Health: A position statement of the European Society of Cardiology: Summary of the document prepared by the Czech Society of Cardiology

e-Health: A position statement of the European Society of Cardiology: Summary of the document prepared by the Czech Society of Cardiology

Cardiac Arrest Centers: Joint statement of Czech Professional Societies: Czech Acute Cardiac Care Association of the Czech Society of Cardiology, Czech Resuscitation Council, Czech Society of Intensive Care Medicine ČLS JEP, Czech Society of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine ČLS JEP, and Society for Emergency and Disaster Medicine ČLS JEP

Cardiac Arrest Centers: Joint statement of Czech Professional Societies: Czech Acute Cardiac Care Association of the Czech Society of Cardiology, Czech Resuscitation Council, Czech Society of Intensive Care Medicine ČLS JEP, Czech Society of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine ČLS JEP, and Society for Emergency and Disaster Medicine ČLS JEP

Experience of Czech Children with Alcohol Consumption in Relation to Selected Family Indicators.

The aim of this study is to monitor and analyze the influence of chosen family indicators related to alcohol consumption and experience of drunkenness in a representative sample of Czech children. Data for our work were obtained from the Health Behaviour in School Aged Children (HBSC) study - a World Health Organization (WHO) cross national study. The sample consisted of 4,293 children aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Data collection was conducted in June 2010 in 88 randomly selected schools in the Czech Republic using standardized questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed in the program NCSS 9, methods of descriptive statistics, χ2 test of independence in the contingency tables and logistic regression analysis were used. Regular alcohol consumption (at least weekly) was reported by 7.4% of children aged eleven, 19.3% of children aged thirteen and 38.4% of children aged fifteen years. Drunkenness at least twice in their life was admitted by 3% of children aged eleven, 15% of children aged thirteen and 43% of children aged fifteen years. Both alcohol consumption and drunkenness were significantly associated (p<0.001) with age and gender. Formal structure of family was found to have significant effect on the experience of drunkenness, but no effect on alcohol consumption was recorded. Based on our results, neither the amount of time spent together, nor the children communication with parents had a statistically significant influence on alcohol consumption or drunkenness experience within each family type. However, statistically significant differences were observed between different family types (p<0.001). These findings indicate a high degree of liberalism of Czech society towards alcohol. It appears that alcohol consumption will remain a serious problem in Czech society, therefore, more attention should be paid to this phenomenon in the future.

Development of drainage system in the Czech landscape – identification and functionality assessment by means of remote sensing

Abstract Subsurface drainage systems are very important type of meliorative measures in the Czech Republic. Nevertheless, their functions are perceived differently in the Czech society. We can distinguish point of view of landowner, farmer, water manager or environmentalist. With regard to the climatic changes or new praxis of agricultural, there must be assessed changed conditions in relation to existing drainage systems. It has connection with the next strategy of their funding and management. Therein, in the Czech Republic, farmer has dominating position, instead of the state or landowner that would be probably more correct. The paper presents results of user demands survey, conditions of drainage systems, their services and defects. New technologies, mainly remote sensing, and their use for identification and survey of drainage systems are presented too. Land drainage measures changed the whole landscape in the Czech Republic (agricultural intensification, loss of natural habitats and natural water flows etc.). In context of hydrological extremes′ rising and drainage systems′ ageing, existence of drainage systems must be solved. It means their maintainance for purpose of agricultural production, or, on the contrary, their elimination with the view of nature habitats′ recovery. Both solutions must differ in accordance with the different landscape characteristics of the Czech Republic.

Proměny hodnotových orientací a sebehodnocení obyvatel Hlučínska a České republiky

The study is trying to contribute to the knowledge of the development and behaviour of the inhabitants of buffer zones. It is based on the historical development of the Hlučinsko region and the Czechoslovakia, later the Czech Republic. A set of questions is formulated based on the developmental differences between the two territories. A survey was carried out in 2014 of 604 respondents of the Hlučinsko region and 1000 respondents of the entire Czech Republic. From the point of view of value orientation, the results of the survey show Hlučinsko region inhabitants to be still different from those of the entire Czech Republic, without, however, showing substantial differences between the two youngest age cohorts. It is the middle age cohort that plays the key role in the changes of value orientation. In the Hlučinsko region, changes in value orientation are mainly due to the increasing role of education. Self assessment of the Hlučinsko region inhabitants combines traditionalism and openness to change. It may be a consequence of their ability to adapt to the pressure of the administration of the respective state to which they belonged. On the basis of the data obtained, it can be concluded that the youngest age cohort of Hlučinsko region inhabitants is already integrated into Czech society.

Lajos Kossuth and the Hungarian Revolution in Czech Society (with an Emphasis on the Works of Karel Havlíček and Ludwig Rittersberg)

Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894) has been the symbol of not only the revolution in Hungary in 1848 but also of the Hungarian national movement in general. The article draws attention to some major published reflections of Hungarian politics and mainly its representatives in the Czech press in 1848–1852 with particular focus on Lajos Kossuth in the texts by the journalists Karel Havlíček (periodical production) and Ludwig Rittersberg (Kapesní slovníček novinářský a konversační /A Pocket Dictionary of Journalism and Conversation/). With respect to the genre diversity of their publications (the periodically issued press in the case of Havlíček and collected works, albeit of journalistic character, in the case of Rittersberg), however, it would be almost purposeless to compare these two testimonies of the period in question in detail. Each of them fulfilled their role in the public space: one was engaged in news reporting, whereas the other, after some time, remembered the values, people or events gradually forgotten in the changing political situation after the defeat of the revolution. Although Havlíček and Rittersberg were not in entire ideological agreement and alienated during the revolutionary period, they both criticised Kossuth’s national policy towards Slavs. Havlíček’s Národní noviny [National Newspaper] and his Slovan [The Slav] as well as his publication Duch Národních novin [The Spirit of the National Newspaper] and Epištoly kutnohorské [The Kutná Hora Epistles] were officially forbidden in 1850–1851; likewise the publication of Rittersberg’s work in the Austrian monarchy was forcibly interrupted at the entry ‘Medakovič’ in 1852. In this connection, the author also mentions the prepared glossary of another part of Rittersberg’s work, which remains unprocessed in the Literary Archives of the Museum of Czech Literature, paying attention to Rittersberg’s focus on major Hungarian figures, life and institutions. In the next part of the work, the author, based on her analysis of the list of prohibited publications (Chronologicko-abecední seznam tisků zakazáných v monarchii podle nařízení ministerstva vnitra z roku 1851 a tiskového nařízení policejních úřadů z roku 1852 /A Chronological-Alphabetical List of Publications Prohibited in the Monarchy According to a Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of 1851 and a Press Regulation of Police Authorities of 1852/) has provided specific examples of the restrictions to which the books published on the topic of Hungarian revolution had been subjected. Nevertheless, the governmental authorities were not satisfied with the policy of prohibiting individual publications, so that, in the end, a ban was imposed on 3 March 1853 on any information on Kossuth as well as on the Italian revolutionary Mazzini and on their ‘treacherous proclamations’.

INNOVATION-BASED RURAL DEVELOPMENT REGIONAL DIFFERENTIATION OF THE DWELLINGS CONSTRUCTION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD

The article presents the results of an analysis of the spatial distribution of the construction of new dwellings in the Czech Republic in the period after 1989. This period represents a major turnaround in the Czech society and the associated transformation of the Czech economy from a centrally planned economy toward a free market. These changes were also significantly reflected in theconstructionof new dwellings. The article analyses the spatio-temporal evolution of the constructionof new dwellingsat the level of the Czech Republic and its partial spatial structures. The results indicate significant differences in the regional distribution of the construction of new dwellingsin the Czech Republic.

Imaginative geographies of Sub-Saharan Africa in the Czech environment: outline of topic

This article provides an outline of imaginative geographies of Sub-Saharan Africa that can be found in Czech society. It is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with Czech men and women regarding the respondents’ ideas about Africa and its inhabitants. Edward Said’s imaginative geographies are used as the key analytical concept – these are ideological images and visions of distant places emphasizing mainly their otherness. The aim is to analyze the ideas of Sub-Saharan Africa and to critically interpret discourses of otherness of the region and its inhabitants. For this purpose, not only postcolonial critique of imaginative geographies is used, but also Marxist critique of neoliberalism because this theoretical approach is an added value of the analysis. The analysis itself reveals that for the otherness of Sub-Saharan Africa some discourses are crucial: those of savagery, poverty, passivity of people and unwillingness to work and especially conservation of Africa in the past times, which has a special impact on perception of humanitarianism and economic neo-colonialism.

Антисемитизм вчера и исламофобия сегодня: взгляд из Центральной Европы

The author compares the mediaeval and early-modern discourses on anti-Semitism with the today discourse of Islamophobia focusing on the contextual framework of Central Europe in general and the Czech Republic in particular. The article describes the broad context of the nowadays Islamo-phobia in the Czech Republic, which has grown and expanded greatly in recent years though the Czech Republic’s historical experience (different forms of direct interaction with the Muslim minority in the country with the roots that can be traced back to the 1970s) has been prevailingly positive. The majority of the Czech Muslims are, and have long been, well integrated or even assimilated into the Czech society. The Czech Islamophobia is therefore described in the article as a kind of a paradox; it seems to be rather a strange ‘product’ (a result and a consequence) of people’s everyday perception and interpretation of international events (for instance, of the so-called ‘international war on terrorism’) than a ‘product’ of their direct everyday experience in their home country - of the face-to-face interaction with the Muslim minority. The second part of the article focuses on the Islamophobic discourse developing in the Czech Republic and identifies some of the key issues and topics it shares with the well-known phenomenon of anti-Semitism that historically preceded Islamophobia: ‘the internal enemy’, ‘the threats to the security’, ‘the secret conspiracy for the world dominance’, ‘the “other” incompatible with the European society in cultural, religious and other respects’, ‘the unproductive parasite living at the expense of the (Christian) majority society’, ‘the sacrificial lamb’, and finally ‘the community trying to segregate and create parallel values and institutions’ (so as not to be integrated into the Czech or Central-European society). To a certain degree Islamophobia today revives the previous anti-Semitism for it constructs an image of the Muslim as a dangerous stranger/foreigner, which resembles the negative image of the Jew and Judaism con-structed on the eve of the Holocaust.

Theatrical and art activities in the internment camp of the Ukrainian Galician army in Josefov, Czechoslovakia (1922-1924)

Performances of cultural and art ensembles in Josefov played an important role in raising the morale of the interne es , satisfying their nostalgic feelings towards their home and native land. Actors and singers of the camp were given the opportunity for self-realization and development of their artistic abilities. Important was also that all without exception amateur activities related to the theater and performances were national in content and spirit and contributed to the spiritual consolidation of Ukrainian soldiers. In the repertoire of the camp theater Ukrainian household and historical plays dominated, because they corresponded the interest of the interned. One could name here, in particular, «Zaporozhets za Dunayem» [Cossack Beyond the Danube] by Semen Hulak-Artemovsky and «Marusya Bohuslavka» by Mykhailo Starytsky, for the production of which the theater section of the Cultural and Educational Club prepared a rich stage requisite and various scenery (for several acts). W omen (wives of some interned) and their children had actively participated in the performances, which allowed to show events in the plays naturally . It should also be noted that during several years spent in the camp, artists have reached a fairly high level of skill. The artistic component of the camp life was duly represented at the exhibition which was installed in the camp. Due to this exhibition, creative achievements of amateur theatre clubs became known among the general public of the town of Josefov and the district. The significance of the camp theatres also consisted in the fact that Ukrainian song, music, dramatic art disseminated among Czech society a positive vision of Ukraine as a part of the European political and national-cultural space. The most important was that the interned searched and found their own original expression for their artistic quest, thus making its own contribution to the treasury of Ukrainian and European culture. Key words: theater, concert, exhibition, performance, repertoire, interned, Ukrainian Galician Army.

IN MEMORIAM: Prof Jana Zvarova, PhD (1943-2017)

On July 5th passed away academician professor Jana Zvarova, one of pioneers and one of most influential Medical informatics scientist and expert in Europe and in the world. Professor Jana Zvarova was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. After graduating in mathematics in 1965 at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague she has been working with several faculties of Charles University in Prague. She completed external doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Albert Perez, member of IFIP. He brought her attention to the field of Medical informatics and opened the contacts with founders of IMIA. Jana Zvárová founded the Medical informatics section of the Czech Society of biomedical engineering and Medical informatics in the year 1978. The same year, she received Ph.D. scientific degree at Charles University in Prague. She passed the habilitation at Charles University in 1991 and she was nominated by the president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel as Full Professor at Charles University in Prague in 1999. She reached the highest Czech scientific degree, Doctor of Sciences in 1999 at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The pitfalls and problems of museum documentation of the contemporary tramping movement

Even though the tramping subculture forms a part of Czech society for nearly a century, it only gained the attention of the museums and other memory institutions, aside from some exceptions, over the last three decades. The paper examines both previous research on the history and on the present status of the tramping movement in the Czech and Slovak Republics, and the general theoretical and methodological problems it raises. These include, among others, assessing the importance of individual tramping groups defined locally, socially and by generation; the fragmentary makeup of sources resulting predominantly from the private nature of the tramping and, finally, choosing the appropriate methods when documenting and archiving findings. It focuses, furthermore, on ethical problems of such a research and assesses the blurred boundaries between tramping and other forms of grouping or staying outdoors. The present paper is based on the experience of documenting the tramping movement in the Ethnographic Department of the National Museum and within the grant project of the Department of Czech History in the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.

Social Education and Social Work as an Inspirational Resource of Teacher Training.

In the process of finding progressive and long-term strategies, programs and models for the Czech education system, social education and thus social work finds itself in a prominent position. Out study deals with selected knowledge of these fields, which became a natural part of teacher training in the current pedagogical theory and practice. Examples of integrating socio-educational thematic units into teacher education programs are also a reflection of social needs that result from the dynamically evolving life of Czech society.

Zakładanie rodziny w krajach czeskich w pierwszej połowie XIX wieku

W omawianym okresie w krajach czeskich rodzina składała się zwykle z 5–7 osób. Tworzyli ją ojciec, matka i dzieci. Założenie rodziny było uwarunkowane zgodą przedstawiciela władzy zwierzchniej (na wsi) i magistratu (w miastach). Również po zniesieniu pańszczyzny w monarchii habsburskiej (1781 r.) w parafiach katolickich wymagano od urzędów zwierzchnich tzw. potwierdzenia o niekaralności, natomiast u osób poniżej 24. roku życia (wiek umownej dorosłości) do zawarcia małżeństwa konieczna była także zgoda opiekunów prawnych (rodziców). Partnera wybierali rodzice, kierując się głównie posiadanym przez niego majątkiem i zajmowaną pozycją społeczną. Ślub zawierały zwykle osoby pochodzące nie tylko z tej samej warstwy społecznej, ale też z tej samej miejscowości lub bliskiej okolicy. Prawo nie regulowało dolnej granicy wieku, koniecznej do zawarcia małżeństwa, jednak kawaler liczący mniej niż 20 lat należał do rzadkości, natomiast panien poniżej 20. roku życia było około 1/5. Rodzina stanowiła małą grupę społeczną tworzoną jednostkami połączonymi więzami małżeństwa, pokrewieństwa lub adopcji. Była rozumiana jako instytucja najwyższej wartości. Jej nienaruszalność gwarantowało wiele przepisów oraz tradycja. W pierwszej po łowie XIX wieku kobiety wychodziły za mąż najczęściej w wieku 20–25 lat, a mężczyźni w wieku 25 30 lat. W miastach mężczyźni żenili się mając nawet około 50 lat lub więcej. W rodzinach mieszczańskich podnosił się także wiek narzeczonych, podobnie jako okres trwania narzeczeństwa. Dotyczyło to zwłaszcza urzędników; w ich przy�padku założenie rodziny było uzależnione od osiągnięcia określonej pozycji. Ponadto, zgodnie z dekretem cesarskim z 1800 roku, każdy urzędnik państwowy lub miejski musiał posiadać zgodę swojego przełożonego, o ile jego pensja nie osiągnęła pewnego pułapu finansowego. W przypadku żandarmerii, żołnierzy, straży finansowej i nauczy�cieli pozwolenie na ślub było związane ze zdobyciem pewnej pozycji służbowej. Na Morawach, w porównaniu z Czechami, wcześniej zawierano związki małżeńskie. Około 1/10 ludności w krajach czeskich była stanu wolnego. Biorąc pod uwagę ko�biety chodziło o służące, córki mniej zamożnych rzemieślników, urzędników lub panny pochodzące z zubożałych rodzin szlacheckich, które nie posiadały wystarczająco wyso�kiego posagu. W pierwszej połowie XIX wieku, przede wszystkim w miastach, zwięk�szała się liczba tzw. ślubów odroczonych. Mamy tu na myśli związki małżeńskie za�wierane dopiero wówczas, kiedy para partnerów miała już kilka nieślubnych dzieci; było to szczególnie widoczne w obszarach przygranicznych zamieszkałych przez lud�ność niemiecką.

Czech Society of Gastroenterology guidelines for diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy

Czech Society of Gastroenterology guidelines for diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy

Stereotypes regarding business conditions in Latin America – the results of own research in the Polish and Czech society

Stereotypes and prejudices in international trade could be devastating to operations carried out in a different culture. The aim of this document is to highlight issues of cultural differences in business. In the article has been used a number of scientific publications, and also presents the results of own research. Surveys of perception of business conditions in Latin America were conducted separately among Polish and Czech respondents.

The First and Second Life of Father Josef Toufar (1902–1950) and Shifts in Interpretations of Modern Czech History

Summary There is an interesting paradox whereby contemporary Czech society ranks among the most secularized in the world, and where anti-clericalism – the rejection of Christianity and, first and foremost, the Catholic church – rank as key aspects for the majority of society. Against this background, two completely contradictory trends consequently converged in one society. This involved an enhanced and extremely vocal anti-clericalism, on the one hand, and wide-spread interest in the life story of a Catholic priest martyred by the Communist Regime in 1950, on the other hand. This study is divided into three parts. The first involves a brief biography of Father Josef Toufar (1902–1950), and the so-called second life, the further development in interest in his fate to the present day. The core of the study subsequently answers the question as to the reason behind the intensity of this contemporary interest in his fate.

Selected Methods of Intervention Suitable for Work Social Educator with Children at Risk of Social Exclusion

The study deals with the possibilities of the use of certain methods, which have their origins in social work and are also useful in the work of social educator working in socially exluded localites. The study is based on the concept of social educator as a separate profession and highlights one of the ways in which social workers should act. Deliberately focuses on the methods of work as a fundamental instrument profession. Socially excluded localities, unfortunately, become an integral part of Czech society. When working with the residents to create multidisciplinary teams that include social educator who acts as a bridge between educational establishments, family and welfare authorities. In the paper, we introduce a few selected methods, which are suitable for the job and that could broaden the skills and hence the competence of social educator, including the definition of social exclusion and its associated culture of poverty as a specific phenomenon.