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Lecturer(s)
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Course content
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**Course content** **Part I: Theoretical and methodological framework** 1. The Scientific and Technological Revolution and the transformation of performative conditions in the 1960s 2. Cultural change as a symptom of the emerging postmodern era? **Part II: Performing the Communist Utopia** 3. Performing the Communist Utopia: contextualisation and conceptualisation 4. The repertoire of rituals of Communist rule: from theatrical and musical performances, May Day celebrations, and welcoming ceremonies for newborn citizens to Party meetings 5. The phenomenon of Houses of Culture as utopian stages **Part III: The Significance of Television Broadcasting** 6. The expansion of the backstage: the impact of television on expressive behaviour 7. Transformations of community and perceptions of time and space resulting from television viewing **Part IV: Manifestations of Cultural Change in Selected Case Studies** 8. The "most handsome" president Antonín Novotný as a failing political performer and Alexander Dubček as a superstar 9. The intimacy of small-form theatres 10. The expressivity of small-form theatres 11. Generational conflict and the global/local repertoire of protest **Conclusion** 12. Echoes of the Czechoslovak 1960s in the present
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Lecture, Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Projection (static, dynamic)
- Attendace
- 26 hours per semester
- Homework for Teaching
- 59 hours per semester
- Preparation for the Exam
- 40 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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The course explores the performativity of the 1960s in Czechoslovakia and examines the complex contexts of the profound cultural transformation that took place globally during this decade. Events and phenomena such as the Czechoslovak New Wave, the unprecedented development of small-form theatres, the massive growth of television audienceswith the number of viewers reaching one million in 1960the opening of the borders to the West, Allen Ginsberg's participation in the Prague Majáles festival in 1965, the student demonstrations of autumn 1967, the end of Antonín Novotný's presidency in early 1968, the abolition of censorship, and the entire period known as the Prague Spring, which ended with the Warsaw Pact invasion in August of the same year, can only be understood through a broad interdisciplinary approach. These profound cultural changes will therefore be examined through theories of performativity; Jeffrey C. Alexander's cultural pragmatics; Michel de Certeau's theory of strategies and tactics; Joshua Meyrowitz's conceptual framework, which brings together Erving Goffman's dramaturgical sociology and Marshall McLuhan's media theory; and other approaches that emphasise the processual and embodied nature of culture.
Students will gain an understanding of the broader cultural contexts of a key period in Czechoslovak history and will be able to assess them critically. They will acquire interdisciplinary approaches to the study of theatre and theatricality and will be able to analyse artistic performances within broader social and cultural contexts.
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Prerequisites
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The course does not require any prior specialised knowledge, but students are expected to have a basic understanding of twentieth-century Czechoslovak history and an interest in theatre, media, and broader cultural contexts. Students should be willing to engage with interdisciplinary academic literature, including texts in English, participate actively in seminar discussions, and independently interpret selected historical sources and cultural events. Familiarity with basic concepts from theatre studies, performance studies, or the sociology of culture is an advantage, but not a prerequisite.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Oral exam
The course does not require any prior specialised knowledge, but students are expected to have a basic understanding of twentieth-century Czechoslovak history and an interest in theatre, media, and broader cultural contexts. Students are expected to engage with interdisciplinary academic literature, including texts in English, participate actively in seminar discussions, and independently interpret selected historical sources and cultural events. Familiarity with basic concepts from theatre studies, performance studies, or the sociology of culture is an advantage, but not a prerequisite.
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Recommended literature
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ALEXANDER, Jeffrey C., Bernhard GIESEN a Jason L. MAST (edd.). (2006). Social Performance. Symbolic Action, Cultural Pragmatics,and Ritual. Cambridge.
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Knapík, Jiří a Martin Franc a kol. (2011). Průvodce kulturním děním a životním stylem v českých zemích 1948-1967. Praha.
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Lišková, Kateřina. Politika touhy: Sex a věda v komunistickém Československu. Praha. 2023.
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MEYROWITZ, Joshua. (2006). Všude a nikde: Vliv elektronických médií na sociální chování.. Praha.
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Suk, Jiří. (2016). Veřejné záchodky ze zlata: konflikt mezi komunistickým utopismem a ekonomickou racionalitou v předsrpnovém Československu. Praha.
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