Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism Perception of Media Contents, Status and Role in Czechoslovakia in 1977-1989 Diploma thesis Author: Zbyněk Vlasák Consultant: PhDr. Jakub Končelík, Ph.D. Abstract This thesis called Perception of Media Contents, Status and Role in Czechoslovakia in 1977-1989 analyzes possible principles and circumstances of perceiving the role of the media in a specific environment of the normalisation period using methods of oral history. Furthermore, the thesis examines the function of the media in the everyday life of normalisation households and identifies the sources of images responsible for bipolarization of the outside world and their nature. It also deals with the public view on the importance of free media for the functioning of a democratic society. Last but not least, the thesis tracks the possibility of obtaining information from official, unofficial and foreign media. To be able to conduct the above mentioned analyses, the base of this thesis lie in historiography, several chapters deal with formal and informal pressure exerted on the official media sources and circumstances of foreign media broadcast on the Czechoslovak territory. We do not omit the international context of the period 1977-1989 and...

The aim of this master thesis is to collect, organize and analyze references pertaining to Romania in the journals of Czechoslovak Samizdat and Czechoslovak Exile from the 1970's and 1980's. The paper focuses mostly on the analysis of the political situation and social development in Romania, as recorded in the articles of five Samizdat and two Exile Czechoslovak periodicals. Based on these sources, four main topics were selected for the comprehensive analysis. The result is a complex representation of the viewpoint of Czechoslovak Samizdat and Czechoslovak Exile regarding occurrences in the Socialist Republic of Romania, with particular emphasis on Czechoslovak acts of solidarity towards the Romanian population.

Parliamentary system of government demands parliamentary competent parties. Dissension within parties can block the entire political system; the government cannot rely on its majority and fails in processing its proposals on the agenda of the parliament. From the analytical perspective, inquiry in dissension in the parliamentary majority is one of basic questions. The thesis deals with dissension at the theoretical level. Using the Czech Chamber of Deputies as an example, the thesis conceptualizes forms of dissension (a disapproval of a governmental proposal at the first reading as the absolute dissent). The thesis conducts voting unity tests of Czech political parties that forge government. According to the empirical inquiry, the dissension that leads to the disapproval of governmental proposals stems from the dissent within the political parties, not from the dissent among parties.

"Regime campaign against Charta 77 on pages of Rudé právo" is the name of this diploma work and the definition of the research aim. This research aim is elaborated by qualitative content analysis of chosen media. Diploma work is divided into three main parts which are methodology, historical (theoretical) and analytical. Theoretical part describes historical affairs essential for understanding the role of Charta 77 in context of normalization regime in communistic Czechoslovakia starting from Prague Spring and ending with events leading to the Velvet revolution. In context of opposition movements and new forms of resistance emerging the regime reaction on rise of the opposition is also described. In the structure of historical part the key moment is foundation of Charta 77 and its activities and aims. The role and function of journalism as well as the role of Rudé právo daily in communistic regime is described as important background for regime media campaign understanding. The core of this diploma work is analytical part. It consists of content analysis of Rudé právo daily in period of first three months of 1977. The base of the content analysis is each single article in Rudé právo related to Charta 77 and chartists. Analytical part is divided into three parts. Each part analyzes one research...

The thesis of Dissent after 1989. The use of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of habitus change on the example of selected post-dissent organizations deals with the topic of dissent after 1989 and his subsequent life and influence in the Czech society after 1989. The theme of the post-dissent is conceived through a qualitative the research of organizations whose activity is based on the legacy of dissent or refers to its activities. With the help of the research design of instrumental case studies, the following organizations are organized: Charter 77 Foundation, Václav Havel Library, Babylon, Libri prohibiti. The monitored themes are the development of the organization's relationship towards disentanglement, the dissent reflection in the current activities of the organization, and how the organization communicates these themes towards the public. The theoretical part of the thesis outlines the issues of dissent and post-dissent, which are further embedded in the post-communist transition and presentation of the methodology of qualitative studies. In the second part of the case studies of the above mentioned organizations. I outline their focus and development towards dissent. The last part is an analysis of this development through the theoretical concepts of habitus change of Pierre Bourdieu. The aim is...

MARTINA HYNKOVÁ: ‚JINÉ SVĚTY' ŽEN JAZZOVÉ SEKCE V OBDOBÍ TZV. NORMALIZACE ABSTRACT This master thesis deals with the Jazz section of the Musicians' Union in the normalization period. It was an amateur organization which existed from 1971 until 1986. It took an active part in the area of jazz and united an extensive jazz community. The thesis aims at gender aspects of female Jazz section's activities and roles. The research question can be formulated as follows: Which strategies of living did female members of the Jazz section choose during the normalization? The thesis is based on a biographical method consisting of six interviews with former female members of the Jazz section. Those interviews were made via an episodic narrative interview. The author revealed the following strategies of living: accession to the Jazz section community, being an active member of the community, going abroad to visit cultural events, contact with dissent and living in two worlds. Making of these other worlds by female members of the Jazz section thus became strategies of living on their own.

The Master's thesis Iranian opposition and blogging - the phenomenon of Citizen journalism in a non-free society is focused on analysis of blogging as an opposition's communication tool within the nondemocratic regimes, contemporary Iran in particular. The research question is How can be the opposition's communication performed by blogging and what are the limitations and possibilities of such communication. The primary hypothesis is that the blogs are not used for direct manangement of opposition's actions, but rather as an alternative space for free expression. Four opposition's blogs written in english are analysed by means of qualitative analysis. The main criteria for selection of blogs were that the blog should be actualised on regular basis, based in Iran or at least written by a native Iranian, and clearly be in favour of the opposition's ideology. Content published between march 2009 and march 2010 was selected for analysis, for it was the period of disputed presidential election and following citizen's unrest in Iran. The issues of media's effects are not discussed in the thesis. Aside of the analysis, certain theoretical models of communication and their potential use within Iran's blogosphere are discussed. The analysis finally confirms that the bloggers have a potential to become...

This Thesis is focused on the samizdat periodical called Information on Charter 77, which belonged to the important sources of spreading the informations within the dissent and publicizing the key thougts and concepts of Charter 77. The periodical was publishing the Charter documents, communiques of the Comittee for the Defence of the Unjustly Persecuted, brief messages about represion of the normalisation regime, dissident's letters adressed to the state organs, critical reviews and annotations of other samizdat periodicals and books and rarely the reflections on the economy. Topic of the research are personality profiles of the protagonists, functioning of the "independent" editing, preparing and distribution of texts, forming of the distributional net, conspirative milieu (using codes, pseudonyms, conspirative apartments, konfidence etc.), financing and sending abroad.

The diploma thesis deals with forms and strategies of interference of Secret police and opposition during 1970s and 1980s. Strategies are monitored both from the side of dissent and Secret police. In the first chapter the opposite manuals for contact with Secret police are introduced. These form basic relationship delimitation of dissent and Secret police from the view of opposition. In the second part of the first chapter the manuals are embedded into wider context of legal consciousness, which represented basic element of mutual interference of these two groups. In the second chapter the strategies and methods of Secret police, which were used in the battle against "the enemy within", are introduced. Besides specific precautions used against dissidents the material and technical superiority of Secret police, which was used in the conflict against opposition, is noticeable. The final chapter represents categorization of strategies and approaches, which were chose by dissidents in contact with Secret police. The categorization originated on the basis of several factors - the character of dissidents, their experience with security authorities but also the activity, which was practised in the framework of opposite environment, belonged among them. Resulting text shows how much the worlds of dissent...

The theme of the thesis is the fall of the totalitarian regime and the roots of anti-communist opposition. The thesis is focused on the rise of civil resistance, which was initiated by the main protagonists of this society - wide revolutionary expansion. The courage of these three heroes of their age will be shown.