PhDr. Vít Šimral, LL.B. (Hons) Party Politics in Intercivilisational Encounters: The Modernity Cleavage Abstract The thesis presents an extension of the Lipset - Rokkan model of cleavage-based party politics. It employs concepts of civilisational analysis, particularly the concept of multiple modernities as devised by Shmuel Eisenstadt, to describe the emergence of anti-Western fundamental movements in Russia and Egypt at the start of the 20th century. The introductory chapter discusses the existing literature and recent trends in mainstream studies of party politics, noting particularly the divergence between research into Western and non-Western political parties. The second chapter focuses on the Rokkanian branch of party studies and the use of the cleavage concept outside the political region of Western Europe. In the third chapter, the concept of 'modernity cleavage' is presented, based on theoretical assumptions common both to the Rokkanian agenda and to civilisational analysis. The fourth and fifth chapters deal with the empirical analysis of two cases, the Russian Communists and Egyptian Muslim Brothers, respectively, with the goal to extract findings from presented historical data through a basic-level comparative and ground-theoretical approach. In the final chapter, the thesis is concluded with a...

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the position of women in Nigerian family and to estimate the extent of their emancipation and/or dependence on men in Nigerian society, traditionally considered to be patriarchal. The analysis is based on the interpretation of the novels Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun and the short story collection The Thing around Your Neck, written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a prominent contemporary Nigerian author. The theoretical part focuses on political, social and economic representations of women in pre- colonial Nigeria and in colonial and modern, post-colonial Nigeria. An antidote to the stereotypical depiction of women in African literature, Adichie's work typically presents female characters who are educated, independent and emancipated. This stands to challenge the image of Nigerian women who are dominated and controlled by men.

The diploma thesis called ?Globalization ? sociological reflection. Conception of globalization by Anthony Giddens, Zygmunt Bauman and Ulrich Beck? reflects the question, how sociological thinking deals with the phenomenon of globalization. In the introduction part of the Thesis is a basic outline of sociological perspective on globalization issues and this historical roots. The main part is devoted to comparing the concept of globalization of the three major sociological theorists, Anthony Giddens, Zygmunt Bauman and Ulrich Beck, which includes a detailed analysis of the works related to the theme of globalization. The relevant sections of the Thesis pays attention to the key topics that are discussed in the context of globalization in the field of contemporary social theory (globalization, localization and glocalization, denacionalization, the convergence of global culture, etc.). This Thesis is based on the key works of these authors, their reaction in the scientific community and my own critical analysis.

Patočka and Modernity Jakub Homolka Abstract: This thesis deals with the work of Jan Patočka (1907-1977), probably the most important Czech philosopher of the twentieth century, and with his understanding of modernity. More precisely, the thesis focuses on Patočka's work from the perspective of contemporary civilizational analysis, which leads our attention especially to Patočka's dialogue with the work of the German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920). The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part introduces Patočka's work in general; it summarizes the situation of Patočka's heritage, subsuming existing findings and future challenges. The second part discusses the perspective of civilizational analysis, a subdiscipline of contemporary historical sociology, and explains the link between this field of research and Patočka's work. Finally, the third part presents an interpretation of Patočka's work which emphasizes the very perspective of civilizational analysis: the focus is on Patočka's dialogue with Weber's work, which is most notably expressed in the philosopher's idea of "rational civilization". In this way, the thesis contributes to the existing interpretations of Patočka's work as well as to the discussions of the theoretical concept of civilizational analysis. Key words: Jan Patočka; Max Weber;...

Patočka and Modernity Jakub Homolka Abstract: This thesis deals with the work of Jan Patočka (1907-1977), probably the most important Czech philosopher of the twentieth century, and with his understanding of modernity. More precisely, the thesis focuses on Patočka's work from the perspective of contemporary civilizational analysis, which leads our attention especially to Patočka's dialogue with the work of the German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920). The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part introduces Patočka's work in general; it summarizes the situation of Patočka's heritage, subsuming existing findings and future challenges. The second part discusses the perspective of civilizational analysis, a subdiscipline of contemporary historical sociology, and explains the link between this field of research and Patočka's work. Finally, the third part presents an interpretation of Patočka's work which emphasizes the very perspective of civilizational analysis: the focus is on Patočka's dialogue with Weber's work, which is most notably expressed in the philosopher's idea of "rational civilization". In this way, the thesis contributes to the existing interpretations of Patočka's work as well as to the discussions of the theoretical concept of civilizational analysis. Key words: Jan Patočka; Max Weber;...

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the fictional and non-fictional literary works of two Taiwanese eco-environmental writers Liu Kexiang and Wu Mingyi in the context of the transformation of interpersonal sphere. Eco-environmental literature represents a significant literary trend that has been pursued in Taiwan at the end of the 20th century. It develops Taiwanese literary tradition in a new way through the reflection of Western and Eastern theories in the domestic context and Taiwanese cultural specifics from the perspective of natural history and scientific knowledge. The first part of the thesis summarizes academic discussions on the topic of eco- environmental literature. This is characterized by the initial insufficient theoretical basis of Taiwanese environmental studies, the desire to maintain this trend beyond purely literary criticism, the assumption of Western environmental discourse theories, and the involvement of writers themselves in theoretical discussions and the gradual shift to ecocriticism. It also puts it in a historical context and explores its dominant topics. The analytical part of the thesis is based on the theory of modernity of British sociologist Anthony Giddens. It analyzes works based on the sources of modernity, which are time-space distanciation, disembedding of...

The thesis tries to process a topic of bodybuilding phenomenon in the wider context of the ideal body formation in modern age. Bodybuilding is understood as a specific socio-cultural phenomenon closely tied to a modern society and its historical development. Beyond the bodybuilding the work also deals with an analysis of the contemporary social body theory with focus on the domestic discourse and subsequently also with an analysis of discursive formation modern physicality from the Enlightenment till the 20th century. The main focus is put on the understanding of changes characteristic for the modern society in context of the modernisation project continuity. The objective is to describe a history of bodybuilding within the outlined process of modernization, as well as to compare various alternative conception of the ideal of physicality in the "Fordism Modernity", where a special attention is focused on the analysis of bio political discourse in Communist dictatorship. The remaining part processes a historical development of the bodybuilding movement in Czechoslovakia, where the main emphasis is put on placing the Czechoslovakia bodybuilding into the postulated concept, including individual historical events. Key words: Social history; Bodybuilding; Social Theory; History of the Body; Subculture;...

This diploma thesis explores the phenomenon of kitsch. One of the aims of the thesis is to address significant theories (H. Broch, M. Kundera, P. Rezek and T. Kulka) and to analyze them further in relation to the central concept of Umberto Eco, which defines kitsch as a communication. According to Eco, kitsch is not to be defined solely by the structural qualities of the work, but also by the intention that the author creates and by the means that the work is later perceived by the audience. The focus of this thesis is to be pointed not on the kitsch as a definition of a certain type of object and its aesthetic evaluation, but rather on the attitudes and interpretations that transform objects and thoughts into kitsch. Another aim of the thesis is to mark a possible shift in conception of kitsch in context of the changes brought by the age of new media - the changes that radically change the ways of communication, and the organization of society, too. Such change proposes the use of kitsch both as an emotional and simplifying approach. Kitsch, in its wider conception, becomes a pervasive and actual phenomenon. In addition to the characteristics of new media, the thesis uses the concept of Cyberculture by Pierre Lévy and the Liquid Times theory of Zygmunt Bauman. In its conclusion, the thesis attempts to...

This diploma thesis "The Place of Truth by Ernest Gellner and Eric Voegelin" compares two major thinkers in the field of discourses of truth, faith, modernity, and democracy. Eric Voegelin represents unorthodox conservative views of the abstract place of truth, which is in close connection with the existence of individuals and with close relation to transcendent basis of being. Liberal thinker Ernest André Gellner is an advocate of individualism and rationalism, which significantly impact the very concept of truth. Attention is mainly focused on how these two different points of view define relation between domain of truth to modern democracy and totalitarian movements represented by ideologies, which were hegemonizing sphere of truth in society.

The thesis deals with the problem of global ecological crisis caused by excessive consumption of material goods, particularly in countries of "The Rich North" (western countries). In the theoretical part I set up individualized man as a consumer in the system of modern society, which indicates the conditions of its existence mainly through the market. I discuss the possible way out of the ecological crisis through ideological changes in the company initiated from the "bottom", based on the internalization of values leading to responsible and moderate consumption. I demonstrate alternative ways of life, environmentally friendly in terms of consumption, and discuss the obstacles and ways of its spread. The research was conducted through interviews with eco-advisers who are dealing with consumption, as potential "opinion leaders" in this case. I tried to look their conception of responsible consumption and their potential impact on society in favor of spreading the idea of an environmentally responsible way of life Key words Ecological crisis, consumption, consumerism, modernity, individualization, values, responsible consumption, modesty, environmentally friendly way of life