Social cleavages and political conflicts in the contemporary Czech society

There are a number of significant social cleavages and political conflicts within the population of the European postsocialist societies. The first one concerns the cleavage between the decreasing number of people who benefited from the “Ancien régime” and those who took advantage of the new developments over the past 12 years. The second one concerns cleavages based on ethnic differences, which are more important in South Eastern than in Central Europe. The third cleavage is the rapid polarization between the rich and the poor, which developed in the relatively egalitarian Czech social structure as a consequence of the rapid privatization and the sudden liberalization of both the economy and other spheres of life. These cleavages as well as some other conflicts influence the contemporary existing political relationships which – under Czech circumstances – are characterized by a relative balance of four main political currents. The optimal solution for the hybrid coexistence of these cleavages and conflicts would consist in strengthening the role of forces which are important for the development analogously to the more advanced postindustrial European models of social and political arrangements. --

Modernisation and Social Transformation in the Czech Republic

Analysis of the Czech historical experience suggests theoretical generalization on global postcommunist societal transformation, seen as complex social transformation & modernization. It is argued that while the postcommunist transformation of Czech society has so far been successful, this is the result of the abandonment, postponement, or mitigation of some aspects of the originally presupposed radical liberal democratic changes. It is concluded that the long-term prospects of Czech society depend mainly on the ability of the social & institutional system to stimulate significant progress toward qualitative modernization, possible only through the creation of a dynamic social equilibrium generating a motivation structure based on social relationships influenced by principles of equity of chances & meritocracy

Social cleavages and political conflicts in the contemporary Czech society

"There are a number of significant social cleavages and political conflicts within the population of the European postsocialist societies. The first one concerns the cleavage between the decreasing number of people who benefited from the 'Ancien regime' and those who took advantage of the new developments over the past 12 years. The second one concerns cleavages based on ethnic differences, which are more important in South Eastern than in Central Europe. The third cleavage is the rapid polarization between the rich and the poor, which developed in the relatively egalitarian Czech social structure as a consequence of the rapid privatization and the sudden liberalization of both the economy and other spheres of life. These cleavages as well as some other conflicts influence the contemporary existing political relationships which - under Czech circumstances - are characterized by a relative balance of four main political currents. The optimal solution for the hybrid coexistence of these cleavages and conflicts would consist in strengthening the role of forces which are important for the development analogously to the more advanced postindustrial European models of social and political arrangements." (author's abstract)"Europäische postsozialistische Gesellschaften sind gekennzeichnet durch eine Reihe signifikanter Unterschiede und politischer Konflikte innerhalb ihrer Bevölkerungen. Eine der Konfliktlinien verläuft zwischen einer abnehmenden Zahl von Personen, die vom 'Ancien regime' profitiert haben und anderen, die die Vorteile der neuen Entwicklungen der letzten zwölf Jahre genutzt haben. Eine zweite betrifft Spannungen, die auf ethnischen Differenzen basieren, welche jedoch in Südosteuropa relevanter sind als in Mitteleuropa. Die dritte Konfliktlinie entsteht durch die rapide Polarisierung zwischen Arm und Reich, die sich als Folge der rapiden Privatisierung und plötzlichen Liberalisierung der Wirtschaft und anderer Lebensbereiche aus der relativ homogenen tschechischen Sozialstruktur entwickelt hat. Diese und weitere Konfliktfelder beeinflussen die gegenwärtig existierenden politischen Beziehungen, die - unter den tschechischen Bedingungen - durch eine relative Ausgewogenheit zwischen den vier wichtigsten politischen Strömungen gekennzeichnet sind. Die optimale Lösung für dieses Nebeneinanderbestehen von Spannungen und Konflikten würde in einer Stärkung der Kräfte liegen, die für eine Entwicklung analog den weiter fortgeschrittenen postindustriellen europäischen Modellen sozialer und politischer Ordnung von Bedeutung sind." (Autorenreferat

The Czech Economic Elite after Fifteen Years of Post-Socialist Transformation

The East-Central European post-socialist transformations have now reached a new stage, with the need to address the problems of further modernisation & maintenance in the context of the EU. The role of elites in this process is as intermediators between the influence of the European context & the needs & interests of differentiated internal social structures. Their attitudes & behaviour exhibit a high degree of internal fragmentation & division corresponding to various strategical orientations favouring various societal models. The post-socialist Czech economic elite was initially reproduced out of former state socialist managers & their cadre reserves. After the first phase of economic developments, inspired by neo-liberal radical privatisation & elements of 'shock therapy', & once the new, more European phase ushered in many new factors, there was a distinct decline in the number of 'old-new' economic elite on the scene. In the empirical part of the article the results of several surveys are used to briefly describe the changes in the composition of the Czech economic elite in the 1994-2005 period & to summarise their attitudes & behaviour. The analysis concludes that the current image of a liberal & pro-European Czech elite is consistent with the stable & remarkable progress of the Czech economy since 1999, the considerable wealth, strong profits, & high salaries enjoyed by top elites, & the enhancement of their role in the European economy. There are also some limitations & weak points that diverge from this general picture. The article's conclusions touch on the question of the role of the economic elite in the progress of arriving at more consensual attitudes & behaviour among societal elites as a whole, favouring further economic growth, modernisation & the strengthening of social cohesion in the context of the EU

Je čas k zásadní diskusi

The rebirth of Czech sociology after the normalization period required a prolonged period of time. Nowadays, the attained level of scientific work, particularly thanks to the improvements at the universities, is distinctly better than seven years ago when a similar discussion began. However, it is time to pay attention to some principles according to which Czech sociologists could achieve consensus & corresponding progress in their scientific work. The main responsibility lies in both the empirical & theoretical grasp of the historically unique processes of postsocialist societal transformation & modernization; this can be realized only through their active participation in international cooperation. Serious interpretations & generalizations of the postsocialist experience require far closer contacts, serious & systematic discussion & both direct & indirect cooperation among empirical research, its methodology, the history of sociology & sociological theory than it is usual nowadays; all this could create favorable conditions for the natural emergence of significant research projects in both basic & applied science

Obhajoba realistického pojetí modernizace: Poznámky k článku prof. Árnasona a dalším polemikám

A reply to Jan Keller (2007), Jaroslaw Kilias (2006), & Johann Arnason (2007) as critical reviewers of Machonin's Ceska spolecnost a sociologicke poznani. Problemy spolecenske transformace a modernizace od poloviny sedesatych let 20. stoleti do soucasnosti ([The Czech Society and Sociological Knowledge. Problems of Social Transformation and Modernization from the Mid 1960s to the Present] Prague: ISV, 2005). Keller's critique is found to be fed by his personal, 'hyperskeptical' & overly pessimistic, view of modernization. Kilias misreads the book in the context of his own theoretical-methodological conceptions. Arnason's criticism is discussed in more detail, addressing the following issues: (1) the variety & diversity of epistemological approaches in sociological research, (2) the liberal thought in classical Marxism & the notions of social liberalism & democratic socialism, (3) the theory of multiple modernities, & (4) the concept & term 'state socialism' & the question whether state socialism, as practiced in the Soviet bloc countries, qualifies as a special type of modernity

Quietly does it: questioning assumptions about class, sustainability and consumption

This paper questions assumptions about the relationship between class formation, sustainability and patterns of consumption. The empirical elements of the research are based upon qualitative and quantitative time-series research into food self-provisioning and 'quiet sustainability' in post socialist Central and Eastern Europe (Poland and the Czech Republic). It considers sustainable practices that are often considered to be taking place 'in the wrong place and the wrong time', i.e. they appear anomalous in terms of western expectations of patterns of development. We offer evidence of comparatively very high levels of food self-provisioning and sharing of the resulting produce amongst middle class Poles and Czechs. This evidence questions widely held assumptions about class, development and consumption. This evidence may be of significance for consideration of a much wider set of household practices/behaviours that are associated with the middle classes. Our explorations of the reasons for food self-provisioning throw new light on discussions of ethical consumption: ethics is lightly worn, even unacknowledged, amongst practitioners, but the commitments are widespread and robust. Our empirical findings, and the theoretical arguments we seek to test on the basis of them, are of particular significance in the context of rapid processes of rural and urban change in emerging economies