The paper focuses on the topic of conceptualizing religion in Czech society today from the perspective of the Study of Religions. The paper further develops and assesses in theoretical terms the findings of descriptive content analysis published by Veronika Hásová and Jan Váně (2014), who identified and quantified the frequency of variables of religiosity applied by researchers in the Czech Republic. The characteristics applied most frequently are categorized as functional characteristics (religious affiliation, church attendance) and substantive characteristics (belief in diverse religious phenomena) of religiosity. Results and conclusions of the analysis of religiosity in the Czech Republic depend heavily on how the functional and substantive characteristics of religiosity are conceived and formulated. The functional characteristic of religious affiliation conceived in terms of church membership results in a low measure of religiosity and supports the conclusion concerning the purported irrelevance of religions and religious identities in the Czech society today. Other surveys based on different conceptualizations of religious identities reveal the relevance of religion as far as the attitudes and values of respondents are concerned. Topics connected to religions and religious identities continue to be discussed within the public sphere of Czech society, e.g. through the media. As far as the substantive characteristics of belief in religious phenomena are concerned, the specification of the subject of such belief is of vital importance. As surveys of religiosity reveal, respondents relatively often declare their belief in or reliance on phenomena connected with alternative religiosity or spirituality. The ways of conceptualizing religion in Czech society today often ignore the dynamics of religious change in modern societies and do not take into account changes in the perceived content and functions of religious phenomena. Critical examination of the variables of religiosity leads towards a re-examination of conclusions concerning the purported irreligious or secular nature of Czech society today
Educational effectiveness research has shown a relationship between teacher beliefs and attitudes and student outcomes. This paper studies the extent to which the academic optimism of Czech teachers has proved to be meaningful in explaining student outcomes, and how different components of academic optimism relate to the cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes of Czech primary school students. Academic optimism is studied with reference to the TIMSS 2011 data using multilevel modelling. The results show that Czech teachers demonstrate relatively low levels of academic optimism. Multilevel modelling showed that in the Czech Republic, cognitive outcomes are related to teachers' career contentment, and non-cognitive outcomes are related to trust and self-efficacy. The operationalization of academic optimism in TIMSS is discussed, along with the implications of the findings that are presented for education policy.
Digital technologies are a common feature of present society and people's lives. They have made a significant entry into education as well. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) therefore become an important political issue as early as the last decades of the 20th century, when this topic was reflected in the priorities and goals of educational policies. In the present study, the authors focus on the history and transformations of educational policies regarding ICTs in two European countries with distinct geographies, economies, and politics. These countries nevertheless share several features concerning integrating ICTs into education. The authors use a qualitative comparative study of the two countries to approach the two countries as cases, thus enabling relatively detailed insight into the issue, including its contexts. The goals of the study are to describe the cultural, historical, and political context of ICTs implementation in education and explore the development and transformations of Czech and Norwegian educational policies regarding ICTs since their start in the two educational systems. The authors explore the approaches the two countries chose to integrate ICTs into their respective education systems. The study concludes by comparing the states of affairs of implementation of digital technologies in education in four specific areas.
This article by political scientist and long-standing high-ranking diplomat Roland Marxer provides an insight into Liechtenstein-Czech relations seen through the eyes of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Principality of Liechtenstein. For Liechtenstein as a state, for the princely family, but also for individual Liechtenstein nationals who did not belong to the princely family, a difficult situation arose after the Second World War, largely as a result of the Beneš decrees. Liechtenstein repeatedly stated to Czechoslovakia that it considered the confiscation of Liechtenstein property as assets of persons of "German nationality", which took place in 1945, to be an unacceptable violation of international law. Especially since the beginning of the 1990s, numerous initiatives have been taken at both bilateral and multilateral level in order to achieve lasting recognition of the sovereignty of Liechtenstein by Czechoslovakia, or more exactly, by its two successor states. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the associated changes in Eastern Europe, the European political landscape changed fundamentally, raising promising hopes for future cooperation in Europe. It must have seemed strange that three European states which were members of different European and international organizations and, as a result, were committed to cooperation that pursued the same goals, still did not have a resolution – in addition to the still unresolved issues of compensation – to mutual recognition and the establishment of diplomatic and consular relations. An agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations and future cooperation was signed on 8 September 2009. On 7 April 2010, a Memorandum on the Establishment of the Czech-Liechtenstein Commission of Historians was signed, followed by a visit by the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs to Vaduz.
This study aims to describe, analyze and interpret culinary culture of today´s Balkans ethnic minorities in the Czech Republic – Bulgarians, Serbians, Greeks, Albanians, Macedonians, Bosnians and Croatians. The analysis is based on empiric materials from fieldwork held in 2009–2018. The author demonstrates specific examples of processes of enculturation, adaptation and acculturation, and mainly focuses on the issue of cultural persistence. Migrants from the Balkans living in the Czech Republic perceive and categorize their food, drink and eating habits through their ethnicity. They apply the elements of their national cuisine especially in the family life, at informal social meetings, and organized minority events. Their diet combines meals and eating habits of both: their national, and Czech cuisine. The national gastronomy remains part of their everyday lives and second most common way of ethno-cultural self-presentation during their organized minority events. The existence and intensity of national cuisines in minority culture is no longer determined by the length of their stay in target country. Instead, it is determined mainly by individual ethnic identification and the relationship to the national cultural heritage of the country of origin. The author put this phenomenon into context of postmodern revitalization of ethnic groups. and Obsahem studie je deskripce, analýza a interpretace kulinární kultury dnešních balkánských etnických minorit v České republice – Bulharů, Srbů, Řeků, Albánců, Makedonců, Bosňáků a Chorvatů. Východiskem je empirický materiál z terénních výzkumů z let 2009–2018. Autorka demonstruje na konkrétních příkladech procesy enkulturace, adaptace a akulturace, a hlavně se věnuje otázce kulturního přetrvávání. Čeští Balkánci vnímají a kategorizují své jídlo, pití a stravovací zvyklosti etnicky. Prvky své národní kuchyně uplatňují zejména v rodině, při rodinných a přátelských neformálních setkáních a při organizovaných akcích menšin. V rodinných jídelníčcích kombinují pokrmy a stravovací zvyklosti vlastní národní a české kuchyně. Národní gastronomie v rodinách zůstává součástí každodennosti; na organizovaných setkáních je druhým nejčastějším prostředkem etnokulturní symbolické sebeprezentace. Existence a intenzita národní gastronomie v kultuře minorit se dnes už neliší generačně podle doby příchodu do cílové země. V současnosti je závislá hlavně na individuální etnické sebeidentifikaci a vztahu ke kulturnímu dědictví mateřského národa. Autorka to dává do souvislosti s postmoderní revitalizací etnických skupin.
For many years, the legal protection of personal data prohibited the analysis of individual census data in the Czech Republic; thus, this is the first article to provide a detailed analysis of data on religion. Employing individual data for the whole population, the authors confirm several trends in the recent religious development of the country, including general out-churching, the expansion of certain smaller denominations, and, especially, an increase in the number of people declaring themselves religious, but unwilling to claim allegiance to any particular church. Of even greater importance is the observation that almost half the population refused to declare their religiosity (or the absence thereof) in the last (2011) census. The article focuses especially on this group, providing an attempt to characterise them socio-demographically. The "non-fillers" stand somewhere between believers and unbelievers who completed the census and share certain characteristics with both groups. It can be assumed that a (slight) majority of this group consists of unbelievers as well as an (also rather small) minority of church members, both of which groups chose not to express their non/religiosity via the census. However, such "non-fillers" differ significantly from the religious population – both with and without denomination. At the same time, refusing to declare a personal religious affiliation is often connected with the refusal to complete other census items, which might be seen as a sign of the distrust of, or resistance to, the state as the most important collective body. From this point of view, the increase in secularisation and other changes in Czech religiosity could be considered to represent expressions of a wider divergence from all types of social bodies including state authorities.
The present article presents the text of a lecture given by Her Serene Highness Maria-Pia, Ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Czech Republic, on the occasion of the "Days of Liechtenstein History in the Czech Republic" organized by the Czech-Liechtenstein Commission of Historians on 9 November 2019 at the Moravian Museum, in the Historical Hall of the Dietrichstein Palace in Brno. The lecture dealt with the position of the Principality of Liechtenstein in the contemporary world, including the legal status of Liechtenstein, issues of its involvement and involvement in international institutions, as well as selected issues on Czech-Liechtenstein relations. As the author puts it, Liechtenstein is today a prosperous country that offers its citizens social, economic and political stability. It is a country with a fully functioning labour market, a sustainable and healthy environment, a free space in all respects and with real opportunities for political participation. The text also outlines the basic characteristics of the political, constitutional and economic systems of Liechtenstein. In further sections, she then deals with some historical factors that have led to the current position of Liechtenstein in Europe and in the world. This mainly concerns the beginnings of Liechtenstein statehood, which is traditionally associated with the purchase of the Vaduz and Vaduz counties and Schellenberg territories by the Princely House of Liechtenstein in 1699/1712, but also, the ongoing impact of events from the Second World War. In Liechtenstein at that time there was a relatively strong pro-German group called the "Volksdeutsche Bewegung", but almost 95 percent of the population was in favour of maintaining independence from the Third Reich. Following the year 1945 property of citizens of Liechtenstein was seized in Czechoslovakia, something which is still understood as an unresolved question in Liechtenstein. The motto of Liechtenstein is: For God, Prince and Fatherland! Although this might sound old fashioned, it has become the motto of the success of modern Liechtenstein, a monarchy with strong civil rights. A country in which a prince with vision has successfully sought to persuade the second sovereign, the people, when necessary. A country in which people are aware of their democratic rights, also actively pursuing them and understanding work as the core of their social DNA. A country where the government is ready to take on unpopular issues and to propose solutions that are acceptable to the people. It is not a land of miracles, but is still a successful and modern country in the middle of Europe, worth living in and connected to Europe in every way.
Česká základní škola spojuje v jedné organizaci primární a nižší sekundární vzdělávání. V důsledku toho mohou být podceněna rizika přechodu (tranzice) mezi stupni základního vzdělání. Cílem tohoto výzkumu je prostřednictvím kazuistiky žáka se speciálními vzdělávacími potřebami upozornit na některé problémy tranzice a naše z jištění porovnat s poznatky pocházejícími z jinak organizovaných vzdělávacích systémů. Souvisejícím tématem, které chceme otevřít, jsou přestupy (transfery) žáků mezi školami. Longitudinální kvalitativní studie sleduje žáka ze středostavovské rodiny, který trpí tikovou poruchou a specifickými poruchami učení, v průběhu jeho přechodu do nižší sekundární školy, při přestupu do další školy a konečně po vstupu na střední školu. Hlavním zdrojem dat byly rozhovory s žákem a jeho matkou opakovaně prováděné v průběhu šesti let. Doplňkovým zdrojem informací je školní dokumentace a z právy z vyšetření v poradenských a zdravotnických zařízeních. Přes některé příznivé okolnosti vedl přechod na druhý stupeň ke konfliktu rodiny a školy, provázenému i zhoršením zdravotního stavu žáka. Rodina se rozhodla pro přestup do jiné školy, která deklarovala větší míru inkluzivity. Vyšší míra tolerance vůči projevům poruch v nové škole se však v delším časovém odstupu zdá být zaplacena nižší náročností výuky a horšími sociálními vztahy ve třídě. V důsledku odlišné organizace českého školství v popisovaném případě vrstevnické vztahy nehrály důležitou roli při tranzici, ale sociální problémy se projevily při transferu do jiné školy. Celkově se potvrdily zahraniční poznatky o rizikovosti tranzice pro žáky se speciálními vzdělávacími potřebami. and Since Czech primary and lower secondary schools comprise both primary and secondary levels, the dangers involved in pupil transition from one level to another can be overlooked. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to some of these dangers via a case study of a special needs pupil and to compare our findings with those describing differently organized systems of education. The paper also opens a discussion on the topic of pupil transfer between individual schools. This paper is based on a qualitative longitudinal study describing how a middle-class pupil affected by ADD and a tic disorder transitions first from a primary to a lower secondary level, then transfers to another school, and finally transitions to an upper secondary level. The main source of our data are interviews with the pupil and his mother that were repeatedly conducted over a six-year period. The paper also relies on additional sources of information in the form of school, advisory, and medical documentation. Despite some favorable conditions that accompanied the first transition, it resulted in a conflict between the pupil and the new level and the pupil's worsened health. As a result, the family decided to transfer the pupil to a different school which claimed higher levels of inclusion. Yet a higher degree of tolerance towards the pupil's special needs came at the cost of a less-demanding education and worse relationships in the classroom. The paper shows that unlike in other educational systems, peer relationships did not play a significant role in the pupil's transition; this was not a case of social problems influencing the transfer. Ultimately, the paper confirms the conclusion of research from other countries that shows that school transitions are potentially risky for pupils with special educational needs.
In a lecture given at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University in Brno as part of the "Days of Liechtenstein History in the Czech Republic" event, former Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Czech Republic Ferdinand Trauttmannsdorff presented two projects by the Czech-Liechtenstein Commission of Historians. The first concerns the publication of „Fürstenhaus Liechtenstein – Böhmische Länder – Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Ad honorem Thomas Winkelbauer", which was published in the Studia Historica Brunensia journal. Authors from the Czech-Liechtenstein Commission of Historians have published a series of articles dealing with various aspects of the history of the Liechtenstein family and their ties to the Czech Lands, the history of the Principality of Liechtenstein, as well as with some more general topics from European history. The second topic presented was the publication of an English language version of the commission's "Summary Report of the Czech-Liechtenstein Commission of Historians", entitled "Czech-Liechtenstein Relations. Past and Present". The author of the lecture emphasized in particular the passages devoted to the places of Liechtenstein's memory and the construction of various historical stereotypes typical of Czech-Liechtenstein relations over the long run. He also emphasized some of the chances that, in his opinion, an improvement in Czech-Liechtenstein relations and the resolution of issues still considered as unresolved could bring in the future not only to both countries involved, but also to Europe as a whole.