2010/2
*The PopCultural Citizenship Concept as a Theoretical Framework For Studying Popular Culture in the Socialist and Post-Socialist Society
This theoretical essay explores the concepts of cultural and popcultural citizenships in connection with the period of state socialism in 70s and 80s in Czechoslovakia. The main intention is to test the potential of the concept of popcultural citizenship, which is inspired by John Hartley´s “do-it-yourself citizenship”. Another aim is to examine textual properties of so called “normalization” television serials with regard to the extent to which it allowed for semiosis to be controlled by the viewers.
*Leisure in the Czech Republic in a Brief Comparison with European Countries
The article focuses on leisure activities in the Czech Republic. After the introductory part defining leisure and its functions, data from the international research ISSP 2007 Leisure and Sport are analyzed. Frequencies of 13 leisure activities and perceived functions of leisure are described and the Czech results are briefly compared with the average of 18 European countries. Then attention is paid to the structure of leisure activities in the Czech society.
*Evaluation of the Valence Theory of Electoral Behaviour on the Basis of the Open-Ended Questions Concerning the Main Reason of Abstention
The aim of the study is to explore the valence theory’s account of voter turnout using open-ended questions which measured the main reason given by voters for electoral abstention. The focus was on the claim of the valence theory concerning the respondent’s expected benefit from participating in an election. Data from five post-election studies undertaken between 2004 and 2010 are analysed. The empirical results reveal that electoral abstention is explained by four key factors.
*Religiosity and Quality of Life. Psycho-Social Prerequisites
The article deals with relationship of religiosity and psycho-social phenomena (powerlessness, normlessness, social isolation, self-estrangement and cultural estrangement) which are inhibiting factor in relation to quality of life of individuals. Theoretically this article (besides general theory of subjective quality of life) is supported by Melvinem Seeman´s concept of alienation. Personal religiosity is not measured here by individual indicator only but by plurality of indicators.
* Editorial
The electronic version of the second number of the eighth edition of the review Czech Society (Naše společnost). Czech Society issues Center for Public Opinion Research, Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
