Instituce jako organizátor společenského života moravského venkova
Institutions as Organizers of Social Life in the Moravian Countryside

Summary/Abstract: "Babičky na bigbítu: Společenský život na moravském venkově pozdního socialismu" [Grannies at a Big-Beat Party: Social Life in the Moravian Countryside in Late Socialism] by ethnologist Oto Polouček is a successful contribution to a better understanding not only of the cultural and social life of the Moravian countryside, but also of the history of everyday life during the normalization era in Czechoslovakia. The central theme of the book are the social activities of the inhabitants of Dolní Kounice, Rokytná and Petrovice in South Moravia in the 1970s and the 1980s. The reviewer particularly appreciates the oral history research, which has brought to prominence some hitherto neglected perspectives. The chapters on dance parties are especially important as they show a key phenomenon of the rural environment, including the depiction of their organization and the perspective of the organizers. The chapter describing the perception of the underground community in a smalltown is also note worthy as is the relationships of the members of this community with their peers and with the older generations. However, the lack of definitions of some of the key terms and concepts is a shortcoming of the book.

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