The Normalisation Choir: Bratislava Catholic Youth Choirs as a Case Study of Youth Activities in Slovakia Under Late Socialism
The Normalisation Choir: Bratislava Catholic Youth Choirs as a Case Study of Youth Activities in Slovakia Under Late Socialism

Summary/Abstract: The article helps fill the gap in the study of activities of the young generation in late socialist Slovakia by presenting the case study of Bratislava Catholic youth choirs, drawing on eight oral interviews conducted by the author. The first part highlights that youth activities in late socialist Slovakia remain understudied. The second part offers an interpretative summary of the phenomenon constituted by four leading Bratislava choirs: Céčko, Ursus Singers, Káčko, and Kufríkovci. It describes their apolitical motivations, activities beyond singing and beyond Bratislava, and their conspirative operation. The third part interprets the case study in light of existing historiography. It highlights the rootedness of choirs in the context of traditional Slovak religiosity, their exemplification of social movements contributing to the revolutionary carnival of the late 1980s, the a-legal nature of their activities, and the likely enduring relevance of categories such as “living in truth” in describing late socialist life in Slovakia.

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