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The collapse of communist rule and transformation towards liberal democracy and the free market in Eastern Europe has been studied from a variety of perspectives. This course will focus on how this process has been captured in popular cinema of the late 1980s and 1990s. Students will learn to approach popular culture as a useful historical source for investigating the expectations, stereotypes, and imaginaries associated with the introduction of the market, representative democracy and civil freedoms in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989. Focusing on films from three Central European countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia), students will analyse how filmmakers interpreted the changing economic, social and political conditions of the transformation period. The course will use films as a springboard to discuss the broader historical context of topics such as the rise of private enterprise, criminality, social inequalities, consumer culture and the gendered aspects of transformation.
The course is taught in English. Pád komunistických režimů a transformace směrem k liberální demokracii a volnému trhu ve východní Evropě byly bádány z různých úhlů pohledu. Kurz se zaměří na to, jak byl tento procesl zachycen v populárním filmu konce 80. a v 90. letech. Studující se naučí přistupovat k populární kultuře jako k užitečnému historickému prameni pro zkoumání očekávání, stereotypů a představ spojených se zaváděním volného trhu ve střední a východní Evropě po roce 1989. Se zaměřením na filmy ze tří zemí (Česká republika, Polsko, Slovensko) studující budou analyzovat, jak filmaři interpretovali měnící se ekonomické, sociální a politické podmínky 90. let. Kurz využije filmy jako odrazový můstek pro diskusi o širším historickém kontextu témat jako je rozvoj soukromého podnikání, kriminalita, sociální nerovnosti, spotřební kultura a genderové aspekty transformace. Updated for 2026/2027. Last update: Pehe Veronika, Ph.D. (13.09.2026)
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To learn to analyse cinematic representations in historical context.
Last update: Pehe Veronika, Ph.D. (10.09.2026)
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Attendance and participation in class discussions (of both films and readings) are part of the assessment criteria. Absences must be excused. The final assessment will take the form of a “mini-conference” during the final half-day session. Students will: 1. Submit a 300-word outline in the style of a conference paper proposal by 14 December 2. Deliver a 15-minute presentation 3. Hand in a written version of the presentation with notes and bibliography. Both the quality of the presentation and participation in discussions with colleagues to simulate a conference environment will be assessed. Attendance and participation in class: 40%; presentation outline 10%; final presentation, including the written version, and participation in discussion 50% Consultations by individual appointment only: pehe@usd.cas.cz Last update: Pehe Veronika, Ph.D. (23.09.2026)
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Course structure This course is taught as a combination of lectures and seminars dedicated to discussions of films and readings. Everyone is encouraged to participate in debate and exchange of ideas. For each session, students will be expected to view a film or films in preparation for class (films will be made available online and students are expected to watch them individually) and read the compulsory reading (available via Moodle). Students will also be expected to give a presentation on a selected topic during a dedicated session at the end of the course. Please note the irregular meeting schedule of this course. All students wishing to receive credits for the course are expected to attend the final half-day session on 4.1.2027. Last update: Pehe Veronika, Ph.D. (13.09.2026)
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Upon successfully completing the course, students will be able to: - gain knowledge of the basic historical context of the postsocialist transformations in Central and Eastern Europe - acquire competencies for analysing visual media as a historical source - understand the impact of the privatization of postsocialist film industries on film production of the 1990s - practice close analysis of cinematic texts - idenitfy and analyse the protrayal of salient topics in relation to postsocialist economic and political transformations in feature films - develop presentation skills - practice conference participation Last update: Pehe Veronika, Ph.D. (13.09.2026)
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