28/11/24 – ON THE LOSING SIDE OF REVOLUTION. WHO ARE THE LOSERS OF THE REVOLUTION AND WHY – JIŘÍ JUHÁSZ (FHS UK)

Jiří Juhász’s PhD. dissertation deals with a part of society that can be simplistically described as the losers as a result of the revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989 and as a result of the subsequent development of society and the state and the world in general. It is a group that has been largely overlooked in theoretical and historical research. Without knowledge and understanding of this group, it is impossible to fully comprehend the historical phase that began with the Velvet Revolution. The interest in this group is based on the assumption that 1989 was a non-violent revolution, and therefore the group of losers is still part of society today it is important to know and understand it in order to understand the whole and also to understand the Velvet Revolution and its subsequent development fully.

In this presentation, Mr. Juhász will try to grasp this heterogeneous group as losers on different levels – economic, political, symbolic, and cultural. The main focus will be on the reasons behind this group’s dissatisfaction and sense of defeat. In particular, the presentation will focus on the issues of mistrust, issues of conspiracy, civilizational affiliation, and the different expectations of this group. The presentation will also touch on the issue of memory. These are factors that have proven to be key in describing this group. Methodology, data collection, and the pitfalls involved will also be mentioned.

The presentation will attempt to provide a holistic view of this group.