Loosing tradition or adapting to change? Perception of childhood learning in post-communist central Europe.

KAŠPAROVÁ, Irena. Loosing tradition or adapting to change? Perception of childhood learning in post-communist central Europe. In Children and Childhood Conference. 2015.

Basic information

• Original name: Loosing tradition or adapting to change? Perception of childhood learning in post-communist central Europe.
• Name in Czech: Ztráta tradice, nebo adaptace na změnu? Vnímání vzdělávání v dětství v post-komunistické střední Evropě
• Authors: KAŠPAROVÁ, Irena (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Children and Childhood Conference, 2015.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: Archaeology, anthropology, ethnology
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14230/15:00084065
• Organization unit: Faculty of Social Studies
• Keywords (in Czech): dítě; dětství; vzdělávání; střední Evropa
• Keywords in English: child; childhood; education; centra Europe
• Tags: International impact

Abstract

The paper presents our research on changing perception of children and childhood in central Europe. During the communist regime, there was a great difference in how people treated and experienced private space of their families and public space of their other existence. Children and childhood was perceived in both of them as a symbol of better future. However, while in private space children were seen as those, who will one day be able to overcome the regime, thus symbolising a tool of empowerment and resistance, the public space presented them in an opposite way: as strong and cheerful supporters and promoters of current political situation. In both representations, they had one thing in common. They were used as passive objects of adult self-projection. They were silent participators to be seen but not to be heard. After the Velvet revolution, the importance to distinguish public and private world diminished and for many, duality of their former existence ceased to exist. At the same time the country opened up to foreign influence, which brought about great changes, including new approach to childhood and children. In combination with rapid technology advancement, children became important and active social actors with considerable power to lobby and to influence. Current public discourse devotes much time and space to child-related issues, all trying to promote their own answer to an open question: who is a child and what is its role and place in current central European society. Our research unveils the outcomes of the debate.