The Winnetou Kitsch and Other Traces of Americanization Popular Culture in Socialist Czechoslovakia between the State, Media Producers, and Consumers

Volf, Darina (2021): The Winnetou Kitsch and Other Traces of Americanization Popular Culture in Socialist Czechoslovakia between the State, Media Producers, and Consumers. In: East Central Europe, Vol. 48, No. 2-3: pp. 195-219

Abstract

The starting point for this article is the observation that American cultural influence never waned in socialist Czechoslovakia despite all attempts of the Communist Party to eliminate it and the Communist Party's seemingly omnipotent position. The study focuses on the relationship between state policies, producers' interests, and consumers' demands, a triad more complex than the dichotomy of an omnipotent totalitarian regime versus an oppressed society. It describes the distinct phases in managing American cultural influence and illuminates the various interests and factors that contributed to the popularity and spread of American cultural goods. As the article shows, the approach of the Communist Party in prioritizing the political function of culture over entertainment or aesthetics facilitated consumers' interest in cultural imports from abroad, mainly from the US. This interest in American cultural goods, in turn, exerted pressure on producers of culture and intermediaries to satisfy the demand. As a result, the American cultural influence not only survived in Czechoslovakia during the forty years of the Communist ruk, but rather intensified and eventually took on a subversive force.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: History and Art History > Department of History
• Subjects: 900 History and geography > 900 Geschichte
• ISSN: 0094-3037
• Language: English