Privatization and the birth of elites: The Czech experience with Tomáš Samek and his guests

As soon as the old regime fell, it became apparent that a major transformation of the national economy was underway, although its course, scope, methods, pace, and goals were hotly debated. One of its backbones was the so-called great privatisation, the consequences of which can still be felt today. Would it have been possible to proceed in a different way, at a lower transformation cost? What repercussions would there be back then, and today? To what extent does the rise of privatisation elites inform the shape of current political life? And what can our democracy look forward to in the face of a growing tension between the winners and losers of the transformational processes?

The performance-cum-discussion project Class struggle? looks at the complex social and class relations in today’s society in three subject-specific chapters. Each chapter takes place in a specific architectonic configuration and is accompanied by a topical visual element.

The project was kindly supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Municipality of Prague and Prague 2.