Opportunities for Local Development in Jiului Valley"

This was an exploratory study that aimed to gain a rough understanding of the possible ways of implementing community development. The study was carried out between October 1998 and August 1999 in Lupeni, in the Jiu Valley, which is a mining area facing major decline following the government's decision to restructure the mining industry. Against a background of the history of sociology and its insights into the development of the community concept and its theoretical, methodological and practical significance, an analysis was carried out on four levels relevant to the community development approach: social participation, citizens' level of dependency on the state, and membership and the sense of belonging to the local and national community. A needs analysis approach using questionnaires, in-depth interviews and the Delphi approach took into consideration all those actors who could play important roles in local development: local authorities, representatives of local organisations (schools, trade unions, local associations, churches), and local residents.

Women's Dress as an Expression of Social Development in Bohemia in the Years 1850-1950"

The nature of Czech fashion was shaped both by the social environment - not particularly wealthy, modest, influenced by the Protestant tradition - and by efforts towards women's emancipation. This resulted in a rejection of unnecessarily quirky elements in fashion as early as the 1870s. As far as style was concerned, Czech fashion followed the Viennese, German and French, and from the 1890s also the English models, and also found inspiration in contemporary aesthetic principles. National political ambitions appeared in inspiration drawn from folk costume. Feminist struggles and sports paved the way for the acceptance of reformist and practical dress, in which Czech designers took an active part. These trends reached a peak around 1929, with the design of a complete "civilised" women's apparel, based on trouser suits. The peak periods in the development of Czech fashion were the 1920s and 1930s, when a number of top fashion houses were established and both fashion and society magazines with original fashion designs, photographs and articles were published. These produced a specifically Czech fashion, showing French inspiration but opting rather for an English style, which was artistically advanced, practical, luxurious and democratic. After 1948, fashion too fell under the centralised control of the communist regime.