The Myth of Žižkov:

Abstract

This content analysis concentrates on a district in the Czech capital Prague, called Žižkov. It is argued that the “social myth” of Žižkov does not fully comply with its current socioeconomic condition. The “gentrification” of the area seems generally well known, however, the social narrative of Žižkov hangs on to its “underground” image. To trace the divergence between narrative and image, the theoretical framework is based on mythological and hegemonic, discursive structures. Thus, this study takes the main empirical base in historical and contemporary documentation in the form of photography. The data sources therefore include historical accounts of existing, qualitative documentation by historically active photographers, as well as contemporary image-makers in Žižkov. Based on the content sampled in this analysis, it is suggested that the myth of Žižkov today, though still retaining “underground” elements, has become saturated with commercial undertones. As such, the current forces of gentrification seem to coexist with older values, such as the “underground” and “unruly” lifestyles. But contemporary images, at least from the samples provided in this case, do not show much political sense of this current friction, as opposed to the older photographs.