E2: The country that cried itself into independence

What happens when you wake up one day and find yourself living in a different country?

     
In this week's episode, we move from the fall of communism in 1989 to the emergence of an independent Slovak state in 1993.

     
For most of this episode, I spoke to people living in Bratislava, the dynamic and at times architecturally puzzling Slovak capital, before returning to Banská Bystrica in central Slovakia for my final conversation. I also made a brief stop in Košice in eastern Slovakia.

     
The thread running through this episode is: what prevents some people in Slovakia from identifying with their own state?

     
Episode breakdown:

• Intro segment: The country that cried itself into independence, with democracy activist Ľuboš Žárský
• Segment 1: The complex nature of Slovak national feeling and identification with the state, with sociologist Miloslav Bahna
• Segment 2: The deep rift within the Slovak elite, then and now, with sociologist Dominik Želinský
• Interlude segment: The limits of solidarity, with professor of social work Katarína Šiňanská
• Segment 3: The country that was founded on a façade, with civil society activist and veteran Peter Medveď

     
Episode soundtrack: TRESTY by Samotay, one of my favorite Slovak indie artists

     
As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu.

     
This episode was produced by Dávid Pál, and hosted and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe.
     
You can click on the names of the cities I visited for today's episode if you want to pair your listening experience with a visual trip around Slovakia. Visit the Central Europe Matters website for even more photos, a preview of the rest the season, or if you're curious about who I am and why I started this podcast.