Abstract
This study examines the professional identity of glassworkers who were employed at the enterprise Železnobrodské sklo (ŽBS) in the town of Železný Brod between 1948 and 2005, during the period of socialist Czechoslovakia (and later in the democratic Czech Republic). The aim of the research is to understand how, in this environment, a strong sense of pride in the glassmaking craft developed among workers, a sentiment occasionally described in the memories of respondents as a form of “glassmaking elite.” The topic highlights not only the cultural meaning of work but also the symbolic hierarchy between professions, particularly in comparison with employees of the local textile factory. The study may therefore contribute to debates in the sociology of work, especially concerning the formation of professional identity. The research is based on qualitative methods and combines the analysis of archival materials with oral history interviews. The findings show that glassworkers often perceived their craft as prestigious and socially superior. The study also demonstrates that in the 1990s, when the fall of the communist regime brought processes of privatization and restitution, some ŽBS employees left their jobs and chose to pursue glassmaking in their own workshops, or returned to the traditions of their ancestors from the period before the Second World War. This professional identity was not only an economic factor but can also be understood as a resource that shaped social relations, community belonging, and intergenerational continuity.
Presenters
Michaela EmanovskáHead of the Economic and Administrative Department, State Regional Archives in Prague, Czech Republic
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Professional Identity, Glassmaking Industry, Oral History, Industrial Communities
