{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Central Europe Matters","title":"E2: The country that cried itself into independence","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2626,"description":"What happens when you wake up one day and find yourself living in a different country?\n     \nIn this week's episode, we move from the fall of communism in 1989 to the emergence of an independent Slovak state in 1993.\n     \nFor 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.\n     \nThe thread running through this episode is: what prevents some people in Slovakia from identifying with their own state?\n     \nEpisode breakdown:\nIntro segment: The country that cried itself into independence, with democracy activist Ľuboš Žárský\nSegment 1: The complex nature of Slovak national feeling and identification with the state, with sociologist Miloslav Bahna\nSegment 2: The deep rift within the Slovak elite, then and now, with sociologist Dominik Želinský\nInterlude segment: The limits of solidarity, with professor of social work Katarína Šiňanská\nSegment 3: The country that was founded on a façade, with civil society activist and veteran Peter Medveď\n     \nEpisode soundtrack: TRESTY by Samotay, one of my favorite Slovak indie artists\n     \nAs always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say \"ahoj\" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu.\n     \nThis episode was produced by Dávid Pál, and hosted and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe.\n     \nYou 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. ","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/1wT1KDI0_HEdpVeYhqaQlyESRg1HeZe5pVUYeqi1hEI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mYWVm/NmJhOTExMzczNzA5/MjgyNGI1ODliMjdm/NmY5YS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}