Fun of academic young people on the basis of Opole (a research reconnaissance) Cover Image

Zabawy młodzieży akademickiej na przykładzie miasta Opola (rekonesans badawczy)
Fun of academic young people on the basis of Opole (a research reconnaissance)

Author(s): Tomasz Michalewski
Subject(s): Anthropology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego

Summary/Abstract: Forms of fun of the students of the Opole University constitute one of the main forms of activity. This social group, so much indicating its presence in the space of the contemporary city, is largely concentrated on the satisfaction of its ludic needs. The subject of the analysis is a discussion of selected examples of students’ fun and entertainment observed in the recreational space of Opole. According to students, the highest in the hierarchy of the most “cultural” forms of fun and urban entertainment are above all “Kulturalia” and, to some extent, “Piastonalia”. The thematic parties, such as “Hawajan Party”, or “Kicz Party” organized in the scenery of clubs that are trendy and popular among the students in Opole, such as Rampa, Zebra, Déjà vu or Cina are also popular. The freedom among the students is also visible in caraocke. Besides, the parties in private homes, the so called “home parties” are getting more and more common. Unfortunately, students’ forms of fun and entertainment also bring about many examples showing their inappropriate behaviour in the space of the city. These are the examples of deviation or social pathology. Using the word “deviations”, one should remember that the very word is ambiguous and used to name many phenomena in the social life. The main deviations of academic young people in the contemporary city — the 21st century city — are alcoholism, drug abuse, crime. The crime is often the result of the previously — used alcohol and drugs. These negative phenomena are getting stronger and stronger and common in the city. The problem of deviation connected with ludic behaviours of some groups of academic young people is complex and difficult to solve, and gets out of the city and academic authorities’ control because of a substantial range of autonomy of the students as a sociological category. This autonomy of the students is sometimes wrongly understood and interpreted. That is why there is a postulate to make the issue concerning the appropriate moral and ethical attitude be the subject of analysis during student meetings with the tutors of students of certain years. It would certainly have a positive influence on the attitude of the academic young people taking part in different forms of fun and entertainment organised in the space of the contemporary city. The very work was based on the ethnological field studies, press reports and a participant observation. The research examination covered only some forms of a ludic activity of the Opole University students.

  • Issue Year: 2010
  • Issue No: 10
  • Page Range: 237-250
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish