Politika touhy – Lišková Kateřina (2023)

History sometimes moves backward. Even in sex. The sexual revolution is commonly associated with the 1960s, feminist and civil rights movements — and the West. However, one of the most progressive countries in terms of sexuality after World War II was communist Czechoslovakia. The legalization of abortion and the decriminalization of homosexuality occurred not due to civic pressure, but under the supervision of sexologists, psychologists, and demographers who wanted to create an egalitarian society under expert guidance. This social project ended with the onset of normalization, and the progress made regarding gender orders and concepts of sexuality even began to reverse: women were to be primarily nurturing mothers and caring wives in late Czechoslovak socialism, and sex was meant to function mainly as a spice for settled married life. The politics of desire tells a fascinating history of the formation of sexuality, family, or orgasm from the unexpected perspective of top-down socialist management. A history that continues in Czech bodies, culture, and politics.