Series of lectures | Anti-vaccination movement in the Czech republic

Anti-vaccination movement in the Czech republic – social connection of vaccination criticism and controversials connected to it
PhDr. Jaroslava Hasmanová Marhánková, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, Westbohemian University in Pilsen

The debates about compulsory vaccination, its law regulation, advantages and risks overcomes the area of medicine and have become more visible parts of discussions in the media and furthermore the decision-making proces of parents, who take care about their children. The lecture looks at the vaccination criticism from social-scientific point of view. Its aim is not to estimate the risks or advantages of vaccination, but to explore the process, which stimulates the interest (not only) in the czech society and also to expolre the motivation and perspective of the parents, who are critical to vaccination. The lecture shows historical roots of anti-vaccination movement, its basis and different shapes in the different parts of the world. It discusses also the laws connected to the vaccination in the Czech Republic and controversials, which follow this topic. Second part of the lecture shows the results of ethnographic research, which was focused on the shapes of anti-vaccination movement in the Czech Republic. It tries to answer to question: „What connects the parents, who are against vaccination?“ What are their motivation?“ Where does the distrust come from and how is it related to the change of biomedical position and expert system?“
In cooperation with Faculty of Philosophy and Arts.