Search results for: macedonia in All Content

Reviews

Prikazi

Author(s): Kosta Christitch,Aleksandra Đurić-Milovanović,Annemarie Sorescu Marinković,Miroslav Timotijević,Milan Ristović,Ljiljana Stošić / Language(s): English / Issue: 39/2008

Studying Peoples in the People’s Democracies II: Socialist Eera Aanthropology in South-Eeast Eeurope. Ed. by Vintilă Mihăilescu, Ilia Iliev and Slobodan Naumović Magdalena Slavkova, Циганите Eвангелисте в България [Evangelical Gypsies in Bulgaria] Smilja Marjanović-Dušanić, Sveti kralj. Kkult Stefana Ddečanskog (Tthe Hholy Kking. Ccult of St Stefan of Ddečani). Greek Icon Painters in Bulgaria after 1453 Dušan T. Bataković, Kosovo  : Uun conflit sans fin ? In Mmemoriam Ioannis A. Papadrianos

Nationalism and its Ambivalence. Positive and Negative Selves in Greek Nationalism

Национализм и его двойственность - Утвердительная и отрицательная самости в греческом национализме

Author(s): Hakkı Taş / Language(s): Belarusian / Issue: 14/2010

Keywords: National Identity; Greek Nationalism; Ambivalence; Hellenism; Nation-building.

This paper focuses on the psychological functions of nationalism using the case of the modern Greek nation-building process. It also attempts to prove that nations embrace multiple, sometimes conflicting references from the past in order to maintain the national selfesteem. The resulted ambivalence in the very definition of the nation can be compensated by an emphasis on the differences from the outgroups, namely, enemy or rival nations. For the analysis, two terms are operationalized: the positive and negative national selves, which underline the constructed and relational character of nationalism. The selective use of the Hellenic and Byzantine past for the formation of Greek identity, the creation of the significant Other, and finally the impact of the European Union on the conception of Greekness are analyzed within this framework.

THE EARLY BYZANTINE WEIGHTS FROM KUNSZENTMÁRTON, HUNGARY

THE EARLY BYZANTINE WEIGHTS FROM KUNSZENTMÁRTON, HUNGARY

Author(s): Chris Entwistle / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

Keywords: Metrology; commodity weight; coinage weight; metal; glass; prefect; eparch; Early Byzantine;

This paper re-analyses the Early Byzantine metal and glass weights excavated at Kunszenmárton in the early 1930s. It offers the latest comparanda for the weights, an up-to-date bibliography for non-specialists, and an appendix of finds of Byzantine weights from central and south-eastern European contexts.

INTERMEDIATE TRADE, MIGRATION, AND THE POLITICS OF ETHNICITY. ECONOMIC STRATEGIES AMONG ROMANIAN GABOR ROMA

INTERMEDIATE TRADE, MIGRATION, AND THE POLITICS OF ETHNICITY. ECONOMIC STRATEGIES AMONG ROMANIAN GABOR ROMA

Author(s): Péter Berta / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2014

Keywords: economic strategies; post-socialism; politics of ethnicity; Gabor Roma; Romania;

The study summarises the author’s field experience regarding the most widespread livelihood strategies among the Romanian Gabor Roma. Through a series of examples, it demonstrates how Gabor traders adapt – most of them successfully – to the new economic and social challenges that have emerged in the post-socialist transformation. The study also outlines and analyses how the politics of ethnicity is employed in their livelihood strategies. It aims to make the economic practices through which the Gabors earn their living more “visible” (thereby demystifying the process of “production”) and to counterbalance and complement the dominance of “consumption” which characterised the author’s earlier studies concerning the prestige economy of the Gabor Roma. Furthermore, the study may help to deconstruct negative ethnic stereotypes regarding the work ethic of the Roma, such as “Roma are lazy”, and, as a result, it may contribute to the destigmatisation of Roma in everyday – media and other – discourses.

A Bessarabian Treasure of Romanian Spirituality in an Exceptional Collection of Carols Owing to George Breazul

Un tezaur basarabean de spiritualitate românească într-o excepţională colecţie de colinde datorată lui George Breazul

Author(s): Vasile Vasile / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 2/2018

Keywords: Bessarabia;carols;Christmas;music folklore;George Breazul;Transnistria;

This study highlights the Bessarabian spiritual treasure - the carols and other chants practiced during the winter holidays and found in the collections gathered by the eminent Romanian musicologist George Breazul. The author mentions the value of the repertoire contained in Breazul’s fund, gathered to the left of the Prut river, exceptional documents of the ethnic culture of the area, attested in the counties of Bessarabia: Cahul, Cetatea Alba, Chisinau, Hotin, Ismail, Lapusna, Orhei, Soroca before World War II. The materials collected in Transnistria, reported and commented by George Breazul, are of particular significance. As the carols are among the first samples of the Romanian traditional culture, they demonstrate its identity throughout the entire territory populated by Romanians. This finding corroborates once more the idea of the spiritual unity of the inhabitants on both sides of the Prut. The conclusions highlight the fact that the pieces from the mentioned collections represent an important source of scientific valorisation for ethnomusicologists, Byzantinologists, men of letters and theologians, the historians of the national culture who are eager to study, know and promote the valences of the Romanian spirituality on the territory of Bessarabia and Transnistria.

Calibration and Validation of the VISSIM Parameters - State of the Art

Calibration and Validation of the VISSIM Parameters - State of the Art

Author(s): Arlinda Alimehaj Rrecaj,Kristi Bombol / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

Keywords: traffic; microscopic simulation; calibration; validation;

As a stochastic, microscopic, time-step, behavior-based model with capabilities to provide application of programming interface (API) and simulation, VISSIM has become one of the most useful and reliable programs utilized by contemporary engineers and researchers in the processes of evaluation of control operations and strategies of transportation. In this paper are given 'state of the art' calibration and validation techniques of VISSIM parameters that derive from the need to accurately match the simulations results of the models with the observed field data. In this context, different practices of different traffic control operations that have been done so far in calibration and validation process are overviewed. For each one of them the aim of calibration, developed methodologies, manner in which are identified "best" parameters for calibration, calibration objective functions, criteria, optimization techniques, evaluation of modeling outputs are emphasized. Finally, a prescription of credibility and reliability of calibrated parameters to the related traffic conditions is given.

GREAT POWERS, OLD SERBIA AND THE MÜRZSTEG AGREEMENT FROM 1903

ВЕЛИКЕ СИЛЕ, СТАРА СРБИЈА И СПОРАЗУМ У МИРЦШТЕГУ 1903. ГОДИНЕ

Author(s): Vesna S. Zarković / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 1/2019

Keywords: Agreement in Mürzsteg; great powers; Eastern question; Ottoman Empire; Macedonia; Old Serbia

Нерешена и недоречена питања са Берлинског конгреса још више су продубила кризу у југоисточној Европи која је утицала на Османско царство, али и на балканске државе. Споразум у Мирцштегу из 1903. године може се сматрати наставком Берлинског конгреса, јер је настојао да реши Источно питање и опстанак Османског царства у Европи. Потписан је између Аустроугарске и Русије – двеју сила које су полагале највећа очекивања и права на османско наслеђе и подржан од осталих великих сила. Састанак двојице владара је резултирао покретањем реформне акције у три вилајета – Солунском, Битољском и Косовском. Међутим, искључење територије Старе Србије северно од Шар планине из реформи на изричит захтев Аустроугарске директно је утицало на исход споразума из Мирцштега. Његово формално напуштање уследило је анексијом Босне и Херцеговине, када се Аустроугарска, мимо свих претходних договора и међународног права, једнострано одлучила на овај поступак.У раду се анализом деловања великих сила, употребом историјског метода и хронолошким следом, указује на најзначајније моменте који су довели до појаве кризе и оружаних сукоба крајем XIX и почетком XX века.

Animation and Spirituality (From Prehistoric Cave Art, through the Medieval Cave Monasteries, to Contemporary Animation)

АНИМАЦИЈАТА И ДУХОВНОСТА (OД ПРАИСТОРИСКАТА ПЕШТЕРСКА УМЕТНОСТ, ПРЕКУ ПЕШТЕРСКИТЕ МАНАСТИРИ ОД СРЕДНИОТ ВЕК ДО СОВРЕМЕНАТА АНИМАЦИЈА)

Author(s): Krste Gospodinovski / Language(s): Macedonian / Issue: 19/2019

Keywords: animation; cave paintings; cave monasteries; author animation; industrialization

The birth of animation in a cinematographic sense can be dated in the late 19 century along with other great industrial and technological breakthroughs. Although it’s a predecessor of film, in order to evolve as a media, animation needed to be reinvented with the evolution of motion picture technology. But even thou it is a new form of art, early forms of animation can date as far as the prehistoric era, in the form of cave paintings. It can also be found in ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and perhaps even in medieval christian cave monasteries in Macedonia. What’s interesting is that the bond in all cases of early animation is spirituality. Of course, one of the etymological definitions of animation is “to breathe life” as in a biblical sense. Many doubted the connection between the prehistoric cave paintings and animation, but new research, especially in the Chauvet cave in Pont-d’Arc shed a new light on this subject.

On (Quasi-)Gnostic Strategies for Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance. The Bulgarian Case

On (Quasi-)Gnostic Strategies for Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance. The Bulgarian Case

Author(s): Grażyna Szwat-Gyłybowa / Language(s): English / Issue: 9/2019

Keywords: Gnosis; Orthodox Christianity; anti-Semitism; Bulgarian culture; cultural transfer

The article poses a research question, important not only in the studies on (neo-)gnosticism, concerning the relationship between the gnostic strategies of interpreting the world (and especially its typical rules of classifying people, based on the externalization of evil) and the tendency to construct a figure of “hylic” as a person embodying evil, and thus “unworthy of life”. In this context, the author is interested in the dynamics of the relationship between the religious worldview declared by the authors, the one they actually profess, and their attitude towards the so-called Jewish question. Bulgarian material, which is a case of a particular kind of aporia, cognitive dissonances emerging due to tension between the pressure of cultural stereotypes, pragmatic (economic), religious, parareligious and humanistic thinking, has been analyzed on the basis of post-secular thought. The investigator posits that Bulgarian culture, despite the “economic” anti-Semitism that exists within it, did not produce a figure of a Jew the hylic that absorbs all evil and that could be inscribed (as is the case in popular Polish culture, among others) in every troublesome local political and symbolic context.

Continuity between Early Paulicianism and the Seventeenth-Century Bulgarian Paulicians: the Paulician Legend of Rome and the Ritual of the Baptism by Fire

Continuity between Early Paulicianism and the Seventeenth-Century Bulgarian Paulicians: the Paulician Legend of Rome and the Ritual of the Baptism by Fire

Author(s): Hristo Saldzhiev / Language(s): English / Issue: 9/2019

Keywords: Bogomils; Paulicians; Bulgaria; Paulician legend of Rome; ritual of the baptism by fire

Abstract. During the Middle Ages two dualistic communities were active in Bulgaria and Bulgarian lands – Bogomils and Paulicians. Paulicians, unlike Bogomils, survived as a separate religious sect up to the 17th century, when most of them gradually accepted Catholicism. The detailed reports of Catholic missionaries, priests and bishops shed light on different aspects of their beliefs and practices from the 17th century. The aim of the present article is to propose an explanation of a strange ritual and a legend spread among the Bulgarian Paulicians and recorded in the above-mentioned reports. The thesis of the article is that the legend and the ritual in question refer to the early history of Paulicianism. The ritual is related to syncretic religious notions and goes beyond the scope of dualism. I try to examine the legend and ritual in the context of Paulician history in the Balkans, especially in the context of Paulician belief system, inherited from the early Anatolian Paulicians.

The historical-ethnological dimension of the „cioclii” in the Land of Moldavia (XVIII – beginning of the XIXth century)

Dimensiunea istorico-etnologică a cioclilor în Ţara Moldovei (sec. al XVIII-lea – începutul sec. al XIX-lea)

Author(s): Valentin Arapu / Language(s): English,Romanian,Russian / Issue: 1/2019

Keywords: ciocli; undertakers; plague; guild; epidemiology; imagology;

In the Land of Moldavia, the „cioclii”, perceived at origins as simple undertakers, were associated in social guilds according to ethnic criteria. Over time, they have accumulated knowledge and experience in the prophylaxis of epidemics, especially of plague. In the Romanian medical folklore, the plague is personified, being labeled with hideous epithets. The image of the „cioclii” in the historical and ethnological sources is contradictory, not only their sanitary function is emphasized, but also their numerous abuses on the time of the plague epidemic. The work of a „cioclu” has left its mark on the Romanian onomastics of the following centuries.

TAX INCENTIVES FOR KEEPING AND ATTRACTING HIGHLY SKILLED WORKERS: THE CASE OF SERBIA

TAX INCENTIVES FOR KEEPING AND ATTRACTING HIGHLY SKILLED WORKERS: THE CASE OF SERBIA

Author(s): Iva Ivanov / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2019

Keywords: Brain drain; Highly skilled workers; Migration; Tax incentive; The Republic of Serbia;

The recent increased migration of workers has posed a brain drain problem on countries, which lose their citizens to more developed countries offering better working and living conditions. Lowering the tax burden on highly skilled individuals has been one of the most commonly used incentives by both developed and developing countries. The Government of the Republic of Serbia has proposed several tax incentives for providing a more beneficial tax treatment for highly skilled employees with the aim of keeping and attracting them back. The first part of this paper illustrates the problem of emigration, the effects of emigration of highly skilled workers, and the effects of taxation on migration decisions. In the second part, the problem of brain drain and its breadth in the Republic of Serbia is addressed, and a detailed elaboration of newly proposed tax incentives is provided. Furthermore, the author proposes an additional tax incentive.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF PENSION FUNDS WITH FINANCIAL MARKETS DEVELOPMENT

THE RELATIONSHIP OF PENSION FUNDS WITH FINANCIAL MARKETS DEVELOPMENT

Author(s): Miloš Grujić / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2019

Keywords: pension funds; investment funds; development of the financial market;

This paper empirically explores the impact of pension funds on market development. The goal of the paper is to link the credit rating of a country and the development of the financial market. At the same time, we will make a link between the structure and size of pension funds and the development of financial markets across countries. The development of the market is expressed with the help of the FD index, the size of pension funds as a size related to GDP, the structure of pension funds, as a participation of shares or bonds in relation to total assets and in relation to GDP, and the size of funds is expressed in relation to the GDP of the country. The research question states: “Does the size and structure of pension funds influence the development of the financial market in the country”? The methodology applied consists of qualitative research techniques, such as analysis, comparative analysis, correlation between the two observed variables and synthesis. Thus, this research was provided during the summer of 2019. The selected group of countries was based on two criteria based on data from 2018: OECD countries and the others. Methodology used is based on some previous research related to the financial development index. The research refers to looking for answers to the question of what is the dependence like between the structure and size of pension funds on one hand, and the development of the financial market on the other. The contribution of the paper is reflected in the explanation of the possibilities that pension funds with their structure and size offer to the development of the financial market in the country. The result shows that pension funds can provide a significant support for financing the development of the country, local communities, but that between certain phenomena, such as the size and structure of funds and the size of the economy and the development of the financial market, there is only a poor determination. This paper has intentions to offer a special strategy for creating a portfolio and it is an initial step towards further analysis and directions on the portfolio management.

THE IMPACT OF DIVIDEND POLICY ON PRICE-TO EARNINGS RATIO – THE CASE OF WESTERN EUROPE

THE IMPACT OF DIVIDEND POLICY ON PRICE-TO EARNINGS RATIO – THE CASE OF WESTERN EUROPE

Author(s): Simona Nikolovska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: dividend payout ratio; price-to-earnings ratio; nonlinearity; convexity; capital market;

In a world full of studies dealing with the relationship of price-to-earnings ratio and the dividend payout ratio, rarely noticeable are those examining the possibility that this relationship may be non-linear. Although rare, studies that aim to fill this gap focus solely on the US capital market. The lack of those kinds of studies alongside with the absence of studies for Europe was main incentive for this paper. Therefore this paper aims to examine the conditional and nonlinear relationship between price-to earnings ratio and dividend payout ratio where by the inclusion of various factors the non/linear relationship is conditioned on the comparative levels of return on equity and the required rate of return. In order to explore this relationship, a fixed effects panel regression model is used. Main findings are based on an examination of an annual data of 69 companies from 11 European countries in the period from 2014 to 2018. The results show positive relationship and convexity between the price-to-earnings ratio and the dividend payout ratio, leading to the conclusion that European investors prefer dividends and “award” the increase in the dividend payout with increased price to- earnings ratio.

TOURISM INDUSTRY EVOLUTION IN CASE OF BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

TOURISM INDUSTRY EVOLUTION IN CASE OF BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

Author(s): Manuela Liliana Muresan,Raluca Andreea Popa / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2019

Keywords: tourism industry; employment; value added; Romania; Bulgaria; development; SWOT analysis;

Tourism is not only a fast expanding global industry, but also a bridge that brings closer cultures and civilizations. The present paper proposes to analyse the tourism sector and environment in the case of Bulgaria and Romania, two countries with high potential in terms of tourism yet unexplored, comparing the two countries from the economic and social perspective. The main objective of the research is to identify the main differences between the two countries and to make recommendations for the development of the tourism sector. The results obtained should show a similarity between the two countries in terms of tourism, as well as the economic and social impact of policies on the evolution of the tourism industry.

Descriptive Representation and Political Participation: exploring Croatia's non-dominant groups electoral turnout

Descriptive Representation and Political Participation: exploring Croatia's non-dominant groups electoral turnout

Author(s): Timofey Agarin,Petr Čermák / Language(s): English / Issue: 16/2019

Keywords: Political participation; Non-Dominant Minorities; Local Elections; Post-conflict Society; Croatia;

The series of ethnic conflicts in the Western Balkans over the 1990s involved primarily the constituent nations of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, and later, Albanians and Macedonians. Ethnic violence has equally affected other numerically smaller groups residing in the geographic areas affected by conflict between the dominant, de facto state-founding ethnic groups. The paper investigates the continuous importance of ethnic identity for political participation of non-dominant groups affected by the ethno-political dynamics of dominant groups in post-conflict Croatia. Analyses of the political mobilisation of non-dominant groups in regions previously affected by conflict offer evidence that their ethno-political mobilisation reflects the continuous importance of identity-politics in the context of highly ethnicised institutions ensuring political representation at national and municipal levels.

TRUST BUILDING AND FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM FOUR VISEGRAD COUNTRIES

TRUST BUILDING AND FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM FOUR VISEGRAD COUNTRIES

Author(s): Ludvik Eger,Dana Egerová,Michal Mičík,Erika Varga,Csilla Czeglédi,Łukasz Tomczyk,Michaela Beran Sládkayová / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: focus groups; social media; trust building; university students; Visegrad countries;

There is an important need in the literature to explore the effects of social media use on young people’s behaviour. The main purpose of this research is to explore which factors of users’ gratifications are associated with using social media by university students from four Visegrad countries in Central Europe. Online communication on social media may be affected by a variety of factors that affect the development of mutual relationships. Thus, research is also focused on trust building on social media. The research team conducted qualitative research aimed at the deeper understanding of students’ opinions on trust and social media and their view on the phenomenon of “fake news”. Conducted focus groups in four countries showed that university students, who are frequent users of social media, are inclined to trust certain pages they like but generally, they do not trust social media. They use social media primarily for maintaining relationships and they believe people who are connected to their network. It is obvious that students use social media to satisfy their needs, especially in the field of entertainment, partly also for obtaining information. The findings show that expected gratifications of students are built on their practical experience with media.

Following the Trail of Syrian Refugees in Europe

Following the Trail of Syrian Refugees in Europe

Author(s): Veronika Bertozzi / Language(s): English / Issue: Suppl./2016

Keywords: refugees; refugee crisis; UNHCR;

The “refugee crises” emerged as a term created by the European Member States, which had to face the higher number of asylum seekers since the Second World War. In the end of 2015, Europe, led by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, proclaimed more welcoming policies toward asylum seekers coming from war-zones, in particular Syrians; who were recognized as the most vulnerable and in-need of a safe haven. Despite of this step forward towards an increasing acceptance of refugees, statistics show that the number of Syrians arriving in Europe seeking international protection remains low compared with Syria's neighboring countries, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), between April 2011 and February 2016, Europe received less than one million (972,012) Asylum applications, while in the same period of time, Turkey registered almost three million (2,688,686) Syrian refugees, Lebanon more than a million (1,055,984) and finally, Jordan 637,859. Thus, all European Member States are currently hosting only around 22% of Syrians who are seeking protection, compared to Syria's neighboring countries. Moreover, an aggressive reaction towards refugees welcoming policies coming from strong European Member States' policy makers grew in Europe from the center and right-wing political parties, as well as from radical ideological groups.

YOUTH AND THE SKILLS SYSTEM IN BULGARIA. CAN LIFELONG LEARNING POLICIES ON THE REGIONAL LEVEL COMPENSATE FOR THE MISMATCHES IN THE NATIONAL SKILL SYSTEM?

YOUTH AND THE SKILLS SYSTEM IN BULGARIA. CAN LIFELONG LEARNING POLICIES ON THE REGIONAL LEVEL COMPENSATE FOR THE MISMATCHES IN THE NATIONAL SKILL SYSTEM?

Author(s): Valentina Milenkova,Siyka Kovacheva / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: young adults; youth transitions; skills system; lifelong learning policies; Bulgaria; regional context .

The present article is a study of the opportunities and constraints for youth transitions from education to employment vis-a-vi the structural relationships (of compliance and discrepancy) between the sectors of education, training and the labor market. The analysis examines the deficiencies in the coordination of the demand and supply of skills in Bulgaria, which hinder the successful employment integration of the current young generation. The mismatches in the system are highlighted on the national and the regional level where we focus on the contextual cases of Blagoevgrad and Plovdiv functional regions. The paper reveals that there is a discrepancy between labor supply and demand in the skills systems in both regions where less than half of university graduates work in the specialty they have acquired during studies. One of the conclusions of the study is that social changes under way require new strategies and approaches of lifelong learning policies that should go deeper into the regional and local level taking into account both the needs of young people for training throughout their lives and the needs of the regional labor markets.

Predicting Gender Differences in School Achievement and Social Acceptance: The Role of Delay of Gratification

Predicting Gender Differences in School Achievement and Social Acceptance: The Role of Delay of Gratification

Author(s): Tajana LJUBIN GOLUB,Zdenka Brebić,Majda Rijavec / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: academic achievement; delay of gratification; elementary school; self-regulation; social acceptance;

The study explored whether delay of gratification measured in 6-year old preschool children, incrementally predicts their subsequent academic achievement and social acceptance in elementary school above cognitive abilities. The role of gender in this relationship was also examined. The sample comprised 99 girls and 120 boys attending fourth, fifth and sixth grades. The study was longitudinal with two measurement points: measures of cognitive abilities and delay of gratification were taken at the age of 6, while measures of academic achievement (GPA, grade in Croatian language and math) and social acceptance, measured with the sociometric technique, were taken between the age of 10 and 12 years. It was confirmed that delay of gratification predicted both subsequent academic achievement and social acceptance in elementary school above cognitive abilities, but more strongly for boys than for girls. Also, delay of gratification mediated the relationship between gender and all four dependent variables. Gender differences in social acceptance, Croatian and math grades were partially explained and gender differences in GPA were fully explained by gender differences in delay of gratification measured at preschool age.