Central and South-Eastern Europe and Serbian feudalism between the 12th and 15th centuries

Europa Centrală şi de Sud-Est şi feudalismul sârbesc între secolele al XII –XV-lea

Author(s): Ştefan Stareţu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Europe; Serbia; Stefan Nemanja; Sigismund of Luxemburg; Stefan Lazarevich

This paper presents a brief analysis of the situation in central and South-eastern Europe during the 12th to the 15th centuries, to understand the mechanisms of the political, religious and social movements’ dynamics at that time. Thus, starting mostly from the 12th century, the territory of Eastern Europe was marked by the break between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and by the power relations that resulted from it. Hungarian and Serbian elites were in the middle of these realities. From the time when Stefan Nemanja became the leader of Serbia in 1166, to the fall of the Serbian Despotate in 1459, Serbia’s importance in supporting Orthodoxy in Central Europe and especially in Hungary was overwhelming. Stefan Nemanja was the most important personality in the history of Orthodoxy in the first part of this historical period, and the Brankovich family continued organically the nemanid medieval Serbia's historic prestige, even after its total fall under the Turks, with influences in the Romanian area too. On the other hand, Hungary after the Arpadian extinction basically was in dispute with Orthodox families from Russia, Serbia and Cumania or Bulgarian-Wallachia and with Western families. Sigismund of Luxemburg and Stefan Lazarevich‘ s roles were essential during this period.

The contribution of Alexandru II Mircea to the formation of the feudal domain of the Holy Trinity (Radu Vodă) Monastery from Bucharest

Contribuţia lui Alexandru al II-lea Mircea la constituirea domeniului mănăstirii Sfânta Troiţă (Radu Vodă) din Bucureşti

Author(s): Florenţa Teleman / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Radu Vodă Monastery; donation; domain core; founder; monastic domain

This article reconstructs the contribution of Alexandru II Mircea to the formation of the feudal domain of the church he has founded in Bucharest, called the Holy Trinity Monastery. Ensuring a strong economic foundation represented a main condition for the durability and the position that the monastic establishment held in society. Thought to be an important religious center, a place where the founder could find his peace and rest after death and a metropolitan center, the church received special care from the founder and it was given rich estates from the very beginning. The monastery, better known in our days as Radu Voda, the name of its second patron, will become, after a process of expansion, one of the richest settlements in the country. An important role in this respect was played by the solid material foundation that was provided by the voivode, who made sure that the church had everything it needed to fulfill its purpose. The origin of the donations, their purpose, their geographic location, their value and the connections created between them are but a part of the many aspects that the documentary sources reveal regarding the efforts of the founder.

The language of chancellery documents during Matei Basarab’s rule (1632-1654)

Limba documentelor de cancelarie în timpul domniei lui Matei Basarab (1632-1654)

Author(s): Irina Mihaela Deaconu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Matei Basarab; chancellery documents; Slavonic language; transition; beneficiaries

The main activity of Walachia’s Chancellery was the issuance of official acts according to the decisions made by the ruler (Rom. „domn”, Lat. „dominus”) and the country’s council. In the beginning, although people of this country spoke Romanian, these documents were written mostly in the Slavonic language. During Matei Basarab’s rule, we can easily observe how Romanian language takes precedence over the Slavonic one in more official chancellery documents than before. We have tried to analyze this transition given the historical context, and wanted to observe if there was a specific type of beneficiary that was still receiving documents in Slavonic language or if there were certain chancellery scribes used especially due to their knowledge in this regard.

The acceptance of dowry in historical judiciary sources that have circulated in the Romanian Principalities. Dowry lists

Receptarea zestrei în izvoarele juridice care au circulat în Ţările Române. Foi de zestre

Author(s): Petrişor Aurelian Lazăr / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Moldova; marriage; dowry; family history; history of mentality

Giving a dowry to girls when they got married was in the medieval period one of the major worries of parents, regardless of the social class that they belonged to. Often the source of misunderstandings and family disputes, the dowry was inherited by successive generations and reflected a world where the West met with the East; the dowry could affect the way a marriage would begin and even defined the identity of the girl. Beginning in the 17th century in Moldova, two types of dowry documents are known. The simplest form is the “zapis”, which acts like a contract between the newly wedded youth and the girl’s father. The second dowry document is the “dowry paper”, which was a list of items, both objects and real estate that the girl’s father gave to the newly wedded. The official owner became the wife, while the husband was only allowed to use the items, he did not own them. The items that could be included in a dowry were very diverse and included among others: entire villages, agricultural land, vineyards, orchards, cattle, clothes, jewelry, pots and pans, plates and table covers.

The Consumption of the hygiene products in the Romanian Principalities during the 16th to the 19th centuries

Consumul produselor de igienă din Ţările Române în secolele XVI-XIX

Author(s): Marius Daniel Pleşoiu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: cultural consumption; hygiene; health measures; domestic policies; Romanian Principalities

The cultural consumption represents an actual concept within the Western historiographical debate, enlarged by its resemblances, which can be applied to different eras and territories, thus offering a rich and also a fresh analytical spectre, one that continues to develop, as well as incorporates various perspectives in a permanent development regarding the historical retrospection through recent researches and debates. This present article focuses upon such a recent debate, analysing a different matter, i.e the hygiene-product consumption as well as their destination, ritual and casual use in the Romanian countries in a time span of 300 years. The challenge was proven to be the complexity of the topic as well as the scientific aim for the completion of moments, mentalities, customs, policies, and legislative framework, all gathered in order to explain the social changes and behaviours, from the restrained debate focused on products, to a complete view of state particularities regarded through the resemblances of habits. To conclude and let the reader draw his/her own conclusions, this basic and seemingly simple study about elitist products, as well as their origins and merchandise – that points to the field of economic history –, to the domestic need for hygiene, with its health reasons and determinations, from products regarded as prestigious goods to their internal manufacture and use, will reveal how the Western, as well as Eastern consumption items, were imported and adapted to the practical traditions, how their use was or was not maintained and, mostly, how they drew the living standards to the rise of modernity on this side of Europe.

The activity of the historian Prof. Alexandru Boldur in Jassy

Activitatea istoricului şi profesorului Alexandru Boldur la Iaşi

Author(s): Polina Lungu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Alexandru Boldur; Institute of National History “A. D. Xenopol” from Iaşi; scientific and didactic activity; historical science; Romanian historiography

The professor Alexandru Boldur, a historian and lawyer, demonstrated an obvious interest in Romanian history during his life, and defended the local and international laws of Bessarabia. As a researcher, he contributed to developing Romanian historiography, wrote valuable scientific papers that demonstrated his commitment to the Romanian people. During his teaching activities, carried out at the department, he had an extensive professional background, managing to convey an impressive amount of knowledge to his disciples. Occupying the position of the director of the Institute of National History “A. D. Xenopol” Iasi, Alexandru Boldur showed organizational and participatory skills, honouring and respecting his own obligations and his collaborators. He worked hard in this institution and achieved remarkable success, but, unfortunately, he had disappointments. The decade of the scientific-pedagogical activity of Alexander Boldur at the Institute of National History “A. D. Xenopol” from Iaşi was marked by an upward momentum in the historic track.

The urban role of the Galati Steel Plant for the evelopment of the city

Rolul urbanistic al Combinatului Siderurgic Galaţi în dezvoltarea oraşului

Author(s): Elena Cristina MIhai / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Galaţi; Communism; industrialisation; metallurgy; urbanisation; urban planning

The establishment and development of the Galaţi Steel Plant became a symbol of the Communist industrialisation policy in Romania. It was the largest industrial unit in the country and came to have in its later developmental phase (1989–1990) about 40,000 employees. The plant grew continuously during the period 1961–1989 by building new production capacities and by developing new facilities on the industrial platform. This growth also influenced the development of the city, from the demographic component to that of the infrastructure needed to house and provide services to workers and their families. It can also be said that the industrial area in the eastern part of the city, the port and the shipbuilding industry developed only for supplying the Steel Plant with raw and other necessary materials

„The Danube River issue” (1883). Trends in public opinion regarding the Conference of London as reflected in the Romanian press

Problema Dunării” (1883). Curente de opinie reflectate în presa românească referitoare la Conferinţa de la Londra

Author(s): Mihaela Munteanu Siserman / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: London Conference

Extending the term of office and jurisdiction of the European Commission of the Danube, withdrawing the Chilia arm from the authority of the Commission, and approving the Barrère project were the interests which the Great Powers could only pursue during an international conference. In 1883 the ways the European powers could solve all these parts of the Danube River issue were affecting the sovereignty of Romania, which determined the young Romanian state to take the first steps into the diplomacy of the Great Powers. The media in those days is one of the insufficiently exploited sources in recounting and analysing such events. Official press inside and across the Carpathian mountains would follow closely the national and international actions, attitudes and circumstances regarding the implications of the Danube River issue. To investigate the development of the Danube dispute, this study starts from the beginning of 1883 and capitalizes on the rich information discovered in the Romanian newspapers. With the help of the data collected from the Romanian press articles we can follow the events prior to the London Conference, the reasons of the conference, its protocols, the provisions and the consequences of the treaty signed at the end of the conference (10 March 1883). Simultaneously, this study highlights both the attitudes and reactions which the state officials had, attempting to obtain or counter the right of Romania to participate in the Conference having a deliberative vote.

The impact of the telegraph and the telephone on the grains commerce at the mouths of the Danube (1856-1914)

Impactul telegrafului şi al telefonului asupra comerţului cu cereale de la gurile Dunării (1856-1914)

Author(s): Cristian Constantin / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: Brăila; telegraph; telephone; commerce; grains

The year 1860 marked a decisive change in the global grains market with the introduction of the transatlantic telegraph connection. For the first time in history, information could travel significantly faster than goods could. Extremely costly and only within the reach of multination companies, the use of the telegraph gradually became part of everyday commerce. The flourishing of economic media transformed the telegraph into the main mechanism of price calculation for the international grains markets. The connections between the major stock exchanges existed now with delays of only 24 hours at most. The traders from Chicago and New York were now tied to Liverpool and London and from the British Isles the information was distributed to all of Europe. By extension, the traders from Odessa and from the Danubian ports also joined in. This study shows how the difficulty with which the data was transmitted did not influence considerably the transactions from the Danubian grains market. The archival and historical media files do not allow for the creation of empirical data using econometrics. As such, we cannot determine the exact fluctuation in the local stock markets based on information received by means of telegraph and telephone.

THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Past, Present and Future of public education in the United States of America

Author(s): Stoica Cristinel Popa / Language(s): English / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: education; education reform; public education; United States of America; coeducation

Public education is a necessary ingredient for the development of any society today. Whether we talk about economic, social or political development, public education is at the heart of all types of development. Without it, only the well-off can afford to educate their children, leading to increased and continued social, economic, and by consequence political inequality, which in turn affect all of society, including the elites. In order to understand what the situation of public education is today and how we can best improve it, we must look at the past and analyze how public education developed over time. This paper tries to briefly survey the history of public education in the United States. It tries to make the point that in order to implement a successful educational reform in America today, first a comprehensive understanding of public education as a social institution and not merely as a state institution is needed. Moreover, looking at countries that have successfully reformed their educational systems over the past few decades is also necessary.

Book review: John R. Lampe, Marvin R. Jackson, Balkan Economic History 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations, Indiana, Indiana University Press, 1982, 728 p.

Book review: John R. Lampe, Marvin R. Jackson, Balkan Economic History 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations, Indiana, Indiana University Press, 1982, 728 p.

Author(s): Bogdan Rusu / Language(s): English / Issue: 09/2016

THE DIFFICULT PATH TOWARDS EUROPEANNESS. ASSESSING THE POLITICS OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

THE DIFFICULT PATH TOWARDS EUROPEANNESS. ASSESSING THE POLITICS OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Author(s): Georgiana Ciceo / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2016

Keywords: cultural policy;identity;Europeanness;

The gradual advance of the European integration process has generated vivid discussions on what defines the Europeanness and what its main features are. They were meant to bring useful insights to the wider ongoing debates with regard to who is entitled to embark in this process or what defines in a European context a certain type of political action. They attempted to move beyond the sheer political and economic considerations and go to the core of the whole effort of building a European Union based on the intertwined processes of integration and enlargement. As such, they were closely entangled with those concerning the core values that define a European identity. The present article looks at the cultural policies of the European Union and tries to evaluate their capacity to shape and, if possible, reinforce a sense of Europeanness among the Europeans.

INTEGRATION OF THE STOCK MARKETS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION. A CONVERGENT OR A DIVERGENT PROCESS?

INTEGRATION OF THE STOCK MARKETS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION. A CONVERGENT OR A DIVERGENT PROCESS?

Author(s): Florin Sebastian Duma / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2016

Keywords: stock market;mergers;European Union;capitalization;integration;

In the European Union almost each country has its own stock exchange and some countries have even more than one. Moreover, these stock markets are in different stages of development and are very differently classified by the specialized agencies: as developed, emerging or frontier markets. In the past years, we witnessed several attempts of mergers and acquisitions or alliances between the Stock Exchanges, both in the Western and Eastern Europe. Recently, the European Commission started to work on a plan to create a so called Capital Market Union in the European Union. In this paper we will analyse the dynamic of this process around the European Union.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION, IN THE JURISPRUDENCE OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

FREEDOM OF RELIGION, IN THE JURISPRUDENCE OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Author(s): Mihaela Adriana Oprescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2016

Keywords: freedom of religion;Islamic veil;crucifix;confessional neutrality;margin of appreciation;

Matters related to religious convictions and their manifestations are often controversial and sensitive, chiefly in an ever more pluralist society. This is why, on the one hand, authorities need to be capable of imposing restrictions only on the basis of a clear juridical justification, and on the other hand, they shall pursue a legitimate goal in a proportional manner. It is to be noticed that, generally speaking, European countries have been confronted with new challenges, due to the religious pluralism stemming from globalisation (the large number of Islamic migrants is relevant in this respect), as well as to the cultural and religious identity crisis Europe has been experiencing. Amid the turmoil caused by social change in the European area, the European Court of Human Rights has been called upon to act on the thorny matter of defining the place of religion in postmodern pluralist societies. Thus, the Court ruled on cases in which the conflict had emerged from the act of wearing religious symbols in public institutions. One may indeed state that wearing religious symbols and garments (Islamic veil, burqa, niqab, crucifix etc.) in schools and universities has engendered, for a few years, significant debates in various European countries.

RELIGION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE SECURITY SECTOR IN GEORGIA

RELIGION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE SECURITY SECTOR IN GEORGIA

Author(s): Dato Tabatadze / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2016

Keywords: religion;security sector;foreign policy priorities;interests

After the independence of Georgia from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Georgian Orthodox Church started to flourish and became the most influential organization/institution in the country according to many current research endeavours conducted in Georgia on this topic. My article offers some legislative basis of the church-state relationship and its effects on the security sector of Georgia. Any kind of critical attitude towards the Georgian Orthodox Church has nowadays a big negative resonance in society, which can be detrimental to the state’s security. This article argues that the church can have a major positive influence as well as a negative one on the security sector in Georgia. In this case, it depended on the one hand on the legislative grounds which regulate the relationship between church and state and, on the other hand, on the fact that the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) is the most trusted and, accordingly, influential institution in Georgia.

CULTURAL LEARNING IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD

CULTURAL LEARNING IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD

Author(s): Tanya Wittal-Düerkop / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2016

Keywords: Education and the Arts;Cultural Values;Democratic Citizenship;Globalization

The conditions under which cultural education and cultural policy action take place are decisively shaped by the processes of globalization with a new multi-ethnic composition of the population as an intra-societal counterpart to the internationalization of production and reception of culture. Both factors create new cultural patterns and identities. Key among all the educational challenges is the creation of a “high-skilled citizen with the ability to access, adapt, apply, and create new knowledge and technologies” as OECD stated in 1996. Education and live-long-learning systems thus play a major role in improving development and competitiveness of a country or a region. The purpose of this paper is to give an introduction to the effects of globalization on cultural education for young people and to describe processes that address the numerous challenges to national or regional institutions in the field of cultural learning brought on by globalization. In my opinion one of the key factors to prepare individuals to cope with the new demands is to enhance cultural education understood as civics education at school. Offering cultural learning opportunities to educate this so-called “high-skilled citizen” committed to social and human transformation seems only to be possible by the implementation of a much more comprehensive and much more systematic institutionalized cultural education on all levels of the educational chain.

LOBBYING IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. -‘REVOLVING DOOR’ AND ‘COOLING OFF’ PHENOMENA -

LOBBYING IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. -‘REVOLVING DOOR’ AND ‘COOLING OFF’ PHENOMENA -

Author(s): Miruna Andreea Balosin / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2016

Keywords: European Parliament;lobbying activity ;transparency; code of conduct;revolving door;'cooling-off’

Terms like ‘revolving door’ and ‘cooling-off’ are surrounding the world of EU Parliamentarians in search of protection, mainly to keep their image as good servants at the end of their careers. The “revolving door” – which appears to link the EU institutions directly to the private sector, allowing employees to move almost effortlessly between the two – is at the heart of the close relationship between the EU institutions and Brussels’ lobby industry. The existing legislation for these types of activities, damaging the EU transparency and public trust, is still limited to institutional codes of conduct. Of course, any revolving door restrictions put in place by the European Parliament will only work if they are enforced. According to transparency campaigners, this means empowering an independent entity under the auspices of the Parliament to look at whether potential conflicts of interest exist when ex-MEPs move into new professional roles.

The Final solutions for Common Agricultural Policy in years 2014-2020 – step towards environmental sustainability or business as usual?

The Final solutions for Common Agricultural Policy in years 2014-2020 – step towards environmental sustainability or business as usual?

Author(s): Karol Kociszewski / Language(s): English / Issue: 1 (37)/2016

Keywords: sustainable agriculture and rural development; sustainable agriculture; rural development; common agricultural policy; rural development measures

The Paper’s goal is to assess the most important changes in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for years 2014-2020 in the context of its potential influence on environmental pressure of agriculture. The final solutions of that policy reform were discussed in relation to main groups of instruments: these supporting farmers’ incomes and rural development measures. They were analysed in the context of chances and threats for environmental sustainability. The general conclusion is the reform results are far from the initial European Commission’s plans as well as far from proposals presented by the NGO’s connected with environment protection and organic farming. The CAP financial instruments were not sufficiently directed to the support for sustainable agriculture development.

The pertinence of infrastructural facilities in rejuvenation of small scale enterprises in Ikare Akoko , Ondo State, Nigeria

The pertinence of infrastructural facilities in rejuvenation of small scale enterprises in Ikare Akoko , Ondo State, Nigeria

Author(s): Adejompo Fagbohunka / Language(s): English / Issue: 1 (37)/2016

Keywords: infrastructural facilities; small scale industries; socio-economic performance; Ikare Akoko

The potency of small scale industries in socio economic transformation is awe-inspiring; while inadequate infrastructure poses a gargantuan limitation and a major clog in the wheel of socio- economic revamping. The paper underscores the relevance of infrastructural facilities in rejuvenation of small scale industries, using Ikare Akoko as a case study. The paper adopts a total sampling method; on the whole One hundred and fifteen questionnaires were administered to the proprietors of the small scale enterprises. The paper has reveals a grossly inadequate power supply, which is also regarded as the most germane and influencing infrastructure in the performance of the small scale industries. With the exception of telecommunication, the paper has found out a negative relationship between water supply, effective transportation system, adequate health facilities and the small scale industries. The correlation analysis carried out to test the effectiveness of the infrastructural facilities and the socio economic performance of the small scale industries reveals a non-significant value of 0.799 at 0.005 levels. It was vivid from the research that government has an infinitesimal contribution to infrastructure development of Ikare Akoko. The research reveals the consequences of the unsatisfactory level of infrastructural development such as, low productivity, socio-economic malaise as well as discouragement and lowering the morale of the small scale proprietors. The paper therefore, suggests an integrated approach to infrastructural development at the local, state and federal level. The private sector participation would also contribute to the alleviation of this major bane to the thriving and development of the small scale enterprises.

The profile of Polish prosumer and its political background

The profile of Polish prosumer and its political background

Author(s): Alicja Małgorzata Graczyk / Language(s): English / Issue: 1 (37)/2016

Keywords: Polish households; prosumers; renewable energy sources; energy production

Thermal coal power plants in Poland have not been and will not be able to meet the demand for energy in the country, in the face of increasing climate change. Effective solution to the existing problem is the diversification of energy sources and making investment in distributed, renewable energy sources. Another factor which can increase the energy security of the citizens is to generate electricity for their own needs at the point of consumption, i.e. the households. A prosumer becomes a real participant in the energy market of Poland. How vital a role can such prosumer play in the power system? What is the profile and the potential of a Polish prosumer? The author of this article will attempt to answer these questions by defining the concept of the prosumer, identifying the legal regulations concerning the EU and Poland in the sphere of energy production, and by analysing the prospects and development opportunities of prosumerism of the country.