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The article explores the political consequences of successive alternations in power in Bucharest and Chişinău on the bilateral relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The main interrogation is whether and how Romania’s accession in the European and Euro-Atlantic order influenced the way in which both capitals relate to each other. As the comparative research clearly indicates, predictability and consistency in foreign policy is to a large extent depending on the status of the country in relations to a stable system of values, policies and institutions.
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The Romanian outflow of migrants towards EU, a massive labour flow occurring during the last two decades could be interpreted as a significant pilot case for the process of urgently conceiving adequate policy measures in the capital area of immigration towards EU. Reviewing the most important features of the Romanian emigration, we try to identify commonalities and issues that could be turned into relevant proposals for tackling this domain in the optimal way, both economically and socially. Meanwhile our paper attempts to forecast the situation of the future outflows from Romania, in conjunction with the new developments of the domestic and the EU labour markets.
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In the aftermath of World War II, the informal association of intellectuals known as Gruppe 47 found itself in a troublesome position in its attempt to rebuild a new political culture in postwar Germany. My analytical approach to the ideological controversies, paradoxes and inconsistencies of the group’s orientation will provide some relevant tools for explanation and put forward confrontational dilemmas for assessing the overall activities of Gruppe 47 members. This type of approach is risky and difficult for two main reasons: i) first, because the membership of the Group was non-permanent and circumstantial and ii) second, because the overall activity of the Group seemed to move indecisively between two main coordinates (i.e., an aesthetic and literary programme on the one hand, and a politics of culture / literature, on the other). Intuitively, I think that the study of literary culture in post-war Germany could function as a strong indicator of the status and transformations of political culture in this country and may be more successful than conventional historiography, political science or institutional theories in explaining what really happened in Germany in the period in question.
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Parents are the primary agents of socialization and hold the great influence on child behaviour in early childhood, considered to be a crucial period of socialization. The family type and the parenting styles have significant influence on socialization process. Although the notion of socialization became less central to sociological debates, the idea of families having a major role in primary socialization process is still quite central (Gillies, 2011). The present paper analyses the factors affecting socialization of children in Romanian families. The first part of the paper will be dedicated to a review of literature regarding the influence of the family in the socialization process of children. In the second part the author will present the results of a study case conducted in Bucharest in 2015 using a research methodology based on PAPI questionnaire with parents having children between 0 and 6 years enrolled in ECEC services. The analysis will focus on manner of exercising parenting styles in Romanian family. The factors affecting socialization of children will be also highlighted according to the data form the field survey. The results have implications for researchers, policy makers and practitioners from the family policy area.
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The author’s aim was to present two literary traditions which refer to the way in which the image of Gaius Octavius, who went on to become Emperor Augustus, which was created in order to legitimate his assumption of power, was presented. The first episode where these traditions are so distinctly perceptible is Gaius Julius Caesar’s second Hispanian campaign (46—45 BC). The representatives of the first tradition (Nicholas of Damascus, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus) attempted to emphasise Octavius’s personal qualities which were supposed to make him a vigorous and resolute leader. This suggests that the sources of this tradition should be sought in the period of the civil wars when Octavius had to face above all the challenge presented by Mark Anthony in the context of propaganda. Whereas the representatives of the second tradition (Velleius Paterculus, Dio Cassius) no longer attempted to emphasise the purported achievements of Octavius and they concentrated instead on the question of legitimisation resulting from the appurtenance to Caesar’s family. This may indicate that the tradition emerged in the period when one was no longer obliged to be held accountable for the doubtful military achievements of the years 44—36 BC, and what results from the following: when one was no longer obliged to respond to political invectives hurled by his adversaries. In this approach instead of emphasising military accomplishments it was much more important to indicate the decision that was made by Caesar, and perhaps the vaticinal signs, for such a distinguished individual as the murdered dictator doubtlessly was, could not misjudge the talents of the successor whose greatness was even foretold by the gods themselves.
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Heretofore little importance was attached to considerations connected with ancient historians presented in “Historia Augusta”, in the biographies bear the name of Flavius Vopiscus of Syracuse. However, these brief texts perhaps may enable us to understand the reason for which the author concealed his name by using six pseudonyms, and they account for the way in which he approached work with the sources. In the principal biographies of the Antonines and the Severi he drew from the imperial biographies by Marius Maximus whose work was positively evaluated in his considerations. The work contained information which was of paramount importance for the imperial biography such as the origin of the ruler or a description of his character. In the subsequent part of the “Historia Augusta” its creator used other sources which represented such literary genres as history and breviaria. We may infer from Scriptor’s methodological considerations that he held these literary genres in low estimation; he did not mention even one author of these sources. This supposedly influenced his polemical attitude to these source materials and the way in which he used them — he frequently interspersed their narrations with themes drawn from the works of other historians.
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The text presents the scholarly and popular science output in the field of regional history produced by Łucja Charewiczowa, a female Lvovian historian of the inter war period. There is a discussion of the most important works of the Researcher in this field, with special emphasis on their conceptualisation, construction, empirical approach and literary qualities. The outline also constitutes an attempt to present the peculiar nature of Charewiczowa’s writings in the context of the regional history works (the social, historical and economic orientation, a strongly marked presence of female figures, educational and patriotic aspects). Moreover, it also emphasises the research and narrative approaches of the Lvovian author which were ground breaking in Poland.
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The article is devoted to the stages of the construction of the Pałac Kultury i Nauki in Warsaw — from the proposal of the construction to the handing over of the building by the Soviet authorities to the Polish party. On the basis of research the author established that the deputy prime minister of the U.S.S.R., Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov, suggested the construction of the palace on 22 July 1951 instead of 3 July, according to some research works. Then the author describes the circumstances of the creation of the plans of the construction of the high-rise as well as the signing of agreements concerning the initiation of the endeavour to erect the PKiN which was a logistic challenge. Owing to a search query in the archives the author attempted to present the realities of the collaboration between Polish and Soviet labourers which had little to do with the ones presented by the propaganda of that time. For example, on the basis of declassified documents the author managed to provide the number of Poles who lost their lives during the construction of the PKiN.
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This paper presents a conceptual framework for research on cultural groups which existed in recent Soviet societies but were opposed to the regime. The framework is designed to fa¬cilitate research on social processes related to the behaviour of individuals and groups through cooperation between social researchers and IT scientists. The proposed methodology helps not only acquire knowledge about processes that took place in the societies in the recent past but can also be adapted for exploration of current processes in various other cultural groups and communities. The methodology adapts the techniques of several disciplines to the study of social problems by integrating simultaneous technical adjustments in these disciplines under a systems approach.Straipsnyje pateikiamas konceptualus sprendimas, kaip tyrinėti kultūrines grupes, kurios veikė pastarojo laikotarpio sovietinėse visuomenėse, tačiau buvo priešiškos režimui. Tyrimų progra¬ma, kurią kuriant bendradarbiauja socialiniai tyrėjai ir IT mokslininkai, prisideda prie sociali¬nių procesų (ypač tų, kurie turi įtakos asmenų bei grupių elgesiui) tyrimų palengvinimo. Pateik¬ta metodologija ne tik padeda susipažinti su sovietinio laikotarpio visuomenių procesais, bet ir gali būti pritaikoma tyrinėjant įvairius dabarties procesus įvairiose kitose kultūrinėse grupė-se ir bendruomenėse. Sisteminė prieiga suteikia galimybę techniškai patikslinti kitų disciplinų metodus, taikomus tiriant socialines problemas.
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Straipsnyje pristatomas Švedijos depresyviojo metalo muzikos kūrėjų ir gerbėjų neformalios organizacijos tyrimas, atliktas 2012 m. įvairiose Švedijos vietovėse. Analizuojamos dvi pagrin¬dinės depresyviojo metalo subkultūros meninės raiškos priemonės – muzika ir tapyba; atsklei¬džiami psichologiniai subkultūros dalyvių bruožai ir jų subkultūrinio identiteto konstravimas per santykį su kitais metalo muzikos subkultūros nariais bei visuomene, pažymint gilią depre¬syviojo metalo subkultūros dalyvių socialinę ir kultūrinę atskirtį. Atskleidžiant neformalią sub¬kultūros organizaciją, analizuojami internetiniai ir realūs ryšiai tinkle, kuriais subkultūros nariai perduoda vieni kitiems informaciją, idėjas ir palaiko emociškai. Depresyviojo metalo subkul¬tūros tyrimai padeda suprasti nelengvai prieinamas visuomenės grupes, susiskaidymą, dalies dabarties žmonių egzistencinę krizę.The article aims to analyse the main features of the depressive metal subculture and to consider what cultural elements and social relations influence contemporary depressive metal subcul¬ture. A related goal is to discuss how this phenomenon can be conceptualised. The discussion, based on fieldwork and other research data, focuses on the construction and expression of cul¬tural identity by musicians and fans of depressive metal. The analysis of the depressive metal subculture looks at the principles of followers’ worldview, artistic creativity and the creation of cultural surroundings. These aspects are addressed using the emic approach. The context of the subculture’s activities, the informal forms of social organisation and the relations between musi¬cians and fans in the context of globalisation are also considered. This is related to the analysis of identity construction by members of the depressive metal subculture via their relations with other metal forms of music fans and contemporary society at large. The research methodology includes participant observation, semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with informants. These were conducted as part of the fieldwork in Sweden between June 7, 2012, and September 7, 2012. The depressive metal subculture includes features that are typical to modern subcultures: the emphasis on values and beliefs, negative ap¬proach to official Medias and emphasis on authenticity in self-perception, among others. The research demonstrated that fans and musicians of depressive metal tend to identify with depressive metal subculture as part of global metal culture. They regard themselves as belong¬ing to the parent metal culture, though they also recognise some cultural and social differences. The paper argues that fans and creators of the depressive metal music differ from the rest of the metal community in the expression of emotions and the treatment of themes like suicide, psychological disorder and despair, to mention but a few. The treatment of the latter aspects dif¬ferentiates fans and musicians of depressive metal from the rigidly exoteric and macho attitude held by representatives of traditional heavy metal music. The main form of cultural expression of the depressive metal subculture is music and paint¬ing. Music, produced and performed by depressive metal groups, differs from music created within other trends of metal culture because of the introspective nature of the depressive metal subculture. The differences are manifested in lyrics of the songs and in the way of performance. The singing includes frequent cries and shrieks, which express the despair and torment felt by the performer. In painting, like in music, the representatives of the depressive metal subculture use artistic devices such as contrasts and ambiance to convey their deepest inner states. Depressive metal as a subculture is attracting a growing number of followers, mainly young and intelligent outcasts seeking de-identification with their societies and the imposed moral or ‘ethical’ conventions intended to restrain base desires. In this sense, depressive metal is a counter reaction to pre-imposed cultural dogmas and a celebration of free will as well as social anarchism. Depressive metalheads give new meaning to self-destructive behaviour. Self-mutilation and drugs are regarded as a pathway to self-discovery through transcendence of personal limita¬tions. Such modes of behaviour are considered as a form of meditation whereas scarring the body is treated as a form of subcultural capital that breaks the taboos of society and symbol¬ises stamina and the will to challenge oneself. The subculture opposes norms of society and constraints of state institutions. Depressive metal groups do not depend on outside material resources for support. Rather, they support themselves; their members live in definable commu¬nities. Real-life and virtual networks are important in maintaining relations among musicians, supporters and fans. Depressive metal fans and musicians can be regarded as socially awkward, and their behav¬iour can be associated with psychological problems regarded as both causes and results of seclu¬sion from society. It remains our conviction that a more in-depth research on this subculture needs to be done, and that medical anthropology and cross-cultural psychiatry would have an important place in this inquiry.
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Marcin Bogucki reviews a performance My Square Lady: Von Menchen und Maschinen a British/Herman co-production by Gob Squad and Komische Oper in Berlin (premiere: 21.06.2015). The play uses a site-specific strategy to tackle the issue of relationships between people and robots, with a special focus on the emotional relationship of the artists to the machines they have created. An interesting thread of the play, and one emphasized by Bogucki, is the issue of robots' cognitive processes in the context of work on artificial intelligence. The author notes that Gob Squad have managed to weave a “fantasia on the subject of robots, which were meant to be a remedy for all of humanity's ills, and on opera as a conservative institution that tells us how to feel and how to control our emotions.”
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In this analysis of the Harlequin Coat project of 2008 by ORLAN, an artist working in bio art, Aleksanda Spilkowska attempts to recapitulate her activities to date, and to situate her in the sphere of post-humanist art. The artist treats her body as a “modifiedready-made-object,” stressing the fluidity of identity. In Harlequin Coat, ORLAN investigates the potential for modifying DNA and cell structure through manipulating human and animal fabrics. Spilkowska states that the artist casts doubt upon all anthropocentrism and problematizes the “fetishization of DNA” that results from separating the human identity from the material of his/her body.
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The 21st century is constructing a new narrative about immortality. It is a market product wielded by such major concerns as Microsoft, Google, and Apple, and its “creators” are scientists and engineers from the world's largest science and technology units. It is also a performative practice, distinct from faith and religion, transformed and transferred into the spheres of pop culture. The gradual leveling of real and virtual reality paves the way for experimentation in which biological death might soon mean little more than a “status update.” The author surveys the phenomenon of immortality, analyzing the catalogue of the 2014 start-up called Eterni.me.
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The article deals with some issues concerning confession and communion and the connection between them, in the life of the Church and the faithfull, such as the frequency of communion, preparation for communion, ways of communion with Christ, absolution of sins received in confession and the heterodox influences on these liturgical practices.
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In the present study, the author proposes to generally increase the implementation of the rules of chant as they were explained by the St. Niceta of Remesiana (366/367-414) in his treatise De bono psalmodiae. The article will also address the importance of the celebration of the Vigil in which the chanting has played an essential role.
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Małgorzata Sugiera analyzes two dramas by Bertolt Brecht – The Flight across the Ocean and Life of Galileo. The author alludes to Bruno Latour's thoughts on perspective in Galileo's drawings in order to focus attention on how the senses are foregrounded in Brecht's cognitive process. In the above-mentioned works Sugiera notes the problematized issue of the gaze, which, to her mind, should not work as it does in a drama with a traditional structure, where the viewer is left with the principle of “non-seeing.” The author points out the chaotic and mechanical experience of the worlds Brecht designs, juxtaposing them with Johannes Kepler's fragmentary perception of reality.
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