Пътят – предпочитано място за магически действия

Author(s): Rachko Popov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

According to Wahrig Deustsches Woerterbuch the concept of the “road” refers to a place which you have to walk in order to obtain your wish, to change some life situation in a positive or negative way; there the desired result of the act is achieved. Therefore, in our traditional culture the road is the place where people most often perform all sorts of magical actions including “white” and “black” magic. The crossroad has the same meaning; in a sense, it outlines the model of the horizontal division of the world which finds expression in four main directions – east, west, north, south. The article shows some of the most common “white” magical actions which aim at positive results – mostly various healing practices against diseases such as “gorska mayka” and “vankashna bolest” as well as customs dedicated to the mythical master-guardian of the village such as “Kokosha cherkva” and customs against drought. The article also examines some “black” magical actions aiming at doing harm: “binding” of newlyweds, stealing the milk of somebody else’s cows.

Пътища за никъде: eвропейски политики за социално включване на ромите

Author(s): Elena Marushiakova,Veselin Popov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2017

In the last years, the “Roma topic” attracts an increasing interest and takes a fopemost place in the public sphere of united Europe; hence, the Roma policies become a significant challenge on national and European level. Before analyzing the contemporary political discourses about the integration and the social inclusion of Roma, however, it is obligatory to know very well the previously existing state policies toward the Gypsies from the time of their arrival in Europe in the Middle Ages until today. Since a great number of the Roma population continues to live in the countries of Eastern Europe, the policies of the states which formed the “socialist camp” after World War II are very important. The analysis of the existing main political discourses about the Gypsies/Roma (and mostly of their results) should be the basis for the analysis of the contemporary national and European discourses about the Roma policies. Based on this, the achievements and the failures of those policies may find explanation and some prognoses about their results (or the lack of such) could be made.

Циганите и изселванията на „българските турци“ (1948–1989)

Author(s): Plamena Stoyanova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2017

“The Gypsies are our own, domestic problem” is a phrase attributed to the long-term former head of the old communist Bulgarian government, Todor Zhivkov. The government policy towards the Gypsy minority in communist Bulgaria is one of inclusion to the Bulgarian way of life, and its implementation is carefully tailored to the specificities of Bulgaria as a country.It is a little known fact that towards the end of the 1940’s, the Bulgarian Gypsies suddenly turn from a “domestic problem” to something much larger and thus become part of the great confrontation between the two world political camps divided by the Iron Curtain. This takes place during the emigration of the ethnic Bulgarian Turks which starts in 1948, and during which, applications for emigration are filed by both Bulgarian Turks and Muslim Bulgarian Gypsies. It is this latter ethnic minority that becomes the cause for a serious conflict between ‘communist Bulgaria’ and ‘capitalist Turkey’.This paper aims at following the events from the end of the 40’s until end of the 80‘s of the previous century as well as analyzing the consequences of the confrontation between the two neighbouring Balkan countries.

Яна Янчева. Колективизацията в българското село (1948–1970). Колективна памет и всекидневна култура. София, 2015

Author(s): Daniela Koleva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2017

The Influence of Changes in the Hydrological Regime of the Ural River in the West Kazakhstan Region on Fish Resources

Author(s): Daniyar A. Tagayev,Turesh Murzashev,Arkady Kim,Zhaskhaiyr Karagoishin / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The Ural River is one of the main fisheries reservoirs of Kazakhstan. Its hydrological regime has been unstable over the past 10 years, which has affected the formation of fish resources. The present study has shown that commercial fish populations decrease from year to year due to the deterioration of spawning conditions in low-water years, when spawning grounds are not fully watered. In these years, the spawning efficiency decreased from 11% to 70%.

Oбществената баня като фактор за формиране на локална идентичност. XX – началото на XXI век (По примера на столичния квартал „Горна баня“)

Author(s): Stamen Kanev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2017

This article is part of ethnological research on the role and function of the public baths in the urban space. It was held in 2017 in the Gorna Banya district in Sofia. In this publication the public baths are seen as one of the markers that construct local identity. In the beginning of the 20th century, the old Ottoman baths were destroyed and new ones were built, which have been preserved to present day in the centre of Gorna banya. The baths are part of the everyday life of the local people. They use their resources for drinking, cooking, washing, but also for trade and medicinal purposes. Furthermore, they continue to observe some traditional family and calendar customs around the public baths.Although the doors of the baths are closed, the square in front of them continues to play a central role in public life. This is evidenced, on the one hand, by the annual celebrations, and on the other hand, by the ordinary people who organize gatherings in front of the public baths via Facebook. The public baths continue to be a central place around which life in the neighbouhood is organized. The local authorities are looking for different ways to fund the restoration of the old building.

Градинарството в едно планинско село през 40-те и 50-те години на ХХ век: социални аспекти

Author(s): Yana Yancheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2018

The paper deals with practices of vegetable gardening in the village of Mezdreya, Northwestern Bulgaria, before collectivization in 1958. The main question is how gardening affects social relations and, conversely, how getting into particular social relationships “makes” the garden. The interrelation between the plant world in gardens, the gardening practices, the economic interests of families, the social relations within and between families, people’s lifestyle, etc. have been studied. The article presents the interactions between families in the process of growing vegetables in irrigated gardens and in seed exchange, the association between neighbours and collective work in common benefit, the distribution of labour activities in the family by sex and age.

NEO-OTTOMANISM IN TURKEY'S FOREIGN POLICY: A POLISH PERSPECTIVE

Author(s): Artur Adamczyk,Goran Ilik / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

The main objective of this article is to analyze the impact of Ankara’s reference to the legacy of the Ottoman Empire on contemporary Turkish foreign policy and the attitude of Poland towards such a reversal in Turkish diplomacy. Turkey is now more aware that it has no chance of gaining European Union membership. In this situation, Ankara has begun to emphasize its Eurasian character and is trying to build its influence in the region, in particular among eastern and southern neighbors. To have a greater impact on its neighbors, Turkey refers to the legacy of the Ottoman Empire. The weakening of Ankara's political relations with the western world is particularly worrisome for Poland, which appreciates Turkey's geostrategic position and its role in the European security system. The greatest concern among Poles is caused by the political and economic rapprochement between Ankara and Moscow. What also disturbs Poles is the fact that Turkey, which had made pro-democratic efforts, is departing from the principles fundamental to Europeans.

Едно почти етнографско изследване на с. Байкалско, Радомирско (Подбран материал за издаване на алманах)

Author(s): Dimitar Dobrevski / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 17/2019

To write this material I was provoked by my love for the history and traditions of the place I have chosen to build a villa. For years, I have been gathering material from the stories of the local’s neighbors. Then I went through the existing scientific publications.

Лабиринт и избор в творческите търсения на Христо Попконстантинов – виден родопчанин и общественик

Author(s): Maria Glavcheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2020

In this article, we aim to reveal some of Hristo Popkonstantinov's rich literary heritage, as well as biographical details about him. We study archival materials and information in literary resources. The scientific methods used are: the historical-chronological as well as the specific methods of archivism. The depth of the author's searches in the novel “The Physics of Sorrow” by contemporary Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, intertwining the past and present in a special and successful way, led us to think that we could connect our scientific study of one of the most prominent Rhodopes with the topic of the maze and the choice that must inevitably be made. In the complicate labyrinth of Bulgarian post-liberation reality,Hristo Popkonstantinov masterfully overcomes the confusion of many possible exits through his sense of the right direction – namely tireless and stubborn self education,preservation of the Bulgarian historical and folk heritage and respect to the Motherland. Hristo Popkonstantinov stands out as the first Rhodope writer and public figure of national importance.

Selected national approaches for achieving global standards in public administration

Author(s): Polya Katsamunska / Language(s): English Issue: 02/2020

The new reality of modern world places greater pressure on governments to put in place effective programs for education and training of public administrators. Indeed, this is the way to achieve greater excellence in public administration education and training, which has a main purpose to provide public administrators with the competencies and capacities to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life. This context outlines the focus of the article to examines and provide interesting insights into various national approaches for the delivery of public administration education and training from selected countries in the Americas and Europe. These countries have been chosen basically for two reasons; first, they represent traditional practice in their regions and second, they have excellent programs in public administration education and training for which they have had no major difficulties in seeking to reach the international standards of excellence in public administration education and training.

Център и периферия на европеизираните публични сфери

Author(s): Ralitsa Kovacheva,Ralitsa Kovacheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2018

The text presented is dealing with the current transformations of the Europeanised public spheres. The author argues that depending on the level of presence of the current European debates in the national public sphere, we can highlight centre and periphery and in parallel with the process of Europeanisation, the opposite process is also taking place – a process of peripheralization. Besides the theoretical arguments, the book presents the results of a comparative analysis of 2014 European elections` media coverage in the most popular newspaper websites in Bulgaria and the UK (February-June 2014). 3356 publications from 8 media outlets (The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail, 24chasa.bg, Dnevnik.bg, Trud.bg and Segabg.com) have been coded and analyzed.

Към интерпретацията на тюрбето Елмалъ баба в село Биволяне, Кърджалийско: забравена, премълчана или нечута легенда?

Author(s): Bojidar Alexiev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The türbe of Elmalı baba in the village of Bivolyane is probably the most visited by the Heterodox Muslim Turks place of pilgrimage in Eastern Rhodopi Mountains in Bulgaria. Nevertheless, there is no information about a narrative dedicated to the worship of the saints there. Most probably the reason for that is connected to two traumatic events: the closing of the türbe by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826 and the forceful change of the names of the Turks in Bulgaria in 1984–1985. The article offers a hypothesis explaining the existence of an extremely rare co-presence of six (considered male) and one (worshiped as female) graves, which have appeared in the period between these two traumatic moments.

Written Sources on 17th-century Russian Icons in the Orthodox East:

Author(s): Nadezhda Chesnokova / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2020

Au 5VIIe siècle, les icônes russes avaient déjà gagné les régions post-byzantines sous domination o1o- mane de l’Orient chrétien : les contrées grecques et balkaniques, l’Afrique du Nord et l’Asie Mineure, Crète, Chy- pre, la Palestine, la Syrie et le Liban. Les archives (peu étudiées) témoignent d’une exportation élevée de peintures religieuses russes dans l’espace méditerranéen. Une grande partie de ce1e documentation se trouve aux Archives Nationales des Actes Anciens de Russie (RCODo). Ces documents ayant appartenu autrefois à l’administration diplomatique, Posol’skij Prikaz, sont conservés dans le Fonds 52 et concernent les relations entre la Russie et les centres ecclésiastiques orthodoxes situés dans l’Empire o1oman. Au 5VIIe siècle, les œuvres russes qui circu- laient en Orient étaient en grande partie le fruit des activités évergétiques des grands princes et des tsars, mais le commerce jouait aussi un rôle important dans leur transmission. À en juger par le grand nombre d’oeuvres qu’ils possédaient, leur qualité artistique et leur coût de production élevé, les patriarches devaient être les commandi- taires les plus importants. Cependant, les émissaires du tsar se rendaient en Orient pour diverses missions et apportaient également des icônes. Les Grecs qui vivaient en Russie ou qui y séjournaient longtemps envoyaient, eux aussi, des icônes russes dans leur patrie. Enfin, les icônes russes étaient exportées par les marchands grecs. À Moscou, les étrangers pouvaient commander les icônes directement auprès des peintres ou les acheter sur le marché. Les archives conservent encore des nombreux testaments de Grecs décédés à Moscou, riches en informa- tions quant aux icônes russes qu’ils ont eues en leur possession. Un bon nombre de maîtres russes ont travaillé à l’étranger, en particulier dans les Principautés de Valachie et de Moldavie. Certains étaient peintres d’églises, mais d’autres peignaient des icônes sur commande. Ces icônes passaient de main en main, au sein des familles ; étaient léguées par testament ; faisaient l’objet de dons envers les églises et les monastères ; etc. Les voies d’exportation des icônes russes vers l’étranger étaient donc des plus diverses. Les documents d’archive ne cessent pas de sur- prendre avec une variété de nouvelles informations à leur sujet.

Песните на село Чавдар – част от живото културно наследство на България

Author(s): Radka Bratanova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2020

Intensified cultural exchange in the twenty-first century lead to a specific process of globalization of musical folklore. That is why the preservation of valuable archaic traditions demands active endeavours.In 2018, in the Bulgarian village of Chavdar, an interactive Folklore Centre was founded. It offers interesting ways of collecting, archiving, preserving and exhibiting local cultural traditions. In the Centre, old phenomena intertwine with new technologies and museum exhibits “come to life” by means of interactive activities designed mainly for children and young people. In 2019, the team of the Centre continued their work on widening and completing the exhibition and the interactive activities. A central place in the new developments is given to music, dancing and children’s games.

Rada Arktyczna jako forum pokojowej współpracy w Arktyce

Author(s): Zdzisław Śliwa / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

The Arctic has been affected by the climate change stimulated institutionalisation of cooperation among ‘Arctic nations’, and the Arctic Council has been influential toward a peaceful future. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the Council as a regional intergovernmental organisation facilitating nonviolent cooperation and collaborative solutions toward the Arctic, preserving its ecosystems and natural environment. The research questions are how the Council deals multidimensionally with the Arctic and what is conflict potential due to security developments. The thesis is that the Council is effectively performing its missions as a cooperation forum despite differing agendas among members and observes. One of the reasons is that the military aspect is not included in the agenda. The paper is based on qualitative research founded on academic papers and official documents, including member states and observer nations’ perspectives and positions toward the region and Council. The assumption is that the Council must distinguish between individual national and shared goals to preserve peaceful cooperation. The teamwork is essential but is increasingly complicating as of differing nations’ agendas. The paper is contributing to systematise the perception of the Council and the challenges it is facing.

Różnice w podejściu do zwalczania dążeń separatystycznych i niepodległościowych mniejszości Pomorza Gdańskiego w latach 1900-1939. Analiza czynników kreujących odmienne stanowiska władz Rzeszy Niemieckiej i Polski

Author(s): Andrzej Gąsiorowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2020

The article presents the conditions of the policy towards the minority inhabiting the area of Gdansk Pomerania in the years 1900-1939. The focus was on determining the reasons for conducting a different policy by the German Empire and the Polish state established after the end of World War I towards Pomeranian indigenous people. It was shown that the main factors determining the manner of conducting this policy were the characteristics of individual national groups, the way the countries of origin influenced, and the reaction of this population to the actions of administrative authorities, which were considered a violation of their sense of security.

Църквата „Св. Антоний“ в Мелник – чудотворни обекти и ритуални практики

Author(s): Yana Gergova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2020

Anthony is a highly honoured saint, considered to be a patron and a defender of various diseases. The church “St. Anthony” in the smallest town in Bulgaria – Melnik – is known exactly for its healing aspect and can be identified as one of the most sacred cult sites in the surroundings, connected with numerous stories of miracles, healings, interesting and rare ritual practices. The modern state and functioning of the church is a complex of different components that build the role and importance of the cult site as a very attractive place for pilgrimage and healing. Besides of the cult of the patron itself, these components include also various miraculous objects, iconographic features, the location of the church, and characteristic stories of miracles, media, and personal representations and interpretations. In this article, I will examine the cult of St. Anthony in the city and church dedicated to him through the prism of two basic elements – miraculous objects or other ones in the church area and beliefs and ritual practices related to them. It is precisely the connection between the different components of the cult site, combining diverse objects of pilgrimage, honoring, and usage, that creates a truly unique context in which this church, the only one in the country until recently dedicated to the St. Anthony, exists. The analysis is based on observations from conducted fieldwork studies in Melnik and bibliographic and online surveys in the period 2016–2018.

Inter-organizational collaboration during emergency response:

Author(s): Cyprien Genie,Muhammad IQBAL / Language(s): English Issue: 02/2022

This paper aims at exploring inter-organizational collaboration during emergency response at local level. Specifically, this paper analyzes collaborations between public, private, and non-governmental organizations that evolved in response to 2016 Hurricane Matthew, in Haiti. While governments play a large role in responding to disasters and managing recovery, many disasters are far too large and complex to handle by themselves. That’s where inter-organizational collective action comes to assist and support the relief of the victims. However, considering how problematic disaster collective response action was during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, this study is guided by the desire to explore what exactly was accomplished on the ground during Hurricane Matthew in terms of efficiency and satisfaction. Moreover, the use of communication and information is also investigated. Research findings revealed that: a) the destruction of information infrastructures hampered communication efficiency; b) the Directorate for Civil Protection (DPC) failed as main national disaster agency to coordinate all the sectors; c) and finally, a lack of leadership and trust were found between involved organizations. The author recommends the use of smart technologies to enhance communication structure, and advocates for a new collaborative culture built on trust and transparency between stakeholders.

Валентина Ганева-Райчева, Десислава Димитрова, Петър Петров, Теодора Иванова, Юлия Босева, Яна Янчева (авт. кол.). Растения и хора. Приближения към биокултурните връзки. София: Ерове, 2021

Author(s): Natalia Rashkova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2021

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