The Challenges and Possibilities for Digital Inclusion Increase in Lithuanian Public Libraries

The Challenges and Possibilities for Digital Inclusion Increase in Lithuanian Public Libraries

Author(s): Kristina Kulikauskienė,Diana Šaparnienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Public libraries; Digital inclusion increase; Digital exclusion;

The aim of this paper is to examine the current state of digital inclusion activities in Lithuanian public libraries, to identify the major challenges that libraries face, and to forecast opportunities for digital inclusion growth. Theoretical conception of digital inclusion activities provided by public libraries is presented based on scientific literature findings. The empirical research findings - content analysis of public libraries textual and statistical activity reports - are also presented, revealing the situation of the implementation of digital inclusion activities in Lithuanian public libraries over the last five years and allowing to identify the main arising challenges and opportunities for digital inclusion increase.

Does Transition to IFRS 16 Affect Companies Financial Performance: The Case of Baltic Listed Companies

Does Transition to IFRS 16 Affect Companies Financial Performance: The Case of Baltic Listed Companies

Author(s): Renata Legenzova,Liveta Žilaitytė / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: IFRS 16; Lease accounting; Right-of-use assets; Lease liability; Financial performance;

The paper assesses the effect of transitioning to IFRS 16 on Baltic listed companies’ financial performance. The results revealed that 74.63% of sample companies were affected with an average 8.68% increase in total assets and 13.03% increase in total liabilities. Return on assets and assets turnover ratios of the affected companies decreased by an average of 8.33%, the quick ratio and current ratio decreased by 7.84%, while the debt-to-equity ratio increased by 28.63%. The sectors most heavily impacted by transitioning to IFRS 16 were communication services and basic materials sectors.

Management Theories’ Potential for Better Digital Service Customer Experience

Management Theories’ Potential for Better Digital Service Customer Experience

Author(s): Simonas Juozapas Raišys,Agota Giedrė Raišienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Customer experience; Digital services; Contemporary management theories;

Digital service provision has undergone a period of considerable change because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges of delivering a positive customer experience through digital services are still relevant to this day. The bibliometric analysis carried out in the study showed that this has accelerated research on the modeling of customer experience in digital services, in which researchers are looking for new ways to overcome the challenges encountered. The analysis of the main research themes and seminal publications revealed through the bibliometric analysis concludes that contemporary management theories have the potential to contribute to addressing the emerging challenges in customer experience modeling in digital services.

The Motivational Factors of Necessity Entrepreneurship in Algeria

The Motivational Factors of Necessity Entrepreneurship in Algeria

Author(s): Yousra Sellidj,Abdelhakim Lounaci,Mehdi Bouchetara / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Necessity entrepreneurship; Motivational factors; Internal factors; External factors; Algeria;

This paper centres on the phenomenon of entrepreneurship emerging from necessity. Through the adoption of a dual methodological approach, the objective is to identify the motivating factors that determine the establishment of businesses driven by necessity in Algeria. The quantitative approach utilizes principal component analysis on a sample of 194 entrepreneurs, while the qualitative approach involves conducting semi-directive interviews with seven entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds. By employing these methods, the study aims to uncover the primary variables that influence the occurrence of necessity entrepreneurship in Algeria. The findings of this research shed light on the crucial internal and external factors that contribute to necessity entrepreneurship. Remarkably, these results challenge the prevailing dichotomous framework often utilized to differentiate between necessity entrepreneurship and opportunity entrepreneurship in research studies.

Teach me to love you, Love! Orthodox attempt on the theodicy of love

Învață-mă să te iubesc, Iubire! Încercare ortodoxă asupra teodiceei iubirii

Author(s): Nicolae Răzvan Stan / Language(s): English / Issue: 8/2022

Keywords: Dr. Irineu Popa; Orthodox attempt; Love; Review;

Review of: Dr. Irineu Popa, Arhiepiscopul Craiovei și Mitropolitul Olteniei, Membru de onoare al Academiei Române, Învață-mă să te iubesc, Iubire! Încercare ortodoxă asupra teodiceei iubirii, Editura Academiei Române, București, 2021, 768p.

Orthodoxy in Japan from the Beginning to the Present. The History, Current Situation and Future Perspectives

Ortodoxia în Japonia de la începuturi și până în prezent. Istoria, situația actuală și perspective de viitor

Author(s): Nicolae Răzvan Stan / Language(s): English / Issue: 8/2022

Keywords: Pr. dr. Alexandru Nicodim; Orthodoxy; Japan; Review;

Review of: Pr. dr. Alexandru Nicodim, Ortodoxia în Japonia de la începuturi și până în prezent. Istoria, situația actuală și perspective de viitor”, Editura Andreiana, Sibiu, 2022, 397 pp.

Prayer in the Worship of the Church and in the Life of the Christian

Rugăciunea în cultul Bisericii și în viața creștinului

Author(s): Doru Marcu / Language(s): English / Issue: 8/2022

Keywords: Pr. Prof. Univ. Dr. Nicolae Răzvan Stan; Prayer; Church; Christian; Review;

Review of: Pr. Prof. Univ. Dr. Nicolae Răzvan Stan (coord.), Rugăciunea în cultul Bisericii și în viața creștinului, Editura Mitropolia Olteniei, Craiova, 2002, 346p.

Introduction: Affective Mires in Contemporary Culture

Introduction: Affective Mires in Contemporary Culture

Author(s): Kirsi Laurén,Virpi Kaukio,Pauliina Latvala-Harvilahti / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: mire; nature; swamp; cultural heritage;

The word ‘mire’ in English means “an area of deep, wet, sticky earth” (see Cambridge Dictionary). The dictionary defines mire by its character and also by the affective way it is perceived and sensed by people when entering and moving around in it. Mires are special natural areas that have determined how people have learned and adapted to live in them in different cultures and eras. This special thematic issue on mire cultures explores the changing cultural practices and values associated with mires in the modern day, and further, their effects on the cultural heritage of mires for the future.

The Odyssey of a Diptych. Issues of Authorship and Provenience of the Virgen Dolorosa and the Cristo Coronado de Espinas from the Former Collection in Gołuchów

The Odyssey of a Diptych. Issues of Authorship and Provenience of the Virgen Dolorosa and the Cristo Coronado de Espinas from the Former Collection in Gołuchów

Author(s): Oskar Jacek Rojewski,Ana DIÉGUEZ-RODRÍGUEZ / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Flemish primitives; AlbrechtBouts; 16th-centuryart; Christ Crowned with Thorns; Mater Dolorosa;

This paper aims to gather all information about the diptych of Mater Dolorosa and Christ Crowned with Thorns, which until 2023 stayed in the Provincial Museum of Pontevedra (Museo Provincial de Pontevedra) in Spain. The research addresses two aspects of the diptych: the controversy of its attribution to a circle of Albrecht Bouts or his follower and the diptych’s arrival at the Provincial Museum of Pontevedra. This study explains that this diptych’s former attributions cannot be supported due to his style and the new research about Bout’s workshop practices. Finally, it gathers all the documentary sources about its arrival at the Pontevedra Museum.

Landscape Painting and the Construction of “Icelandicness”. Icelandic Modern National Art vis-à-vis its Danish Origins

Landscape Painting and the Construction of “Icelandicness”. Icelandic Modern National Art vis-à-vis its Danish Origins

Author(s): Emiliana Konopka / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Icelandic art; Danish art; national identity; landscape painting; national art; postcolonialism; crypto-colonialism;

The article constitutes an attempt at developing a new approach to Ice- landic national art, supported by an analysis of its role in the process of constructing “Icelandicness” and the Icelandic identity. It enters a dialogue with the study Kryp- tokoloniale landskaber: tid, sted og rum i billeder af islandsk landskab 1874–2011 by Ann-Sofie Nielsen Gremaud, with a concurrent focus on Icelandic landscape painting of the period 1874–1944 and its relation to Danish art. The Nordic, and especially the Icelandic art was routinely overlooked in the European artistic and historical narration, including the Polish scholarly environment, but it is well worthy of a closer scrutiny. Two fundamental assumptions that define the analysis presented herein are that the modern national art of Iceland derives from the Academic tradition in Den- mark and that, concurrently, Icelandic artists participated in the process of developing national identity in opposition to the Danish model. In order to find confirmation for the posed theses, methodologies close to post-colonialism and crypto-colonialism have been used, as well as ones inspired by imagology and based on interdisciplinary research in the fields of art history, history, anthropology and cultural studies.

Experiences of Mire Sports: Sensory Encounters in Nature

Experiences of Mire Sports: Sensory Encounters in Nature

Author(s): Kirsi Laurén,Marjukka Piirainen / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: cultural heritage; mire sports; sense of community; senses; sensory ethnography; space;

Swamp soccer and swamp volleyball tournaments have been actively organized on Finnish mires throughout the twenty-first century, reflecting a change in the cultural relationship with mires. Joyful and festival-style team sports events on mires seem to be a modern trend, not only in Finland, but also in other European countries. This study focuses on mire sporting events in the Finnish context, asking: How do the sensory experiences of team play on mires affect the players’ relationship with mire, and also the cultural heritage associated with mires? The analysis is based on the theoretical framework of the ethnography of the senses, which is complemented by the concept of space. The research material was collected between 2020 and 2022 and consists of thematic interviews with 33 mire athletes, as well as observational material based on the World Swamp Volley and Swamp Soccer Championships held in Finland. The study shows that these humorous sports events emphasize the sense of community between the players. Playing in mires, sensing them, and getting dirty are key factors in this process. Fears of the mire familiar from folklore are forgotten when playing together in the mire. Mire sports bring new multisensory and entertaining elements to the traditional use of mires.

Figures in the Mire: Towards Transformative Art and a Respectful Mire Relationship

Figures in the Mire: Towards Transformative Art and a Respectful Mire Relationship

Author(s): Pauliina Latvala-Harvilahti / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: cultural transformation; human-nature relationship; mire art; transformative art;

Mire art is a versatile form of ecologically engaged art that reflects images of the relationship with nature in its time. This article regards mire art as transformative art that links both to climate change and new ways of experiencing the mire. Mire art no longer reflects so much the aesthetics of the mire enjoyed by humans, but rather the mire aside from human activity and the importance of protecting mire nature in the climate crisis. My perspective on the transformative aspects of mire art stems from the artist’s choices, values and aims, which I explore by reflecting on both artist interview and my own experience of the artwork on site. The theoretical approach combines the study of cultural meanings and knowledge inherent in ethnological case studies with the concepts of art research. Art interventions can play a transformative role which increases knowledge, trust, and social capital. The Invited Guests series (Fin. Kutsuvieraat, 2020) by visual artist Reetta Partanen in the city of Seinäjoki, Finland, is a sculptural series made of organic material. The artwork is situated in the pristine mire in South Ostrobothnia, where peatlands are still used for energy. The article asks how the artist and her artwork emphasize the value of the mire as a natural place and softly question the dominant place of humans in the world. Importantly, the materials in the work have been chosen not to be a burden on the environment, but rather to benefit nature. The research shows that transformative art highlights the agency of nature, and in this study, the artwork gives mire a level of attention that differs from that centered on commercial use.

Messy Affairs with Imagined Swamp Creatures: The Human-Nature Relationship in Swamp Monster Narratives

Messy Affairs with Imagined Swamp Creatures: The Human-Nature Relationship in Swamp Monster Narratives

Author(s): Virpi Kaukio / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: environmental aesthetics; fear; human-nature relationship; imagined environments; marginal places; mires; non-human creatures;

This article examines what kinds of expressions the human-nature relationship in mire environments have taken in the context of imagined swamp creature narratives, and what the presence of swamp monsters reveals about the wider changes in the human-nature relationship in mires and other wetlands. The theoretical framework of this study is based on environmental humanities, including environmental aesthetics and ecocritical theory. The analysis deals with a range of fictional narratives (comic books, TV-series, literature for adults and children, and video performances) and folklore which feature diverse swamp creatures. Mires have often been considered as strange and fearsome, and both mires and monsters are linked to anomalies and burdened by negative preconceptions. However, attitudes towards mires have slowly changed. For example, along with monsters who sometimes transform into heroes or non-human friends, people’s fears of unpredictable mires are now transforming into fears for these unique environments. In conclusion, the imagined swamp creatures reflect the human-nature relationship of the mires, and at the same time, actively transform it.

Multi-Use of Cranberries (Vaccinium Spp.): Heritage and Pharmaceutical Results

Multi-Use of Cranberries (Vaccinium Spp.): Heritage and Pharmaceutical Results

Author(s): Ain Raal,Mare Kõiva,Andres Kuperjanov,Kristel Vilbaste,Inna Vlasova,Oleh Koshovyi / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: cranberry; ethnobotany; ethnomedicine; pharmacology; phytochemical research; plant names; Vaccinium oxycoccus; Vaccinium macrocarpon;

The European cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus L., syn. Oxycoccus palustris Pers.) has a wide geographical distribution in natural bogs of Europe, Asia, and North America. The American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, syn. Oxycoccus macrocarpos (Aiton) Pursh) is more easily cultivated in the northern regions of the world and is therefore an available source of bioactive compounds. They are both rich in polyphenolic compounds (i.e., flavonoids, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids), which have significant antioxidant and anti-immflamatory properties. The cranberry fruits and their preparations represent important natural preservatives used against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Heritage related to its usage refers to the cranberry as a food plant and multiuse ethnomedical remedy. The results of the modern phytochemical and pharmaceutical research suggest using cranberry against urinary tract infections and as a preventive or curing plant against many other diseases. Today there are many new opportunities to draw attention to this plant, including cranberry tourism. In food and pharmaceutical industry the fruits are used most often, but leaves are also rich in biologically active substances, which can be sources for creating new medicines.

“Here and There One Seed Sprouts, and Then It Seems We Have Done Something”: Nurturing Creativity in Elementary Schools

“Here and There One Seed Sprouts, and Then It Seems We Have Done Something”: Nurturing Creativity in Elementary Schools

Author(s): Saša Poljak Istenič / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: creativity; Edward de Bono; elementary school; lateral thinking; metaphors; Slovenia;

The Lisbon Strategy and other documents of the European Union advocating for a knowledge-based society have provided the ground for restructuring schools and changing pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning, focusing on creativity and entrepreneurship. One of the approaches increasingly popular in Slovenia has been Edward de Bono’s methodology. The article analyses the benefits, controversies, and potentials of de Bono’s “lateral thinking” methods for increasing creativity when introduced to children in elementary school courses and extracurricular activities. Based on the qualitative study, it explores how this “pragmatic” approach to creativity is realised in Slovenian elementary schools, and reflects on teaching creativity in schools as a systemic approach.

Motif Index of Prophetic Dream Narratives: Methods of Compilation

Motif Index of Prophetic Dream Narratives: Methods of Compilation

Author(s): Anna Andreevna Lazareva / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: prophetic dream narratives; motif index; narrative structures; semiotic analysis; invariants and variants; Eastern Slavs; oral tradition; dreams as folklore; symbolism of dreams; dream interpretation;

The article proposes methods for describing and classifying invariant structures of stories about prophetic dreams in the form of a motif index. The author raises the question of what elements of prophetic dream narratives can be defined as folkloric and introduces a classification system of prophetic dream narratives (according to their invariants). Revealing invariants (narrative structures) in the prophetic dream narratives allows the author to create a motif index, which lets us understand the traditional logic of dream interpretation: the rules of generating prophetic dream narratives and the ‘narrative grammar’ lying in the core of stories about prophetic dreams. The motif index covers stories about prophetic dreams recorded by ethnographers and folklorists in the Eastern Slavic regions from the early twentieth century to 2020.

Narrating Ethnicity in Oral History Interviews: Life Stories of People Resettled from Estonia to Germany in 1941

Narrating Ethnicity in Oral History Interviews: Life Stories of People Resettled from Estonia to Germany in 1941

Author(s): Triin Tark / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Communication Theory of Identity; ethnicity; Late-Resettlement; migration; narratives, oral history;

This article demonstrates the possibilities of using oral history sources in the study of ethnicity. Interviews conducted with people who resettled from Estonia to Germany in 1941 were analysed for this purpose. It was asked why some interviewees are remarkably vague in their ethnicity narratives while some others present highly firm statements. The analysis that relies on the Communication Theory of Identity shows that interviewees’ pre-war ethnic, cultural and linguistic background was relatively insignificant. Instead, the most important distinguishing factor was involvement in the Baltic German or exile Estonian communities after World War II; the former was rather related to vagueness and the latter rather to firmness. Thus, it depended mainly on this factor what were the narrating strategies the interviewees made use of to present themselves in a desired way during the interview. In addition, the expressions, both vague and firm, were related to the widespread understanding of the primordial nature of ethnicity to which the interviewees tried to fit their own, often inconsistent, ethnic background and life stories. The results suggest that to understand the appearance of ethnicity in oral history interviews, the patterns of how ethnicity is narrated would be useful to trace and common perceptions on ethnic identity should be considered.

Dan Ben-Amos. September 3, 1934 – March 26, 2023

Dan Ben-Amos. September 3, 1934 – March 26, 2023

Author(s): Mare Kõiva / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Dan Ben-Amos, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, folklorist, and member of the editorial board of our journal, died on March 26. He was a kind-hearted and incredibly creative colleague, whose idea of folklore as an artistic creation of small groups as well as research into the relations between text and context influenced the development of folkloristics in the 1970s and also later on, considerably widening the perspectives of folkloristics.

New Pilgrimages in Norway

New Pilgrimages in Norway

Author(s): Anders Gustavsson / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Review of: Hannah Kristine Bjørke Lunde. Pilgrimage Matters: Administrative and Semiotic Landscapes of Contemporary Pilgrimage Relations in Norway. Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, 2022. 382 pp.

Four Centuries with the Mire: Maria Turtchaninoff’s Generational Novel Unravels the Relationships Between Humans and Nature

Four Centuries with the Mire: Maria Turtchaninoff’s Generational Novel Unravels the Relationships Between Humans and Nature

Author(s): Meri Kinnunen / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Review of: Maria Turtschaninoff. Suomaa. Translated by Sirkka-Liisa Sjöblom. Helsinki: Tammi, 2022. 371 pp. In Finnish.