ETNOLÓGIA NA SLOVENSKU NA PRAHU 21. STOROČIA: REFLEXIE A TRENDY
ETHNOLOGY IN SLOVAKIA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 21st CENTURY: REFLECTIONS AND TRENDS

Summary/Abstract: The paper has on one hand summarizing character, on the other hand it embodies a kind of vision on scientific research in ethnology. Since it is not possible to cover the whole range of problems at once, the author has decided for these preferences. She will develop her reflections on examples mostly based on the scientific performance of the Institute of Ethnology of Slovak Academy of Sciences, as this is one of the main research working places in the ethnology field in Slovakia. Nevertheless, she presumes that many of the issues under discussion will have a nation-wide applicability. Under the term 'ethnology' the author understands any research of human beings and groups of people (in the broadest sense of the word: from a community to modern society), peoples cultural and societal activities, their institutions, contemporary research and historical research. In this term she also includes folklore studies, which have an important place in the Institute. In a broader sense she considers them to be sub-discipline of ethnology. The first part is devoted to the research outline; herein the author is concentrating on the era of the last decade The aftermath of 1989 was characterized by dynamism, opening of the old-new issues and searching for new ones Time setting is not going to be strict, as the themes under discussion, as well as theoretical and methodological approaches and research results were not solely connected with the last decade of the 20th century. The research outline is not chronological, it is ordered in relation to the issues. The questions the author is asking in this pan sound as follows: What was the scope of themes and issues, which themes were preferred and which became marginal? Did the theoretical and methodological discussion develop in the aftermath of 1989? Which were the main theoretical approaches in the core of the researchers interest? The second part, which is devoted to trends methodological research in Slovakia, is based on following premise: nowadays ethnologists very often declare their detachment from historically oriented science, which concentrates on (its own) construction of folk, traditional culture. The scope of interest moves towards the question of anthropological research of culture and society. Nevertheless, what does it mean anthropological research of culture and society? To what extent can be this trend considered a vision of ethnological research in Slovakia? Which are the premises to start of? Which theoretical and methodological approaches serve inspirational for the research in Slovakia?

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