The tourist movement in Bulgaria started at the end of the 19th century. In the interwar period the tourist movement ideology became more nationalistic and more connected to the state institutions. After the Communist takeover on 9 September 1944 the tourist movement was based on a new ideological and organizational foundation. It was included in the whole system of control over leisure time. The new ideology as well as the new heroes after 1944 – the guerilla fighters (partisans), demanded a new kind of collective admiration and creation of new places of memory. In 1966 the Bulgarian National Tourist Movement “Get to Know Bulgaria – 100 National Tourist Sites” was established which still exists today. Five places of memory of the Russo-Ottoman War were ever-presented – Svištov – the place where the Russian troops crossed the Danube, the memorial church at Šipka, Stoletov Peak at the Stara Planina Mountains, the “Liberation Monument” (Šipka Monument), and the memorial church “St. Aleksandr Nevskij” in Sofia. The “Museum of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friend-ship” in Sofia was also included. Today the number of touristic visits to these spots de-creased several times but they are still the most admired national symbols according to re-searches throughout the last years. The memorials to the Russo-Ottoman War are recognized as leading places of memory in Bulgaria.
More...Keywords: contamination effect; symbolic competition; media exposure; sport culture
The aim of this study is to analyze the competitive dynamics between sports in terms of public visibility and to build up a symbolic map of Romanian sports‘ visibility. Using a quantitative approach, the study is based on a sample of 403 middle school and high school students. The results show a clear dominance of sport teams over individual ones and a strong masculinization tendency in referring to the most prominent Romanian sport disciplines and actors. Moreover, the visibility of a sport influences students‘ perception over its performance level, which generates an overestimation of the achievements related to the most popular sports.
More...Keywords: elections in Montenegro; Filip Vujanović; Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS); the newly founded State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
On 11 May 2003, after three rounds of elections, Montenegro elected its third president in the thirteen-year-long history of its multi-party system. The candidate of the ruling coalition, the former Montenegrin Prime Minister Filip Vujanović, won with a majority of 63.3 % received votes. Vujanović comes from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the party which since long has dominated Montenegrin political life. The fact that the leading opposition group – the coalition “For Change” – did not manage to agree on a common candidate revealed a serious crisis within the opposition lines. The author analizes the outcome of the elections in terms of its implications for domestic politics and for the future of the newly founded State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
More...Keywords: history; museum; communism; socialism; Eastern Block
The museum stands for a social and cultural testimonial deposit of history, which is greatly influenced by the State policy of the country. During communism, throughout many countries of Eastern Europe, museums played an ideological part, enforcing the Marxist-Leninist dogma and the socialist lifestyle into the people’s minds. Nowadays, Bulgaria does not possess a socialism-profiled museum; however there are institutions, museums and temporary exhibitions, both State-owned and private, which display communist artifacts. The article herein sets off to describe them both in a few words and resorting to a few pictures. It also aims at emphasizing their role, which is to analytically and critically point to the past ideologies and events, to the past culture and civilization, in order to synthesize and build a glorious future.
More...Keywords: cultural heritage; database; digital dictionary; dictionary entry; e-course; education environment; UNESCO.
The article describes in brief the database, developed by IMI-BAS to present the cultural heritage sites in Bulgaria under the protection of UNESCO. This database will be used in an e-learning project currently under development, to integrate additional learning content to the “Man and Society” and “History and Civilization” courses. The project follows a contemporary teaching strategy based on the formal structure of the Understanding by Design approach. In the process of gaining knowledge the pupil is transformed from an object of action into a subject of action. This requires a new educational environment in accordance with the needs and interests of the learners. Such an environment will develop their abilities, and they will become active and productive participants in their own education.
More...Keywords: The National Library of Romania; digital library; projects; TEL; Manuscriptorium; ENRICH
The National Library of Romania (NLR) ensures the creation, processing, preservation, management and valorisation of the national documentary patrimony. With its highly valuable collection, the NLR is part of the European cultural heritage, a real cultural wealth for future generations, and therefore it will endorse the role of coordinator of the digitization process at the level of the national system of libraries. The National Library of Romania is involved in international projects aiming at the creation of digital content relevant for the European Culture: The European Library - TEL and ENRICH - European Networking Resources and Information concerning Cultural heritage, projects coordinated by the National Library of the Czech Republic. The National Library of Romania has contributed to the projects Manuscriptorium / ENRICH / by ancient Romanian books from the 16th-17th centuries.
More...Keywords: alternative theatre; communism; dystopia; ethics; Poland; social change.
Theatre as a means of social debate and commentary has always reacted to the political context of its time. One of the exemplary artistic movements of the kind is the Polish alternative theatre during communism. In communist Poland there were several groups, companies and alternative theatres that were more focused on the contents of their performances and on ethical values, rather than on aesthetic and artistic values. This means that the concern for theatre aesthetics was shifted towards theatre as a vehicle for ethical questions and problems, as well as one for social and moral change. The groups that were known for their political performances were, among others: Ósmego Dnia, Provisorium, Teatr STU, Teatr 77, Teatr Kalambur and Pstrąg. From Studencki Teatr Satyryków to Pomarańczowa Alternatywa, political theatre groups had always dealt with the ethical aspects of Poland’s social reality. My paper aims to present the way the communist dystopia influenced and was reflected in the performances of some of the alternative theatre groups that came into existence in communist Poland between 1954 (the year when alternative theatre was born in the Polish community) and 1989 (the year that marks the fall of communism in Poland).
More...National minorities of Armenia also actively participated in the Russo- Ottoman War of 1877 – 1878. The article examines the involvement of Kurds-Muslims, Yezidis, Assyrians, Greeks, Lom people (Boshas), and Caucasian Tatars (Turks) of the Russian Army in the military operations at the Caucasus Front. In the article interethnic collisions in different inhabited localities in Armenia are considered as well. To provide some comparative material, the appendix presents an example of an interethnic collision in the Balkans published in the Armenian press of the time.
More...Keywords: quality in sport; children’s and adolescents’ sport; deregulation
According to recent act of trainer/instructor profession deregulation in Poland, no courses or exams are required to become a trainer or sport instructor. After changes, any common person is allowed to practice sports coaching. The aim of the research was to become familiar with the parents opinion on the act and on their children’s attendance to the sport classes. The tool to acquire responds was a 10-question questionaire of author’s project which has been completed by 378 citizens of Małopolska. The results revealed discrepancies in perception of trainer/instructor profession deregulation. Among others, around 60% of parents declared they never checked pro’s qualifications and would not mind their work if they had no certifications. Most parents do not focus on the trainers’ faculties and legal force of their title. It should be thought-provoking as kids’ safety is expected to be priority. There comes the conclusion that the act of deregulation, which is strongly depreciated by experts, is not being depreciated among parents of children practicing sports. There should be introduced educational campaign which would increase parents’ awareness.
More...Keywords: votive painting; worship; divinity; apocombion
Votive painting is a theme inspired by some monetary emissions issued in some cities of Asia Minor conquered by the Romans. The pieces relate to the conquest of important fortress-cities as Smyrna, Perinthos, Tarsos, Nicomedia. In Byzantium, the theme of the votive painting adopts the idea that the autocratic emperor is Lord of the terrestrial church, but in the same time an ordinary mortal. The illustrations show the ruler in a kneeling or standing position founded in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
More...Keywords: higher education; degree system; studying process; China; Ukraine;
This article compares the higher education systems between China and Ukraine, discusses some important peculiarities of the two, and points out the differences between the two. The purpose is to help us get a better understanding of the two countries’ higher education systems and to improve the educational exchange and collaboration of the two countries. Special attention is paid to structures of two universities, their facilities, rules of admission, the organization of studying process and some approaches, and levels of acknowledgements by governments which show us the differences and similarities between the two.
More...Keywords: women; activism; World War II; Romania
The article discusses this intricate issue of women’s anti-Fascist/communist activism during World War II in Romania. I am particularly interested in the relationship that developed between the Romanian Communist Party and the women who joined the movement in the complicated context of World War II. The article is attempting to assess whether women’s increased involvement in the communist organization was due to the previous and continuous politics of the RCP, or it was a mere consequence of unprecedented circumstances. The article also addresses issues related to the legacy of the anti-Fascist/communist women’s struggle during World War II, in their attempt to establish postwar public careers, but also the manner in which their efforts and activisms were recognized and/or recompensed (or not) after the war.
More...Keywords: open badges; online learning; digital badges; badges
Open badges are a digital representation of skills or accomplishments recorded in a visual symbol that is embedded with verifiable data and evidence. They are created following a defined open standard, so that they can be shared online. Open badges have gained popularity around the world in recent years and have become a standard feature of many learning management systems. This paper presents a systematic literature review of the published open badges literature from 2011 to 2015. Through database searches, searching the internet and chaining from known sources, 135 relevant peer-reviewed papers were identified from a corpus of 247 publications for this review. The authors believe this to be the first effort to systematically review literature relating to open badges. The review categorised publications while also providing quantitative analysis of publications according to publication type, year of publication and contributors. After assessing the literature suggestions for future research directions are presented, based on under-represented areas.
More...Keywords: films and Communism; sports and Communism; football; soccer; Ferenc Puskás; the Golden Team
In the years following World War II, the radical structural transformation of Hungarian society and the establishment of the communist dictatorship affected the functioning of sports as a social subsystem. At the time, the Hungarian public still remembered the sporting successes of the Horthy era (the Berlin Olympics, the 1938 FIFA World Cup) from the previous decade. Thus, the Sovietization of sports as a social subsystem had two intertwining goals in Hungary: in addition to creating a new institutional framework for sports, the regime also had to ensure good results, which were regarded as a matter of prestige. Like the daily press, the schematic film productions of the era were also characterized by the ideological utilization of sports. A typical example of the schematic style was Civil a pályán [Try and Win, 1951] by Márton Keleti, which used classical comedy elements to bring together the world of the factory and the world of the soccer field. Keleti’s film was intended to popularize a centralized mass sports movement of Soviet origins called “Ready to work and fight” and to communicate the party’s message to professional sportsmen who were considering emigration. The two versions of Csodacsatár [The Football Star, 1956 and 1957], also by Keleti, reveal a lot about the changes that the role of sports in state propaganda and political image construction underwent after the loss to West Germany in the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final and then after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. My paper seeks to interpret these films within the context of the era’s political and sports history.
More...Keywords: Russia; doping; sports diplomacy; nation branding; image of a country
In December 2014, Russia was accused of developing a state-organized doping system in the second decade of the twenty-first century. The scandal resulted in many Russian athletes being banned from competing in the Olympics in Rio in 2016 and the IOC’s suspension of the Russian National Olympic Committee prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. The research presented in this article aims to answer the research question of whether the doping scandal actually affected the international image of Russia. The research was conducted with the use of frame analysis of public discourse. The hypothesis to be tested states that the Russian doping scandal contributed to the intensification of a negative external image of this state.
More...Keywords: Caius Brediceanu; Cornelia Brediceanu; Lugoj; Anton Rudolf Weinberger; medals; collection of the National Museum of Banat;
There are presented three special medal pieces representing members of the well-known Brediceanu family from Lugoj, kept in the medal collection of the National Museum of Banat in Timisoara (NMB), pieces made by Anton Rudolf Weinberger (Reşiţa, 1879 - Vienna, 1936), a medalist born in Banat, but which activated most of his life in Vienna. The paper is about a bronze medal and a bronze unifacies plaque, made in 1930, dedicated to the diplomat Caius Brediceanu (1879-1953), as well as a unique piece: a 1932 bronze unifacies plaque dedicated to his mother, Cornelia Brediceanu (1856-1951). Caius Brediceanu's medal was donated by himself to the museum from Timisoara in 1930, but in the case of the other two pieces the information about the year and the circumstances in which they entered the museum’s collection are missing. Starting from the three pieces, using different sources (including unpublished photographies, diaries and memories of some members of the Brediceanu family or their descendants), the biographies of Caius Brediceanu and Cornelia Brediceanu are presented. Recently, the historians started to speak again - after a few decades of silence - about the diplomat Caius Brediceanu, the plenipotentiary minister of Romania between 1928-1939 in Rio de Janeiro, the Vatican, Vienna and Helsinki. Instead, the biography of his mother, Cornelia Brediceanu (born Rădulescu), the wife of the lawyer and politician Coriolan Brediceanu (1850-1909), was only known to the close. Cultivated, talented pianist, she dedicated her entire life to her family in the house situated in the center of Lugoj, on Făgetului street no. 4 (today Victor Vlad Delamarina street). At the same time, there are presented biographical landmarks of other members of this famous family from Lugoj.The three medal pieces were made by A. R. Weinberger in Vienna during the period when Caius Brediceanu was the plenipotentiary minister of Romania there (1930-1936). Since A. R. Weinberger is a lesser-known medalist in Romania today, biographical data and pieces he has produced are presented, focusing on Romanian medals and plaques and especially on those related to Banat. From this perspective, the presentation of the pieces from the NMB collection and the evocation of the three personalities from Banat (of the engraver and his models), represents a necessary “restitution”.
More...Keywords: The Lviv Church Exhibition; the Liturgical Industry Exhibition; Lviv; church art; religious art; liturgical industry; church industry; the Industrial Aid League; devotional products;
The Liturgical Industry Exhibition “including building and interior decoration of Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches as well as Isr[aeli] prayer hous- es”, known also as the Church Exhibition, was one of the first and biggest exhibitions of the Polish liturgi- cal industry. Its organizers, the Industrial Aid League, adopted the formula of national exhibitions, popular in Europe, whose aim was to showcase the cultural, scientific and technological achievements of a given country and region, as well as to encourage local in- dustrialists to fight against foreign competition. The aim of the exhibition was to open up to different cul- tures and religions. Works of art and consumer goods related to the Latin, Greek-Catholic, Armenian and Judaic religions were presented by over 120 exhibi- tors, mainly from the Austrian partition. The exhibi- tion was accompanied by a brochure The Catalogue of the Church Exhibition, which was sent to the par- ishes and municipalities of Galicia and on request to interested persons.
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