![Continuities of the “Jewish Question” in Hungary since the “Golden Age”](/api/image/getbookcoverimage?id=document_cover-page-image_425244.jpg)
Keywords: anthropology; postsocialism; transition; academism; Slovenia
This article addresses some of the aspects the academic sphere, science and intellectual culture under postsocialism offer for the understanding of transition issues in contemporary Slovenia. It starts with the surprise that has been caused by the bizarre commodification and domestication of anthropology in Slovenia, particularly at Slovenian universities, after 1990s, and tries to reflect social reception, institutional organization and academic status of anthropology in this country. Furthermore, through a specific case study of a violent debate which recently took place in Slovenia concerning the reasons for the absence of Slovenian universities on the notorious list of top 500 world universities, it tries to illustrate the essence of how academic spheres in transitional societies function. The conclusion presents some elements of social hypocrisy and discrepancy. It reveals certain facts that have taken place within the last few years, and thus helps us understand the contribution of the Slovenian state administration for science to the process of systematic transformation of this autonomous social domain of highly intellectual work into a turbo-neoliberal enterprise of wageworkers, academic lumpenproletarians, anti-intellectual jobbers, profiteers and money-spinners.
More...The marriage provisions of the second charter of the Žiča monastery issued by King Stefan the First-Crowned and his son Radoslav (around the middle of the 1220s) are considered as a source for the research of the existing models of marriage in the society of medieval Serbia. Two of them could be recognized as primary models (according to George Duby) — the church and official model of marriage, prescribed in the royal charter and the popular or lay one, deeply rooted in the traditional medieval society. The intention of the legislator was to conform the existing lay marriage traditions to the basic concepts of church marriage introducing the idea of a lifelong indissoluble marriage according to the New Testament (Matt. 5: 32 and 19: 9). For this reason, fines were prescribed as well as the threat of excommunication for the person who would persist in his/her decision to divorce or leave his/her spouse. Nevertheless, local customs can be recognized in many places in the royal charter, mainly in relation to age and gender differences. The marriage was an agreement of two families, the bride was given to her groom by her father, but the father could also break up the marriage and take his daughter back to his home. Instead of data about the church rite of a wedding (“venčanje”), the charter of the Žiča monastery contains terms, such as “take”, “leave”, “let go” and suchlike which describe the popular and lay concept of marriage. The influences of local traditions on the legislator are also recognizable in a provision which declares that the wife, who has left her husband without the support of her parents or family, ought to be punished with corporal punishment by her husband if she is not able to pay a fine. In this case, the husband is also allowed to dissolve the marriage and “sell” his wife to “anybody he wants”. The issue of forbidden marriages is documented only in the prohibition of marriage with the sister-in-law. This issue is closely connected with the matter of kinship which is considered in this essay in the context of the existing different methods for the calculation of kinship (Jack Goody): one according to degree (“stepen”) and another to generation (“koleno”, knee). Those systems are clearly noticeable in the sources of the time, if not in the charter then in the glosses of the contemporary Old Slavonic translation of the Nomokanon done through the efforts of St. Sava of Serbia. Anyway, the popular and lay model of marriage designated in other contemporary sources as “the law” (in Domentian’s writings) or “marriage law” (in the writings of King Stefan the First-Crowned) represented a system which was incorporated in diverse social relations of the lay and popular culture. The provisions of the charter of the Žiča monastery give evidence of the intertwinement and cohabitation of the said models of marriage in the social life of individuals and communities in Serbia at the beginning of the XIII century.
More...Keywords: women; public life; BiH; 1914-1941; Yugoslavia; associations; activism; human rights; arts; literature;
This chapter will briefly present the period from the beginning of World War I to the beginning of World War II in Yugoslavia in 1941 in the context of women’s activism. At the beginning it offers a brief overview of historical and social circumstances followed by an overview of women’s association, the rights for which they advocated and the factors that trammelled or, to some extent, facilitated their activity. It also gives an overview of the economic, social, educational, civil, and other rights of women in this period, as well as the atmosphere in literature, theatre and the arts. Unfortunately, many of these women have been forgotten by history, remembered only in small circles and archives. In order to preserve their biographies and contributions from fading away over time, at the end of the chapter we offer brief information about their life and work, regretting in advance that even in the pages of this book, many of the women from this period will not find their place.
More...Keywords: Czechoslovakia; Czechoslovak residency; 1959; Cuba; Havana; Cuban Security Service; USSR; KGB; Soviet satelites;
In the second half of 1959, the policy of the Soviet Union and its satellites towards Cuba changed. An irreplaceable role in this process was played by the Soviet intelligence service, the 1st Chief Directorate of the KGB attached to the Council of Ministers of the USSR, headed by General Alexander Mikhailovich Sakharovsky , which also engaged the security services of Soviet satellites into the complicated foreign operation to obtain an important beachhead in the western hemisphere. However, the scope of Czechoslovak assistance in the area of security and the influence of the Czechoslovak State Security in Cuba have remained basically up to now on the edge of professional interest.
More...Keywords: Gitta Sereny; interview; Franz Paul Stangl; "euthanasia"; Nazis; annihilation camps; Treblinka; Sobibor; Poland;
English journalist Gitta Sereny’s book of interviews with Franz Paul Stangl, a participant in the Nazi “euthanasia” programme and the commander of the annihilation camps in Treblinka and Sobibór in occupied Poland, Into that Darkness: From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder, was published in the UK and the USA in 1974. The extensive tome brought a direct testimony from one of the prominent perpetrators of Nazi crimes while touching on the involvement of Germans from Bohemia in the Third Reich’s annihilation programmes.
More...Keywords: complexity; nonlinear theory; economic evolution; equilibrium; economical dynamics; decision modeling; nonlinear dynamics
We are witnessing now the beginning of a process of synthesis among the developmental economic theories and the new theory of complexity.Mathematics, the science of spatial forms and quantitative relations, is considered to be the basis of all other sciences. In the analyses dynamics macroeconomic area we can observe a big variety of methods and techniques for research that fluctuates from economy and financial date. Because a lot of economical models were elaborated in the last years, in this chapter we propose to present some nonlinear techniques which can be used in the economic analyses. For example, a complex way to evidence the economic cycles is to determine limits cycles for the dynamical system which model the economic phenomenon.
More...Keywords: adaptation;dialogue between film and literature;carnivalself-reflexivity;
Adaptation, as a constant practice in film history, is becoming – due to an assumed tendency to neglect reading in favor of film watching – one of the main topics of theoretical debates. In this context, the theory of faithful adaptation seems to demonstrate a way to avoid replacing literature with its adaptation. This theory views literary text as authority, with which adaptation can only establish a relation of subordination, at most analogy, leading to an one-sided critical approach of adaptations. Thus, a terminology suitable to help a non-hierarchic approach is needed. First, it is necessary to consider film as text, in a textological meaning, a system of heterogeneous elements. Starting only from this affirmation one can speak about a dialogue between film and literature in the case of adaptations. The term of dialogue mediates between a linguistical, textological, narratological and a sociological, cultural, anthropological analysis of adaptations, this latter being helped by the metaphorical terms of the Bahtinian carnival: the masque (disemination, duplicity, play), laughter (subversion, irony, parody, self-reflexivity) and cannibalism (assimilation of the other to possess his/her power). This paper aims to reinforce a flexible approach of adaptations through a series of analyses using this terminology by looking at the adaptations of Hamlet, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard; Tom Jones by Tony Richardson and De-ale carnavalului by Lucian Pintilie. Though in principle these analyses function without this terminology as well, in many cases the carnival metaphor is more than a static model: for exemple, in Lucian Pintilie's adaptation it appears as a way of being of the autonomous filmic creation, independent of the literary model.
More...Although it is connected to its environment by a thousand strands, Hungarian folk culture is unique. Although every culture can be equally valuable, it is impossible not to notice this unique quality that has manifested in the remote and recent past, and which is obvious even today. We are a people who came from the East; our environment doesn’t understand our language. We have met the unexpected challenges well at times and very badly at other times. Meanwhile, we have always tried to live in accordance with our own values; this quality has been decisively important in Hungarian folk culture. “Magyar” culture has almost always tried to adopt from others quickly. While it is an open and adaptable culture, it has always remained itself. It is a mystery, however, not only to the outside world but also to itself. Although it is on the whole a unifi ed culture, it has always had to contend with innumerable internal differences and confl icts.
More...Keywords: The Song of Roland; Chanson de Roland; chansons de geste; chivalric epic; literature of Middle Ages – reception in the 19th century; Siemieński Lucjan; Duchińska (Pruszakowa); née Żochowska; Seweryna;
The article written by the researcher of classic literature and its reception in the 19th century studies the editions of Polish translations of The Song of Roland which precededthe acclaimed translation by Tadeusz Żeleński (Boy), published several times since 1932.The author delves into the poetic translations authored by Seweryna Duchińska, néeŻochowska (1866) and Lucjan Siemieński (1878), and the prose translation by KazimierzKról (1903). She describes the circumstances surrounding their creation and portraysthe environments in which other Polish translations of The Song of Roland were created,and how they were aiming at particular readers. She analyzes the scholarly, literary andsocial goals of these editions, as well as their translatory, artistic, editorial and ideologicalprinciples. She explores their connection with the development in the 19th century ofknowledge of heroic and chivalric narratives, and considers the cultural significance ofthe chivalric ethos in the Middle Ages and later.
More...Keywords: sacred text; slavonic language; manuscript; Holy Bible
The translation of sacred text into Romanian is the greatest achievement in Bible studies in St. Antim’s time. Although very expensive, the books that were out of print were now much closer to believers than before they were translated, first because the doctrinal barriers within the Synodal framework that allowed the authorization of these Church translations were overcome. At the isagogic level, introductory texts point springs, translators, or recensors, and general data about inspirational authors, place and time of writing.
More...Keywords: Baltic countries; Populism politics; Political parties; Party system;
When one is asked to identify a typical populist party from the party systems of East-Central European countries, there is only a slight chance that a party from the Baltic States will be named. Indeed, if we look at the body of research on populism in this region, the usual cases under investigation are, for example, the Slovak National Party, the Party of Hungarian Truth and Justice, Czech Republicans or the League of Polish Families (see, for instance, Dočekalová 2006). So far, cross-national or single case studies on populism in the Baltics have been an exception, rather than a systematic and well-developed research field.
More...Keywords: Estonia; Hungary; Russia; Natural gas imports; Energy sector; primary energy supply;
Estonia, a former member of the Soviet Union, is highly dependent on Russian natural gas imports. Thus, energy grids of the country are more intertwined with Russia, compared to other European countries. However, Estonia is largely independent in terms of primary energy supply, as majority of energy comes from domestically-available oil shale. Natural gas and other sources therefore represent only about 15% of the primary energy supply (IEA, 2013, p. 20).
More...Keywords: Eastern Europe; Byzantium; translations from Greek; material culture; reception; periodization;historical memory;
The article analyses the reception of Byzantine culture in medieval Eastern Europe, especially the selection and transfer of its elements and their subsequent transformation, and establishes a correlation between the reception of texts and elements of material culture. The importance of archeology in the study of reception, which is considered as the local materialization of Byzantine culture, is stressed. The regional differentiation of reception and its periodization is proposed as following: 6th—8th, 9th—10th, 11th—13th, 14th—15th centuries. The importance of South Slavic intermediary cultures in the transmission of Byzantine culture to Eastern Europe is emphasized. The author concludes that, despite the political and geographical changes in the Byzantine Empire, the territories that once belonged to it continued to be perceived in Eastern Europe as a “great Byzantium”, regardless of their Islamization or Latinization. As a result, the reception of Byzantine culture in Eastern Europe was of a spontaneous and occasional nature. Despite the fact that several Byzantine phenomena which did not preserve in the Mediterranean region were kept nearly intact in Eastern Europe, the general image of Byzantium in the local culture and consciousness turned out to be very limited and specific. In modern times it led sometimes to the abuse of historical memory in social and political life.
More...Keywords: Leszek Kołakowski;anthropocentrism;anti-absolutism;criticism of positivism;Christianity;rationalism;justification of rationalism
Leszek Kołakowski (1927-2009) was a thinker whose reflection was at the beginning associated with Marxism, anthropocentrism, anti - absolutism and a radically secular attitude. At the same time, from the very beginning Kołakowski, as a philosopher, was highly critical of the positivist version of rationalism. The paper presents and analyses the philosopher’s views on rationalism. This requires appropriate methodological analyses and the distinction between different types of rationalism. The presented analysis shows that the evolution of Kołakowski's views means resignation from radical anthropocentrism and the slogans of fighting secularism. A thinker, retaining some elements of anti – absolutism and the related skepticism, positively valorises the content related to European culture and Christianity.
More...Keywords: Neo-Gothic; Croatia; Friedrich von Schmidt; Herman Bollé; Josip Vancaš; Zagreb; Osijek
Neo-Gothic emerged in Croatian architecture rather late in comparison to Great Britain and the majority of countries in mainland Europe. First buildings built with elements of this style appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, however only during the 1850s and 1860s first larger neo-Gothic churches began to be built in Croatia, primarily due to the efforts of the Viennese central administrative bodies. In the same time, Croatian aristocracy accepted this style for the restoration of their castles (Trakošćan, Novi dvori). By the mid-1870s, owing to the efforts of the Đakovo bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Viennese architect Friedrich Schmidt started his work on neo-Gothic restoration of medieval buildings in Zagreb (St. Mark’s parish church and the cathedral). In the following decades, the neo-Gothic style reached the highest level of use in Croatian architecture. The most important architects that designed churches and other buildings with elements of neo-Gothic were Schmidt’s students Herman Bollé and Josip Vancaš. From the beginning of the 20th century, the use of Neo-Gothic in Croatian architecture became increasingly rare. Croatian architecture was slowly being overcome by the influence of secession from Vienna and other major cities in the monarchy (Prague, Budapest).
More...Keywords: actio Pauliana; claim under Art. 135 LOC; proof; presumption
The article studies the issue which factual aspects, creating the right under the Art. 135 of the Bulgarian Law on Obligations and Contracts (LOC), are presumed and which facts must be proved by the plaintiff. The criticism against the following opinions in the court practice is made: that the plaintiff should not prove his obligation right; that he should not prove the damaging character of the transaction made by the debtor; that he should not prove that the debtor knows his transaction damages the creditor.
More...Keywords: František Adolf Šubert; National Theatre; cultural history;
František Adolf Šubert, Director of the National Theatre from 1883 to 1900, was one of the first managers of Czech culture. With his organisational talent and ability to enter into public affairs, he put the idea of a national theatre into practice; an institution which is not only a place for staging first-rate productions, but above all a centre for the whole society. He managed to come up with strategies to bring new social groups to the theatre, as well as people outside of Prague - anywhere where residents identified themselves as being Czech. In this respect, an important role was played not only by the theatre trains, but also by the involvement of the theatre in large events such as jubilees and ethnological exhibitions. No less significant was the staging of unusual productions for less affluent groups. However, from its very opening the theatre had to face criticism from a host of theatre critics over the poor quality of its repertoire and its general orientation. Often the contradictory nature of the criticisms precluded the possibility of addressing them, and today it raises the question as to what extent the expectations of the professional public created adequate conditions for the National Theatre to operate in.
More...Keywords: hope; childhood; Pandora; Nathaniel Hawthorne; Martin Luther King Jr.; Beauty and the Beast; ancient Greek poetry
The chapter offers reflection on Classical Antiquity as a particularly important source for “Hope studies”. Beginning with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retelling of Pandora’s myth, we travel beyond time and space – there and back again through poetry, prose, and art – in order to find the roots of Hope and to understand her multiple denotations. The chapter also introduces readers to the whole of the volume focused on showing how the authors of literary and audiovisual texts for children and young adults make use of ancient myths to support their young protagonists on the roads leading to adulthood and to create a powerful, uplifting message for the public.
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