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One of the most commonly mentioned western imperialism’s arguments attempting to justify the cultural superiority of Europe is the situation of indigenous women in the Middle East. European colonialism often justified its “civilizing mission” by the necessity of setting them free from the oppression of patriarchal domination. In reality, the colonialism has intensified women’s subordinations in dependent territories. By an example of Assia Djebars’s fiction, I intend to examine how this phenomenon is represented in literature and whether the literature can become a tool in the struggle with the patriarchate and the imperial stereotypes of the double-colonized “native woman”. I will also analyze author’s literary strategies that are supposed to make women’s voice heard again.
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The subject of the article is the image of everyday life, both home and social, in a selected Polish prose written by women. The tekst emphasizes the special role of narrative created from a strictly feminine perspective. The discussed literature describes important problems such as wiolence, discrimination or oppression in a various shades, presenting the “usual” confrontation of the heroine with the existing reality as in the case of Jolanta’s creation, the heroine of Sylwia Chutnik, a sad and helpless resident of Żerania (Warsaw). On the other hand, Kaja Malanowska tells us about little craze of everyday life. Unfortunately, this madness leads the heroine to a total crisis, althought there are no such reasons. Like the protagonist of the novel Fifty (Pięćdziesiątka) of Inga Iwasiów, the problem of alcoholism is raised here. The absurdities of everyday life are described by Zofia Papużanka in Szopka. This story depicts a portrait of a contemporary Polish family as it turns out, deeply dysfunctional.The focus is on women’s fate, oppression, the nature of which is exhibited in various ways by contemporary authors, also in the area of non-fiction in the texts analyzed here: Marta Abramowicz The nuns leave quietly (Zakonnice odchodzą po cichu) and Marta Dzido Solidarity of women (Solidarność kobiet). It is an atempt to indicate the unusual role of the creativity of female authors, in which feminist literary discourses contribute to the creation of broadly understood subjectivity of women.
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The aim of this article is to analyze complex and often difficult links between feminism and motherhood. The leading theme is feminist writing, seen as a catalyst of a matricentric turn at the beginning of the 21th century culture, as well as a theoretical frame for developing motherhood studies. I am particulary interested in the influence of feminist research (A. Rich, E. Badinter, A. O’Reilly, M. Hirsch, representatives of écriture féminine and the ethics of care) on re-vision of cultural script of motherhood and maternal values represented by current maternal narratives in Poland and in the world. However, the problem of maternal experience representation and symbolic (often real) violence toward mothers still exists, despite many positive changes within maternal discourse (see works by O. Donath, J. Stephens).
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From the very beginning the English second wave feminist theatre strongly emphasized the need to manifest the scale of oppression women were subject to in a patriarchal society. In a group of texts and theatre performances ‒ especially those influenced by the idea of radical feminism ‒ there was a vast array of issues which included phenomena such as: physical violence, sexual harassment, rape, prostitution, pornography, mental oppression or enforced heterosexuality. The point of reference for many literary and stage works was an assumption that the household space became an area of specific “colonizing” of women on many levels. Creations of some theatrical groups showed a picture of everyday life limited to the constantly repeated home rituals; other groups created a vision of the hell of domestic existence marked by physical and psychological violence. In the artistic expression the extreme form of alienation was fetishisation of women – sexual objectification. The characters from texts and theatre performances fight this form of oppression, starting from the territory of domestic and family life, from the area of marital life, and in marriage ‒ from the bed. The issues such as birth control, abortion and contraception also become important for them. Rape is often a model form of violence against women in the creations of British feminist theatre. Dramatic texts (for example written by Sarah Daniels) correspond with the works by radical feminist writers who perceive male sexual violence as spiritus movens of male history, and they regard pornography as the most visible manifestation of male domination. The radical stance of playwrights and actresses is expressed in criticizing a very wide range of practices: from telling misogynist jokes to shooting and distributing pornographic films from a group of the so-called snuff movies. It is worth noting that for English fringe theatre women’s specific experiences, including actresses’ personal experience, soon began to be a significant inspiration. However, the problem-orientated performances of the feminist groups of the British second wave avoided shallow agitation and featured the ideological content expressed in a variety of interesting theatrical means.
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Drawing from intersectionality theories and black feminist critiques of white, masculinist, and racist discourses still prevailing in American popular culture of the 21st century, this chapter looks critically at contemporary images of African-American women in the selected television series. For at least four decades critics of American popular culture have been pointing to, on the one hand, dominant stereotypes of African-American women (the co-called controlling images, to use the expression coined by Patricia Hill Collins) resulting from slavery, racial segregation, white racism and sexism as well as, on the other hand, to significant marginalization or invisibility of black women in mainstream film and television productions. In this context, this chapter will analyze several contemporary television shows that cast African-American women as leading characters (e.g., Scandal, 2012–date and How To Get Away With Murder, 2014–2018) to see if these narratives are novel in portraying black women’s experiences or, rather, they inscribe themselves in assimilationist and postracial ways of representation.
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When an instagramer, Morgan Mikenas, published photographs showing her with lush body hair, and Polish entertainment websites shared them, the Internet users from Poland reacted vividly. The responses are a subject of the article. They are collated with Lynda Nead’s, Christine Hope’s and Virginia Wolf’s arguments as well as with the idea of selfie-feminism to show what kind of struggle must be undertook by women to defend their right to decide on her own appearance.
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According to the results from OECD countries, the position of the tourism sector in Slovakia has been unfavourable for a long time. Tourism in Slovakia is managed in a decentralized way, which is legally and financially supported in certain forms. Support is largely conditional on cooperation. Such an example is the support of the creation and activities of regional tourism organizations. In this paper, we will examine the economic significance and justification of cooperation among entities that are members of regional tourism organizations, by determining the relationship between the number of these organizations and the amount of revenue divided into four categories at the regional level. In this work we used multiple regression and correlation analysis. Based on their results, we identified the performance of companies according to the categories of achieved revenues. The results suggest that the most productive companies are companies with revenues ranging from 100000-500000 Euros per year. The paper also offers a framework of questions for further research related to sector governance, as well as an awareness of the importance and significance of cooperation.
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The paper deals with the experience of Czech cities with the revitalization of urban centres. The aim of the article is to find out how cities approach revitalization, what problems they solve and how satisfied they are with the state support. It is based on a representative questionnaire survey of municipalities (114 cities were interviewed, i.e. 28.6% of all cities). The research has shown that the most important problems of urban centres today include the quality of public spaces, transport infrastructure and mobility, and last but not least, the care for cultural heritage. Together with property owners, municipalities consider themselves to be the main actor (initiator and leader) of revitalization. The implementation of revitalization strategies in practice encounters a number of conflicts, especially between transport and the environment, between monument care and business, and between the interests of residents, entrepreneurs and tourists. Most cities evaluate the results of the revitalization of urban centres positively and perceive them as essential for the overall development of the city. More than half of the cities expressed dissatisfaction with a state support. Above all, they miss comprehensive support programs, enabling financing not only the revitalization of physical structures, but also measures to increase the attractiveness and attract new residents and visitors.
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The paper presents the results of evaluation of the effectiveness of construction of four planned high-speed rail/HSR routes in the Czech Republic based on their potential impacts on development and environment of the relevant NUTS 3 regions (kraje) expressed by criteria of stimulation and sustainability. The methodology developed for the evaluation of the first criterion includes the most important segments of road and rail infrastructure assessed on the basis of relevant technical and operational parameters (the significance of road and rail transport was set at 5.5: 1). As regards the second criterion, the used methodology takes into account the potential impacts of construction on protected areas of European importance Natura 2000. According to the research results, the most significant stimulation effects can be expected for the RS 3 route Praha – Plzeň (München) and the longest RS 1 route Praha – Brno – Ostrava (Katowice). In the case of the sustainability criterion, the RS 3 route was again evaluated as the best and on the contrary, the RS 1 route was evaluated as the worst, i.e. the most environmentally conflicting. The obtained results represent an important basis for setting construction priorities.
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Very few works have been devoted so far to assess the threat to brownfields by means of risk analysis. The aim of this thesis is therefore to compare selected methods of risk analysis and subsequent evaluation of their application in the assessment of security threats to brownfields as well. The assessment was performed by analyzing security threats on a selected sample of brownfields in the municipality with extended powers - Slaný, which are larger than 1 ha. There were applied four selected methods of risk analysis (DELPHI, What-If, PNH and methods of special estimates) and their comparison and evaluation of their possible application for the assessment of security threats to brownfields. Based on the performed comparative analysis, it turns out that the DELPHI and What-If methods are suitable for the analysis and could also be the primary methods for defining the relevance of threats in localities. The PNH method requires a more accurate method. Moreover, it assumes higher demands on the acquisition of input data, so its application is convenient for advanced analyses. Additionally, the method of special estimates does not seem to be very appropriate.
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The large pre-1989 agricultural premises that were built in the communist period are still with us and considerably shape the face of our villages to the present times. Its new uses are particularly problematic, but some changes took place during the last three decades. That is why we tried to compare former uses with uses to the year of the EU accession, up to date uses and planned uses according to territorial zoning plans. Selected municipalities of the Vysočina Region were chosen as case study. 375 pre-1989 agricultural premises with an area of 709.8 hectares were identified. Spatial expansion of 36.2 ha by biogas stations or composting plants to 2019 was found. Agricultural use has lost 116.2 hectares by the year 2019, i.e.,16.4% of the original area - 49.6% of which are agricultural brownfields. Based on the analyses of territorial zoning plans, it was found that they are prepared “rigidly” and that no significant changes are planned in the future. No plan has been made to return agriculture to areas that lost agricultural use in the previous years. Also, agricultural brownfields will not be widely intended for farming activities.
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Brownfields are mostly associated with urban areas. However, the consequences of political and economic transformation have also affected rural areas. The most common type of brownfields in Slovakia is brownfields after agricultural production. The objective of the study was to identify the brownfields in the Zlaté Moravce district and focus primarily on the localisation of agricultural brownfields in the individual municipalities of the district. The district under review belongs to the Nitra Region, which is the most agriculturally used region in Slovakia. In order to meet our goal we mainly used the field research method and within this method the techniques such as observation, interviews with the employees of the municipal authorities, the owners of brownfield areas, the inhabitants of the municipalities and collection of photographic documentation. In the District we identified 64 brownfields and according to their original use it was predominantly agricultural brownfields amounting to a total number of 36. Most of them are in private hands. In many cases there is not only a single brownfield owner. Agricultural brownfields presented up to 95 % from the overall area of all brownfield categories. Agricultural brownfields are situated almost in every municipality in the district. In the majority of the cases it is agricultural areas, which include a number of abandoned buildings. In the Zlaté Moravce District none of these areas or buildings respectively has been revitalized so far because of the complicated ownership structure and lack of funding necessary for their restoration.
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The aim of the article is to summarize the main results of research conducted in 2005-2006 and 2015-2017, focused on non-commercial brownfields in rural areas on the example of the Jindřichův Hradec district. The buildings of the former schools, cultural houses and retail shops of Jednota were examined. These objects were found in 165 localities in a total of 336 objects. 69 of them were marked as so-called real brownfields, depressing their surroundings, mainly due to their poor construction condition. The second phase of the research examined changes occurred during a decade on selected 53 objects of real brownfields from the first research phase. The standardized observation, document analysis, semi-structured and in-depth interviews were used as data collection methods. Relatively variable situation of municipalities was identified. Active inhabitants, who taking care of cultural and social activities and facilities, as well as individual possibilities of using problematic objects proved to be the main factors of positive changes. The economically favorable situation after 2013 contributed to possibility of making the necessary building reconstruction. The use of public funds by municipalities was not frequent, mainly due to the non-existence of a suitable grant title or to the reluctance to run into debt and uncertainty of objects use. Nevertheless, the number of problematic objects decreased within examined decade and many of the objects found their use.
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This empirical study provides evidence of the most critical human´s activities on environmental degradation expressed by the Ecological Footprint indicator. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impacts of the selected data from statistics of economy and finance, land cover and use, population and social condition, tourism, agriculture, international trade, transport and environment and energy on the variance of the Ecological Footprint of consumption per capita in the countries of the European Union. Using the multivariate regression analysis, I examined the significant predictors of differences in the Ecological Footprint of consumption per capita. As the best explanatory regression coefficients of the model were estimated exports of goods and services in % of GDP, participation in tourism for personal purposes per capita and percentage share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption.
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The aim of the paper is to analyse the municipal waste state (MW) in the Nitra region at 2002-2018, and selected factors affecting the state of MW in the Nitra region, comparing the years 2002 and 2018. The amount and composition of waste depend on factors such as population, population density, size, type and function of settlement unit and degree of the block of flats housing. We used standard processing methods based on a comparative analysis of the development of statistical data, graphical and tabular expression of the issue. The results show that the number of inhabitants in the region is decreasing annually, but the amount of municipal waste increases. The amount of MW may be related to population density, especially if concerning larger urban municipalities and districts and it was shown in 2011. Regarding to size and type of settlement unit, decreases in the number of inhabitants in individual municipalities of the region may be related to the decrease in the amount of MW, which occurred in 2004, 2012, and 2013. The most significant contribution to the total employment rate in this region has industry, wholesale, retail, and the last were the economic activities of construction, building, and agriculture.
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The aim of the paper was to estimate the potential and real utilization of agricultural land for growing fast-growing trees in selected regions of Slovakia - NUTS 4 level. Four model districts, which are located in different climatic areas and different soil-ecological conditions, were chosen for the analysis. In model districts we present the representation of categories of agricultural land according to its quality and suitability for growing fast-growing trees. We estimate the potential of agricultural land for growing fast-growing trees in hectares. The paper outlines a simplified economic scenario and the possible impact of the higher growing of fast growing trees on employment in selected districts of Slovakia.
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The dispersed settlement, as the studied area in the Novobanská Štálová area is, represents an autonomous expression of socioeconomic activity, conditioned by specific natural, and historical conditions. Štál is a habitable form, which was created mostly by gradual building on divided family lands, and many of them even today still share a common family name. The aim of the paper is to analyze spatial aspects of population distribution precisely in the context of natural and socioeconomic conditions of the territory with this specific form of settlement. The complexity of landscape development research requires the application and combination of multiple scientific approaches, concepts, methods, and techniques. Therefore, the methodological basis of the paper is based on several empirical studies analyzed in terms of the applied research methodology. The input analyzes include historical-geographical analysis of dispersed settlements, as well as field research. Today, the dispersed settlement, in addition to its original and basic agricultural function, also fulfills an accommodation and recreational function for a large number of the population working outside the dispersed settlements.
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Villages and their functions in the landscape have changed significantly, and the 21st century has brought with it a number of problems in the functioning of village settlements and the rural landscape. The aim of the paper is to analyze the role of the current village in the landscape and biodiversity in the landscape and to outline the possibilities of its functioning in this system and its further development. The work is processed mainly by means of the method of terrain and local surveys. The analysis shows that throughout the 20th century the possibilities of animal and plant move in the landscape decreased and diversity in the form of gardens, cemeteries, parks and other green formations was concentrated in settlements and their immediate vicinity. Contemporary villages and smaller towns have already had a relatively stabilized strip of greenery around them, which was created together with ensuring a quality environment (e.g., soundproofing or sun elimination). This, on the other hand, allowed animals that had not been common in settlements to move into villages. To our surprise, the villages become a treasure trove of biodiversity and the preservation of fragments of important habitats from previous stages of development. The care of intra-settlement greenery thus faces a new, as yet unknown, task - how to maintain and further develop this newly created biodiversity.
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There are ecosystems in the soil that provide us with various services and functions that are irreplaceable for the human being. The soil value does not depend only on its economic benefits. The soil provides us with a variety of ecological functions that are essential for the stable environment in which we live. The aim of the paper is to assess the ability of agroecosystems to provide selected ecosystem services in the Slovak Republic. Based on selected indicators, we assess the current level of provisioning, regulating and cultural services provided by agroecosystems. Based on the assessment of the potential of agroecosystem services we create 6 indices. The main result of the paper is that the soil with high quality and potential of provisioning services in Slovakia provides a higher potential of regulating services such as water storage capacity, erosion, soil cleaning. In contrast, soil with a lower quality have a higher cultural and recreational potential.
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