Is the Body the Temple of the Soul? Modern Yoga Practice as a Psychological Phenomenon

Author(s): Krzysztof T. Konecki / Language(s): English

Hatha-yoga in Western culture is often perceived as the practice of physical exercises (practice of the asana position), usually done to improve one’s health and emotional state. Even if that is the case, it is still based on the rule of “the silencing of the modifications of the mind.” It is about a containment of mind dispersion in terms of non-important, minute, everyday issues, which are not important for the basis of our existence, balance and inner harmony, the unity of body and mind. Even if we train only for our health and for improvement of our physical fitness, then the end result, in the case of many physical and sports activities, is stopping mind movement. The full concentration on one action, on one point in space, might not have any metaphysical meaning for us, but it still remains full concentration. This can be achieved by patiently practicing hatha-yoga.

Globalizaciόn y desarrollo sostenible

Author(s): / Language(s): Spanish

This volume presents different issues related to sustainable development shown within the context of globalization. A collection of selected texts discusses various theories of development, sustainability, and spatial, industrial and social policies. Most of the articles are devoted to the development of various Colombian regions.The idea of globalization brings us several images related to both professional and daily life, as well as, in general, social, political and spatial organization. The manifestations of globalization in each region and in each place are not the same and depend on a number of environmental, economic, social, political, cultural, etc. actors. Sustainable development within the context of globalization shows several faces and several alternatives of development paths within the local and regional context. This publication is the result of collaboration of the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies of University of Warsaw, Poland with the University of Manizales, Colombia.

Wyzwania starzejącego się społeczeństwa. Polska dziś i jutro

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

The authors present the challenges facing Polish society resulting from the aging of the population. They explore the experiences of other societies and apply these experiences to the specific demographic conditions as well as socio-economic and political determinants of contemporary Poland.

Да направим земя и хора

Author(s): Borislava Petkova / Language(s): Bulgarian

The main subject in the book is the creation of the world and humankind and the following Original sin, shaping the entire episode of the beginnings of human history. The specific concepts laid out on the basis of the core elements of the subject, evoke a peculiar and endless dialogue between broad cultural constructs – the mythological heritage, canonical Christianity, adjoining apocryphal literature and pagan folklore. The narrative corpora, which were simultaneously existing and known to the medieval and pre-modern reader or listener, preserve the ideas and beliefs about comogony and anthropogony inherited through the ages.

Stalking i inne formy przemocy emocjonalnej. Studium kryminologiczne

Author(s): Dagmara Woźniakowska-Fajst / Language(s): Polish

The author addresses the topic of stalking and other forms emotional harassment (mobbing, bullying and sexual abuse). She presents the results of Polish research on stalking court records, systematized psychological and criminological definitions of phenomena classed as emotional violence, their history and cultural determinants, as well as information on the scale of occurrence of these phenomena in Poland and in other parts of the world.The author analyses regulations of EU countries criminalizing stalking and Polish criminal and misdemeanour laws concerned with stalking, as well as regulations concerned with mobbing, sexual harassment and bullying. She describes the profiles of perpetrators and victims of emotional violence, in particular taking into consideration the typology of stalking perpetrators and victims.

Wyobrażenia polskości. Sztuki plastyczne II Rzeczpospolitej w perspektywie społecznej historii kultury

Author(s): Agnieszka Chmielewska / Language(s): Polish

An interdisciplinary study in the field of the social history of culture, devoted to the “images of Polishness” which functioned in the fine arts of the Second Polish Republic. The author attempts to reinterpret the works of, among others, Wojciech Kossak, Jacek Malczewski, Zofia Stryjeńska, Władysław Skoczylas, Stanisław Szukalski, and inscribes them into a wider theoretical framework.

Miasto według socjologii. Wybrane tematy

Author(s): Andrzej Majer / Language(s): Polish

The book A City from the Sociological Perspective: Selected Issues is a collection of sociological essays connecting two perspectives of seeing cities: the evolution of material space from the first settlements to contemporary metropolises and the changes in social space, which is the field of activity of many generations. The combination of these perspectives has allowed for a more complete description of the factors shaping cities in the past and still developing them. The book opens with an explanation of how cities can be analyzed, whereas the two chapters immediately following deals with the history of cities from the old towns to modern conurbations as well as with the variants of urbanization. The next chapter discusses the main features of modern cities. Later in his work, the author focuses on communities and their contemporary forms. The last two sections are devoted to the reflection of cities in the social consciousness, to their dynamics and spirit. There are references to general history, the history of city construction and demography, cultural anthropology and economic theories throughout the book. The main perspective is the sociological approach to cities, which for centuries have imprinted themselves on people's mentality, modified their lifestyles and dictated various forms of activity. This approach assumes that not buildings, but people, their social life and culture are the most important aspects of cities. Urban issues have always been important for many reasons, and today they are also worth discussing due to new phenomena and problems. Already by 2008, for the first time in history, the number of city dwellers had exceeded 50% of the world's population. The big cities acquire 1 million new inhabitants every week; by 2050, it is predicted, they will have accounted for more than two thirds of the planet's population. This volume is the outcome of a study of Polish and foreign, almost exclusively English-language literature, as well as many thoughts and many years of experience in the university didactics of urban sociology. The author believes that most of the destructive phenomena attributed to cities, which have been noticed for a long time, can be repaired or even removed provided that appropriate renewal strategies are implemented. He also expects the readers to agree with his outlook, and hopes that the book will encourage people to take an independent stance on particular issues. This publication may be of interest to students of faculties related in various ways to urban topics and to professionals whose work consists in solving everyday urban problems.

Fakty i Fantazje. Watykan 1939-1945

Author(s): Ryszard Stemplowski / Language(s): Polish

Część pierwsza zawiera tekst przedstawiający historię w postaci wyników badań naukowych. Historyk odpowiada na pytanie o losy ambasadorów Niemiec i Polski przy Stolicy Apostolskiej w latach 1939–1945.Część druga przynosi tekst tzw. historii alternatywnej, czyli fantazyjne opisy świata, w którym fakty (znane z badań) pomieszane są ze spekulacjami, co by było gdyby…– gdyby hitlerowcy chcieli porwać papieża,– gdyby stosunek chrześcijan do Żydów był inny,– gdyby możliwy był proces Hitlera, gdyby diabeł notował myśli kardynałów, dyplomatów…

Teraźniejszość totalna. Tezy o współczesności. Profesor Jerzy Chłopecki in memoriam

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Book dedicated to the memory of prof. Jerzy Chłopecki, a sociologist and political scientist. Volume contains scientific texts, the authors of which refer to Chłopecki's theses concerning the world of media, politics and mechanisms of power, interpersonal relations, law, history and economics. It also includes previously unpublished texts by Chłopecki himself.

Płeć, przyjemność i przemoc. Kształtowanie wiedzy eksperckiej o seksualności w Polsce

Author(s): Agnieszka Kościańska / Language(s): Polish

The anthropological analysis of the expert discourse of the last 40 years concerning the development of sexology in Poland. The author focuses on two aspects of sexuality: pleasure (conditions to achieve it) and violence (seeking justice in court by rape victims). Furthermore, she examines gender roles and the impact of transformations that these roles underwent on sexuality, as well as the influence of feminism on the issues discussed.

Searching for Identity: Personal Experiences and Methodological Reflections

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

This volume is dedicated to the International PhD Program “Searching for Identity: Global Challenges, Local Traditions,” organized at the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” of the University of Warsaw, in 2013–2018. The volume aims at showing identity as a processual concept, using the example of the researcher as a living personality. It thus corresponds with the general trend in the humanities and social sciences to pay attention to the researcher and the ways his or her personal background and experience influence the generation of knowledge. By introducing this topic, we would like to show completing a PhD, or any other research, as a dynamic process with a personal history of success and failure, as well as to demonstrate the impact of the “Searching for Identity” project.

Metody badania komunikacji i mediów. Perspektywa teoretyczna i analityczna

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

(Prze)trwanie przeszłości w trans kulturowych przestrzeniach

Author(s): Aleksandra Boroń / Language(s): Polish

The book The (re-) existence of the past in transcultural spaces is an analysis of cultural phenomena belonging to the world of art, which, like books, music, dance or ceramic tiles, are at the same time elements that accompany us in our everyday lives as cultural representations of the memory of the past. Linking them to key concepts such as cultural heritage and cultural identity has made it possible to place them in a transcultural perspective. What cultural heritage gives people is a sense of unity and of belonging to a group; it enables them to better understand the essence of the continuity between generations and the history of their origins. It also implies a common bond. Cultural identity, on the other hand, is a sense of "being in place", of belonging and fitting in. Identifying with a culture is therefore an extremely important factor in people's well-being, giving them a sense of belonging and security. It is also a reflection on the processes of acculturation, which in today's world would no longe need to take on the character of a conflict of loyalties, because participation in culture is both a bonding element, an expression of belonging, and an opportunity to manifest one's identity. That is why it is so important to be aware of one's own cultural heritage and cultural identity (both individual and group), which can be used creatively to find one's place in environments full of cultural symbols, practices and meanings that differ from those established in us through the processes of upbringing, socialisation or acculturation. Art as a plane of human activity and creativity is understood here as a field for intergenerational dialogue, transmission of ideas, coexistence and the duration of the past. It is something of a conciliation between old and new values, which enables individuals and groups to adapt to change. Transculturality, on the other hand, is a space in which multicultural and intercultural experiences are visible, which in turn translates into intercultural education projects.

Ekologia interdyscyplinarności

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

A collective work of the researchers representing various academic disciplines, areas of expertise and fields of science as well as different generations, which aims to present interdisciplinarity as an essential element of research activity. The scholars share their experience and thoughts relating – directly or indirectly – to advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary practices.

Jedność z różnorodności. Zbiór studiów nad różnymi aspektami dziejów Afryki

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

The volume is a collection of interdisciplinary studies on African history. The texts discuss, among others, the history of beer production in the Nile Valley, the significance of diseases for the exploration of Africa, personal stories and experiences of travellers, local history and geopolitics after the Second World War.

Szociális ellátás a Székelyföldön - múlt, jelen, jövőkép

Author(s): Zoltán Elekes / Language(s): Hungarian

The subject of the book is one of the basic components of the social system, the social assistance network. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, I described the past, present, and future of Romanian social services and benefits, focusing on the Szeklerland area. I showed that for the acceptable functioning of modern, secularized, and urbanized societies the existence of an efficient social assistance system is an absolute necessity, even if this sector usually receives less attention and consequently less social recognition than other sectors such as health or education. Reviewing the history of social assistance, I show that different forms of such activities have been constantly present in the society starting from the ancient times and including the role of Christianity and traditional rural communities. In my research, I performed a close analysis of the social services system in Romania and the Szeklerland region, comparing data at the national, regional, and county level but also using data from Hungary’s social services system. The results of the research indicate a highly non-uniform development and distribution of social services at the national level and point out the role of non-governmental organizations and church-related organizations in services development. Relying on these data, an overdevelopment of the social services system in Szeklerland becomes visible as compared to other regions in Romania. Despite this advantage, the main problems remain the same at the national and regional (Szeklerland’s) level: underdevelopment of the community-based social services network and lack of a coherent development based on social policies and strategies for the social assistance system.

Усъвършенстване на инвестиционния процес в публичния сектор

Author(s): Vesela Ilieva / Language(s): Bulgarian

Municipalities are the main public entities that have a significant role in achieving the goals of sustainable development, respectively sustainable urban development. At the same time, they are responsible for solving a complex set of tasks that simultaneously affect economic, social and environmental problems related to: public works, social policy, education, European integration, architecture, town planning, infrastructure construction, etc. As the main participants in the ongoing institutional, economic, social and environmental processes, they carry out investment activity and implement investment projects related to the construction of a sustainable and favorable environment for the local community. The present monographic work presents a new integrated approach for the development and evaluation of the municipalities' investment projects for the construction, reconstruction and renovation of infrastructure sites. It is based on an author's system of indicators for assessing the compliance of investment projects in municipal infrastructure facilities with the requirements for sustainable investing. The system of indicators for assessing the compliance of municipal investment projects with sustainability requirements has been tested on the example of an investment project in the field of cultural infrastructure of the municipality of Burgas. A significant part of the guidelines, recommendations and conclusions can also be applied by organizations and institutions with different spheres of activity, both in the public and private sectors.

Profesjonalizacja komunikowania w sytuacji kryzysowej. Perspektywa województwa dolnośląskiego w latach 1997–2018

Author(s): Waldemar Sobera / Language(s): Polish

The book was dedicated to the mechanisms, standards, and relations between public ad-ministration, dispositional groups and media connected with the communication process during crisis situations, and to assessing their level of professionalization. The research was carried out in the Lower Silesian voivodeship in the years 1997 to 2018. Surveys, in-depth interviews and desk research were used to achieve the study's goals. The analysis allowed to make a complex characterization of communication in crisis situations and provide a recommendation that could increase the effectiveness of information transfer after its adaptation.

Mądrość. Psychologia mądrych myśli, słów i czynów

Author(s): Robert J. Sternberg,Judith Glück / Language(s): Polish

Tłumaczenie publikacji czołowego badacza inteligencji, twórczości i mądrości, Roberta J. Sternberga z Uniwersytetu Cornella w USA oraz austriackiej badaczki z Uniwersytetu w Klagenfurcie, Judith Glück. Czytelnicy, szukający mądrych odpowiedzi na trudne pytania, znajdą tu pełen zestaw zagadnień związanych z mądrością: od uzasadnienia, dlaczego w dzisiejszych trudnych czasach ta tematyka jest ważna, poprzez przegląd głównych podejść teoretycznych, aż po postulaty jak rozwijać kompetencje mądrościowe, a także jak je rozpoznawać i kultywować u siebie. Lekturą z pewnością zainteresują się nie tylko badacze zdolności poznawczych i mądrości, profesjonalni psychologowie i pedagodzy oraz studenci tych kierunków, filozofowie i edukatorzy, ale także wszyscy, którzy pragną wieść mądre życie. Prezentujemy dzieło, jakiego jeszcze w polskiej psychologii i pedagogice nie było; dzieło, które uzupełnia dotkliwą lukę w badaniach nad tym jednym z najważniejszych i najcenniejszych przymiotów ludzkiego życia, jakim jest mądrość. Prof. dr hab. Krzysztof J. Szmidt Publikacja wpisuje się w dyskusję dotyczącą kształtu i sensu edukacji we współczesnym świecie, kompetencji kluczowych i możliwości przygotowania młodych ludzi na wyzwania jutra. Napisana jest w sposób zachęcający do polemiki i głębokiej refleksji – nie pozostawia czytelnika neutralnym. Dr Tomasz Knopik

Digital Future in Education: Paradoxes, Hopes and Realities

Author(s): Laura Nicola-Gavrilă,Yang I. PACHANKIS,Sidharta Chatterjee,Samanta Mousumi,Ayine Nigo,Vincent Gibogwe,John Knight,Aderajew Mihret Tessema,Edgar R. Eslit,Antonio PACIFICO,Luca GIRALDI,Elena CEDROLA,Angelo LEOGRANDE,Alberto Costantiello / Language(s): English

The book aims to be a good reference source for information and knowledge and contribute to the education/educational issues and technologies applied to date by consolidating and defining an initial core list for digital future reference. We expect this book to be of use to researchers and practitioners with interest in education which appreciate the standards and practices in digital environments. The book intends to examine the relevance of digital transformation in the future-oriented methods for remote education answering a lot of questions such these: § How do we innovate in the education sector? § What goals, methods and what is responsible innovation in today's digital education landscape? § How future of education is envisioned in today's innovative practices? In this regard, will be discussed the tendency to believe that ‘existing and emerging technologies are starting to play a role in changing assessment and could help address such issues both today and looking further ahead into the future, to make educational process smarter, faster, fairer and more effective.