Glasnik Etnografskog Instituta SANU
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The Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnography SAS (I-VII)/ SASA (VIII/) is a scientific periodical of international significance which publishes papers in ethnology/anthropology. From its inception in 1952, the Bulletin publishes the results of scientific research projects of scientists and associates of the Institute and other affiliated institutions in the country and abroad. In addition, discussions and articles, supplements, field data, retrospectives, chronicles, reviews, translations, notes, bibliographies, obituaries, memories, critiques and similar are published as well. The Bulletin was founded as a means to publish the results of research of settlements and origins of populations, folk life, customs and folk proverbs. However, the concept of the Bulletin, like that of any other contemporary scientific journal, changed over time to accommodate the social, cultural and political processes and research trends in the social sciences and humanities.
The Bulletin (GEI) is referenced in the electronic bases: DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), Ulrich's Periodicals Directory and SCIndex (Serbian Citation Index). All articles are digitally available in a form typographically true to the original (in .pdf format). The Bulletin is also available in the same form on the website of the Institute of Ethnography SASA.
The Bulletin (GEI SANU) can also be found and read at CEEOL (Central and Eastern European Online Library): http://www.ceeol.com
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- Multidisciplinary research into the origin of population in Serbia
- This paper - by offering actual examples - illustrates a basic concept and guidelines of a complex research into (proto) origin of Serbian population. The research is envisaged as a multidisciplinary one, emphasizing the latest, genetic investigation and selecting Y haplotypes and haplogroups of population in Serbia, primarily that of Serbian ethnic group. Simultaneously, a gathering of thorough ethnological data related to the ideas that the tested have of their origin was carried out, which, together with the genetic results, should provide deeper insight as well as push forward the current borders of scientific knowledge concerning the ethno genesis of population in Serbia. The preliminary research encompassed chiefly the population of eastern, central and western part of central Serbia. Direct results and specific conclusions (accompanied with the broadening of research sample) are expected in the forthcoming period. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 47016: Interdisciplinarno istraživanje kulturnog i jezičkog nasleđa Srbije. Izrada multimedijalnog internet-portala "Pojmovnik srpske kulture"]
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- Museum (Re)public
- Through the examination of various episodes of the `sessions at the museum`, this text looks at the educational function of the Museum of the Second AVNOJ Session in the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav context at the level of performance. The text is divided into three chapters. The first looks at the development of the AVNOJ Museum, its function in society, and the museological and methodological context of its activity. In the second chapter I give a short overview of the `fate` of this museum - which was caught up in the storm of the recent war in Bosnia and Herzegovina - and of the first steps that have been made toward rejuvenating the institution. The reframing of the image of the AVNOJ’s Second Session after the disintegration of Yugoslavia, as exemplified by the AVNOJ Museum, is the theme of the third section.
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- Museums and geographies of (national) power
- The paper raises a discussion about the relation of museums and (national) politics, primarily about the concept of 'apolitcism' of museum work, the idea that is spread among many museum workers as reality. I analyze the process of appearing of big museums in Europe and Serbia, as well as the aims of their work, in order to show that museums - from the very beginning of their appearing - function as means for consolidating national borders (outer and inner), teaching about patriotism. I also analyze the influence of German romanticism, that created the illusion of 'apoliticism' of the culture in general, as well as of museums. The change of attitude towards the state-as-nation in contemporary European community means also the change of museologic activities that should take part in the constitution of Europeism/European identity as meta-nation. That change has not still come to museums in Serbia, which points to the fact that society has not changed yet in the direction of appropriating of European values.
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- Myth about immortality in the contemporary pop culture
- This paper explores the intersection of death and ideology in the sphere of popular culture, as exemplified by the afterlife destiny of Toše Proeski, a Macedonian pop singer whose huge popularity continued even after his death. His sudden, untimely death in his twenties had exploded as huge news, preoccupying all sorts of media. What I am interested in this paper is what has happened afterwards. In which way his popularity and his afterlife continue? Can we identify some kind of pop hero cult here, and is it possible to recognize common elements, or even a pattern according to which (newborn) stars develop an afterlife destiny? Can we use this opportunity to discuss immortality myths? Do pop stars get monuments or are these reserved just for national heroes?
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- Mythical creatures of the Tamnava region
- Based on the fieldwork data and literature on Serbian ethnicity, the author argues that a unique mythical pattern exists among Serbs. This pattern represents the basic global set of mythical entities in Serbian folk religion. After serious structural-semantic analysis of a number of various mythical entities and motives, the author discovers a unique mythological base, established in firm semantic categories and relations. In this sense there are four basic mythical relations found at the base of the corresponding semantic systems: a four-member base of the first and foremost mythological code. The cited mythical sets are found also in other areas occupied by Serbs; therefore, they should represent the base of the whole Serbian folk mythology. Some other specific mythical entities also exist, neither so universal nor a part of this set, and therefore are excluded from the discussion.
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- Name and sign
- In this paper we consider the choice of and use of first names among Vojvodina Germans at the beginning of the 21st century. Anthroponomy, the practice of choosing and using first names among the members of the German minority in Vojvodina will be viewed in the context of their striving to draw the symbolic borders of their ethnic community as opposed to others in their surroundings. This tendency among Vojvodina Germans is especially evident in the final decade of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st century, when due to the political and social changes members of this community chose to forego their ethnic mimicry, and abandon the strategy of conscious temporary and/or permanent rejection of germanhood, in favor of a strategy of free manifestation of the symbols of their ethnic identity. In this context, the choice and use of personal names, aside from the public use of the German language, makes one of the two key symbols of ethnic identity of Vojvodina Germans and the renewal of germanhood which was present in the field at the time the research this paper is based on was done. We view anthroponomy as a form of social practice which is strongly determined by numerous social and cultural factors and the results displayed in this article suggest that this practice is more influenced by macro factors such as social and cultural values than micro factors such as family heritage.
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- Narratives of success and national culture dimensions
- The paper starts with underlying the American myth of success basic elements/believes: American democracy allows all citizens to raise above limitations of their birth, hard work brings wealth and comfort, rewarded are who are deserving and with ambition, plus a modicum of good lack (Marsden, 1992). The author than compares the myth of success elements with the dimensions of the US national culture defined by Hofstede. She argues that the American myth of success elements is corresponding to Hofstede’s findings of the US national culture characteristics. The American culture was found to be extremely individualistic, masculine (challenge, earnings, recognition and advancement are important), high risk taking and action oriented, with the low extent of acceptance of unequal distribution of power. Fully in line with that, according to the myth of success, America has been from its beginnings in sixteen century the place where social differences disappear and men have an opportunity for advancement to higher level jobs and social status regardless their starting position. Together with low power distance, individualism and muscularity are the purest US cultural dimensions according to Hofstede (1981, 2000, 2001), but they are also the very core of the American success myth. The myth of success hero is individual, self made man. Those heroes are strong personalities that attain their success through education, hard work, and sheer willpower. While no man is an island, it’s not external help or special relationships that make the crucial difference in the self-made man’s rise, nor is luck the deciding factor. He is the one who raises himself, counting on his own self, his own abilities and hard work. Masculine cultural dimension is associated with the sympathy and identification with strong and successful people. The American myth of success hero is assertive, tough and focused on material success, all the elements of the masculine cultural dimension. The author than analyzes the success stories in Serbia. She points out that in Serbian traditional stories of success, basic element is gaining based on luck, whether the gaining comes from digging a treasure jar, finding hidden family fortune, or unexpected heritage (from an uncle living in America). Success stories that arose in Serbia in nighties, when Serbia faced war and post war period and political and social disturbances, are new urban legends that imbedded success in a lottery or other games of chance winning. Medias and advertisements for games of chance, additionally supported the idea of enrichment by pure lack, promoting as a Serbian dream lottery and games of chance winning. These elements of the Serbian success stories are than compared with the Serbian national culture dimensions as defined by Hofstede. The conclusion is that there is also mach of the stories elements and Hofstede’s founding that Serbian national culture is autocratic and feminine, with high risk avoidance and collectivism. These national culture dimensions implicate high fear of what future can bring, limited mobility, low motivation and little willingness to take risks. Hence, the employees have expectation that their organization/community/others, and not themselves, will take care of their future, which favors passivity. The success is not in individual endeavor but in ambiguous criteria and pure luck, as the Serbian stories of success tell us. Unclear success patterns and model that consider success as unexpected, unearned, gained due to luck, happy circumstances and fate, are also in line with no existence of so called success heroes in Serbia (as there are self-made man in America, and success and progress heroes of steel revolution), the examples that will serve as an encouragement and motivation to others, and that will show the success is possible if some rules and patterns are followed. The author than quotes its own research on the Serbian American Diaspora business leaders undertaken from 2008th to 2010th. (Drašković, 2010, 2011) showing the acceptance of the American culture of success values and the influence of the American culture on their believes and behavior. The research results have shown that success stories of the American business leaders of Serbian origin are based on believes/elements of the American myth of success, although the Serbian culture they originated from, has totally different culture of success. The US business leaders in their narratives described the ways they have succeeded in America, credited American democracy, vertical social mobility and hard work to brought them wealth and comfort, showing strong personalities and ambition, plus they had a modicum of good lack and ability to recognize the opportunity when it comes. They all said they have lived an American dream, the dream of a land with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement. They, though coming from a country that has a different culture of success, adopted and applied the patterns of success and culture of the American community in its value system in business and personal life. In concluding part, the author argues that the behavior of the individuals based on the success culture prevailing in a society can be changed within a person and within one generation, if they change the culture in which they live and work. The process of influencing and changing believes and consequently behavior regarding the success can be planned and requires conscious effort of a national elites to influence the success culture of a nation. Individuals and groups are not just the subject of the culture but can influence and change it with its own will and efforts. As an organizational culture can be influenced and created by stories and myths, the same is possible to be done with the national culture by designing, planning and consciously inventing national myths, to strengthen the cohesion of society and enhance its development. By changing success stories of an nation, it is possible to change community attitudes towards their own future and success, and this process, with the conscious effort of people in Serbia, but also in other countries.
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- Nation building and international solidarity
- In this paper I want to review the thinking of some Italian republicans’ ideologists and patriots for what concerns the matter of National orders of Southern Slavs, with more attention to the Western Balkans. I argue that the Republicans had a particular conception of the National issues, different from the concepts of Nation and Nationality as intended by the Socialists, the Liberals and the Monarchists. Also I would like to underline a particular sensibility on the matter of the Nationality in Balkans by that Italian patriots subjected to the Austrian crown. Of course I will deal with the ideas of Giuseppe Mazzini, that has already been well studied by the Italian, Slav and International historiography, but also the ideas of Tommaseo, Italian from Dalmatia, republican but not on the same positions of Mazzini, of Attilio and Emilio Bandiera, Venetian patriots near to Mazzini’s thinking, but independent in actions and political practice. I will also give some elements about the vision of the International order of liberals, monarchists and, overall, not Austrian’s subjected. The study of those topics appears very current in this period of crisis of the state-nation concept and seems useful to reconsider concepts such as unity, integration and solidarity of Europe and between Nations.
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- National costumes of the Ivanjica region - Kušici , Deretin, Maskova and Ravna Gora
- National costumes in the villages: Kusici, Deretin, Maskova and Ravna Gora, belong to the old Vlach style, worn in all areas of the Ivanjica region. The inhabitants of this region are mainly migrants from the so-called Dinara region. In its basic characteristics the costume is similar to that of the Dinara region with additions imposed through time, by the new environment, and later influences from outside. Regardless of the relative isolation and lack of connection in communication between the investigated territories and other regions, change penetrated even this area and was reflected not only in daily life but also in the adoption of new, or abandoned old, pieces of dress for practical or functional reasons. Some dress pieces, particularly from the older costume at end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, are recognizable in the dress of Montenegro, Herzegovina and early Bosnia from where the greater number of the inhabitants originate. The oldest pieces of costume are very similar to those in the place of origin e.g. male and female shirts, female waistcoats, gunj, aljina, red cap, male fez with shawl, zubun, pelengiri, kabanica. After the First World War the so-called Šumadija costume (anterija, fermen) became the national costume of this region. The facts indicate that this national costume, in villages of the Ivanjica region, had practically disappeared in the nineties of the 20th century, "Old" dress disappeared under the pressure of industrial, uncontrolled production.
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- Native language as an ethnic symbol Serbs in Timisoara
- Based on the data gathered during original research in the Serbian community of Timisoara, in 2002. and 2003, this paper discusses one of the symbols of ethnic identity, namely, the native language. The methods used in the research include questionnaires, interviews, everyday conversation and the participant-observation technique. The analysis covers various aspects and levels of knowledge, as well as the usage of Serbian language; in addition it also includes the most important features that influence the language's persistence during many centuries, as well as noted changes in a multinational environment. Namely, the Serbs in Timisoara have preserved their native, Serbian language as a second language; then-native Serbian language is constantly under the heavy influence of the Romanian language which is the dominant and official language in the area. The analysis shows that the knowledge of Serbian is much higher among the Serbs who received education in their native language, as well as among the older generation while mixed marriages with Romanians contribute to its loss. Romanian language, on the other hand, gradually becomes more and more dominant even in the traditional spheres of life where native language was once in use among family members, minority organizations and in interactions among Mends of Serbian origin. Moreover, mixed marriages and education in the native language influence the persistence of the native language. In spite of many changes in all aspects and usages, Serbian language still remains the symbol of ethnic identity among the Serbs in Timisoara: the language marks the special unity among the Serbs in relation to the surrounding majority and other ethnic groups in the city of Timisoara, and functions as a connection with the tradition and culture of the homeland.
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- New possibilities for the ethnogenetic study of the population of Serbia
- The paper points to new possibilities of inquiry into the ethnogenesis of the population of Serbia, with an accent on the Serbian ethnos. Over the last years, within a global framework, genetic research of origin, genealogies, ethnogenetic and migrational processes have pointed to a wide array of new aspects, by pointing us towards previously unknown ways of viewing the past of different peoples and ethnic groups. The text presents an introductory overview of research that was begun, with basic pointers as to relevant conclusions. Based on our preliminary research and insights, it can be argued that Serbian ethnology gained a new, powerful weapon in the struggle to bring ethnogenetic and migrational processes to light - or rather - in the analysis of the notions about origins and the past (within the context of testing their veracity). [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 47016: Interdisciplinarno istraživanje kulturnog i jezičkog nasleđa Srbije. Izrada multimedijalnog internet-portala "Pojmovnik srpske kulture"]
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- Nikita Il'ič Tolstoj
- V svjazi s 90-letiem akademika Nikity Il'iča Tolstogo v 2013 godu v ego čest' v Rossii, Serbii i Avstrii prošli slavističeskie konferencii, organizovannye spodvižnikami i učenikami velikogo filologa. Očerk posvjaščen žizni, dejatel'nosti i osnovnoj problematike etnolingvističeskih i fol'klornyh rabot Nikity Il'iča Tolstogo.