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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- Old-Vlax Era from the Ivanjica district
- The paper gives a brief account of the ethno-psychological research among Serbs, with a particular emphasis on Jovan Cvijić’s work on psychological characters among old-Vlax Eras. We make comparisons on attitudes on psychological characters of the contemporary population of the Ivanjica district (sense of humor, religious affiliation, hospitality, loyalty to the local tradition, knowledge as an ideal) with Cvijić’s descriptions on mentality of the same population. A conclusion to be drawn is that the personality of old-Vlax Era, since the Cvijić’s writings until today, did not change very much. The personality of Era is in a phase of adaptation to contemporary time, but it did not lose values of the earlier generations, that is, it still incorporates the traditional inheritance.
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- Olivera Mladenović and folk dances in the context of Serbian ethnology
- Olivera Mladenović was born in 1914 in Skopje (Macedonia), but her entire professional and private life was connected to Belgrade and Serbia. Olivera Mladenović received her BA both in Yugoslav Literature and Serbian Language with the Old Church Slavonic Language, and in Ethnological Studies, while also receiving a PhD in the latter in 1965, because she considered that ethnology was important for further study of folk dances. The main subject of research by this scientist was folk dances, as she terminologically defined the subject of her study. Olivera considered folk dances from a scientific point of view, but she also practically contributed to the preservation and promotion of this phenomenon, organizing various seminars, holding lectures, participating in folklore festivals and, finally, establishing National Folk Dance and Song Ensemble of Serbia "Kolo". In this paper, using primarily archival sources and then accessible literature, I will show how Olivera Mladenović contributed to Serbian ethnology as a scientific discipline by researching folk dances. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177027: Multietnicitet, multikulturalnost, migracije -savremeni procesi]
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- On gender and labour ideology
- This paper presents the cornerstone of discourse on gender ideology, its actors at international, and especially at the local Croatian level, and questions the economic repercussions of the demands advocated by the so-called antigender movements. Joining neoliberal agendas with neoconservative advocacy of diminishing democratically acquired human rights, especially the women's reproductive rights, is denounced as a new form of an old patriarchal model of control over the women’s body, but also over the women's work.
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- On reception of the church Byzantine music in Belgrade at the end of 20th century and beginning of 21st century
- The subject of this paper is usage/misusage of a church music by a portion of clergy: a religious identity is being suppressed while a church music is used as a mean of communication of a national identity. The problem is discussed using the territory of the Belgrade-Karlovac diocese. In the 1990’s many choruses were found that were suppose to perform in church-Slavic and Serbian languages. This music has evoked many different reactions, from delight to banishment until finally it was outlawed on the diocese territory. The mode of singing, present among Serbs in the last hundred years was proclaimed native and original, and therefore as the only mode suitable on liturgies. Thus, an invented tradition takes place, where newer mode of performing and singing becomes older and more Serbian.
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- On the border with culture
- In this paper I address an old anthropological problem of the relationship between nature and culture, this time not as ontological qualities, but as political concepts that shape current forms of political struggle in certain parts of the world. I have tried to show that the persistence of the idea that “primitive people” are green is the consequence of many interrelated factors and that it is necessary to see native groups within a concrete historical context instead of simply labelling them as more natural than we are. Sill, my aim it is not to say that industrial societies do not have anything to learn about environmental responsibilities from the non-industrial ones, but following Milton (1999), to show the value of more nuanced and historically situated approach to the understanding of the ways different societies understand and interact with their environment.
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- On the possibility of transmitting the fieldwork experience
- Without any intention to synthesize the broader theoretical discussions about the problem, I shall herein try to outline the boundaries of “the fieldwork”, as an implied, disputed, but also inevitable ethnologic scientific practice. This will be done in a concise and critical manner, within the contexts implied in various ways by “domestic ethnologies”. Particular attention will be devoted to the points where its unavoidable limitations mutate into strategies of manipulating the knowledge and/or academic power.
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- Ottoman woman in the central Balkans
- The aim of this paper is to present the woman in the Central Balkans during the Ottoman period, as well as her role and position in the social life. First of all, we have discussed the established stereotypes and then, on the basis of some new and yet unused, as well as the already exploited archival sources and literature, we have shown the real situation. The paper presents the rights women had under the Sharia and Ottoman Kanuns, and the extent to which those rights were actually observed in the everyday life. We have paid special attention to the following segments of the social life of women: possession of movable and immovable property, the economic role of women as stewards of her own and her children’s assets, women as endowers, women's right to work. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177030: Od univerzalnih carstava ka nacionalnim državama. Društvene i političke promene u Srbiji i na Balkanu]
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- Part of the architect Nikola Dobrović in implementation of the Modern Urban Planning and Architectural theories and poetry in institutional planning of the urban development of Belgrade
- “Dobrović Generalstaff“ is the complex of buildings in the crossroads of Nemanjina and Kneza Miloša streets (Kneza Miloša no. 33-41), so called „building A“ (till the bombardment in 1999 „Generalstaff of the Yugoslav army“) and „building B“ with the tower (till the bombardment in 1999. “Yugoslav Secretariat for National defense“). As the urban planning motif of “Big Belgrade“, with its symbolism matched with the symbolism of New Belgrade erection, this space of great artistic-ambience potentials, of a specific typology, character and design, represents central point of continuity and integrity of Belgrade. „Meta square“ or the „Square Sutjeska“, as Dobrović named this intersection (Dobrović 1960, 10-11) carries various meanings of the different historic layers, and the complex of buildings itself is the most representative work of the Serbian architecture in 20th century, created in accordance to European trends in architecture and urban planning of that time. The complex is demolished in NATO bombardment of Belgrade in 1999. Despite the fact that the functional role of these structure no longer exists, symbolic character of the place is still living and warning, and even in ruins it is the central point of Belgrade's identity. “Dobrović Generalstaff“ was declared a cultural monument on December 12th 2005. As a „victim“ of violence and destruction, the complex is still under attack of individuals decreasing its significance, identifying it with ideology and politics of SFRJ and introducing it as a symbol of „oppressors and enemies“, not deserving as such to be renewed and preserved. Visionary work of the architect Nikola Dobrović (1897, Pécs - 1967, Belgrade) on conceptualization of “Big Belgrade“, metropolis on the Sava and Danube, and his role in construction of New Belgrade, central part of the future “Big Belgrade” according to his idea, and on elaboration of the Concept design of General plan for the reconstruction of Belgrade“ (completed on September 30th 1948) as well, are unavoidable drafts for the insight in and interpretation of the demolished complex of „Dobrović Generalstaff“, as a top achievement of Serbian architecture in 20th century, with a goal to encourage activities in this space as a priority of urban rehabilitation,14 aiming to upgrade the quality of urban space in general. In order to show the layers of deeply storaged contents of the past (memories), and to actualize them (remembrance) through a different dialogue with “Dobrović Geenralstaff“ the goal of this work is to draw attention to the forgotten and deeply hidden from the public exceptionally significant layers of the past and central points for understanding of this masterpiece of the modern Serbian architecture (Bulatović 2005, 15-16; Popadić 2014, 54-58). Confronted with frequent, selective (mis)use of memories concerning this complex and numerous (meta)thesis directed to lower the value of this cultural good, or „heritage object“, in favor of minor selfish interests, the goal of this work is to indicate the significance of its consideration - by clarification another one in a sequence of insufficiently known „memorial contents“, equally significant draft as the founding of the Urban Planning Institute od NR Serbia and establishing of the new urban planning professional staff in the period after the Seond World War in the times of renewal and constructions, led by the architect Nikola Dobrović - from the point of view of its understanding as a „witness process“ and of its esthetic, historic and documentary exceptionality“ (Bulatović 2005, 8; Eko 1995, 33).
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- Patmos
- Paper presents political and cultural conditions suitably for emerging of apocalyptic literature and offers a description of social setup of Roman Empire, Judaic society division and emerging of early Christianity. Main aim is to show complex interconnection of apocalyptic literature, separation of church and synagogue, relationship with a cult of Emperor and competition with a gnostic communities and teachings in modern day western Turkey. Paper introduces different ways of interpreting Apocalypse to John, and different analysis of its structure. Also, it offers interpretations of symbols used by author and different views on idea of Millennium. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177026: Kulturno nasleđe i identitet]
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- Performance of commemorating/performing heritage
- A close look at commemorations with a focus on occurring performance shows the decisive role of physical presence and activity of the body for the success of these carefully planned events. . Commemorative sites can either be active sites of remembrance, or conditionally “passive” sites of heritage, depending on the presence or the absence of bodily action. Furthermore, the stated performativity defines commemorative events and their spaces as simultaneously tangible, i.e. monumental, and intangible, i.e. narration/practice, heritage. Based on the performance-based duality of commemorative events and their spaces, this paper aims to explore the necessity and limitations of their dual interpretation within contemporary heritage management practice. In order to do so, monumental sites of NOB (Peoples’ Liberation Struggle) are used as a case study, with an emphasis on the manner of their heritagization. By looking at the cases studies the following questions are to be addressed. If the initial performance still exists, can a site be considered as heritage? And if yes, should these sites be considered only as tangible or intangible heritage, or the two are bound to fuse? Furthermore, looking at the current changed narratives of these sites it is justified to ask who and why considers them as heritage?
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- Peter L. Berger
- American sociologist of Austrian origin, Peter L. Berger, is one of the most significant sociologists of religion in the 20th and 21st century. In this work I present, pursuant to my opinion and choice, the most important research issues Berger dealt with within the social construction of reality, religion, secularization, desecularization and religious pluralism. It was my aim to highlight, among other things, that which is common to Berger's sociological approach to religion and the anthropological researches. The basic idea, pointed out in the title of the work, the search for the sense and meaning of religion, is reviewed through examples of similarities and differences between Clifford Geertz and Berger. The category of "meaning" served as a key to understanding of culture, and even religion as a cultural system which transfers meaning. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177018: Transformacija kulturnih identiteta u savremenoj Srbiji i Evropska unija]
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- Phenomenon of refugeeness in the modern political system
- So far, the multidisciplinary research of the phenomenon of refugeeness demonstrated, that the standard institutional, social, discursive response can be observed, regardless of the historic, social and geographical context. Using the autoethnographic research method and a part of his biography, the author is proposing the explanation for that situation. In his interpretation, the hegemonic discursive, institutional and social approach is a consequence of the structure of the modern political system, more precisely, "the place" that refugees occupy inside the system. They are placed at the border, between sovereign political entities occupying the liminal position between the internal and the external, law and state of exception, the human and the animal. So, they are dominantly represented as dangerous, filthy, helpless group of people and the aberation from the normal state that should be removed. In that sense, they can not achieve normal identity and are not in position to represent themselves.