46 / 2017
Lucie Mackova
Book Review - Elizabeth Mavroudi and Caroline Nagel, Global Migration: Patterns, Processes, and Politics (Lucie Mackova)The book Global Migration: Patterns, Processes, and Politics by Elizabeth Mavroudi and Caroline Nagel has the potential to become a new classic textbook used by scholars and students of international migration alike. The book makes the case for the complexity of global migration and presents many ambiguities surrounding the issue. Scholarly as well as hands-on, it is an interesting read from the first page (it begins by describing the protests against immigration in Tel Aviv in 2012). The book brings fresh perspectives from the current research on migration and clusters them in general themes that can be used in a university setting as well as by anyone who wants to learn more about the intricacies of global movements of people. The book systematizes the topics and links them in a logical way, often cross-referencing between different chapters. Mavroudi and Nagel offer countless interesting case studies, but in the end they concede that “embracing the messiness of migration, then, is not about miring ourselves in the details of every single migration case study” (p. 225). However, it is the specific cases that make their arguments persuasive. The authors do an excellent job presenting the scale of the phenomenon of international migration and its centrality in the current world, regardless of the geographic setting.
46 / 2017
Lucie Mackova
Book Review - Elizabeth Mavroudi and Caroline Nagel, Global Migration: Patterns, Processes, and Politics (Lucie Mackova)The book Global Migration: Patterns, Processes, and Politics by Elizabeth Mavroudi and Caroline Nagel has the potential to become a new classic textbook used by scholars and students of international migration alike. The book makes the case for the complexity of global migration and presents many ambiguities surrounding the issue. Scholarly as well as hands-on, it is an interesting read from the first page (it begins by describing the protests against immigration in Tel Aviv in 2012). The book brings fresh perspectives from the current research on migration and clusters them in general themes that can be used in a university setting as well as by anyone who wants to learn more about the intricacies of global movements of people. The book systematizes the topics and links them in a logical way, often cross-referencing between different chapters. Mavroudi and Nagel offer countless interesting case studies, but in the end they concede that “embracing the messiness of migration, then, is not about miring ourselves in the details of every single migration case study” (p. 225). However, it is the specific cases that make their arguments persuasive. The authors do an excellent job presenting the scale of the phenomenon of international migration and its centrality in the current world, regardless of the geographic setting.
46 / 2017
Mateja Krofl
Islam, Transnational Dress and Identity: Migration of Images, Transformation of MeaningsContemporary Islamic dress as well as cultural identity of Islamic women in urban environment are today widely influenced and re-defined by migrations and globalization. Diverse contemporary clothing styles of Muslim women today must be understood in the context of rise of neoliberal economics in Muslim countries and the resurgence of Muslim identities worldwide. The purpose of this article is to present the transnational meaning of the veil (a form of headgear or body covering) and offer an insight into the new Muslim dressing practices which are symbolically as well as materially shaped by both ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ cultures. A thorough analysis also shows that in general, for the majority of Muslim women, the wearing of the veil today is perceived as an important expression of belonging and affirmation of the cultural identity. As a multi-layered concept, deeply integrated into political, social, personal and, nevertheless, visual interpretations, this new transnational Muslim fashion is thus opening up new perspectives in the perception of the identity of ‘modern’ Muslim women and thus revealing an important testimony to the cultural significance of migrations.
KEY WORDS: Islam, transnational dress, identity, migrations, globalization
46 / 2017
Mateja Krofl
Islam, Transnational Dress and Identity: Migration of Images, Transformation of MeaningsContemporary Islamic dress as well as cultural identity of Islamic women in urban environment are today widely influenced and re-defined by migrations and globalization. Diverse contemporary clothing styles of Muslim women today must be understood in the context of rise of neoliberal economics in Muslim countries and the resurgence of Muslim identities worldwide. The purpose of this article is to present the transnational meaning of the veil (a form of headgear or body covering) and offer an insight into the new Muslim dressing practices which are symbolically as well as materially shaped by both ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ cultures. A thorough analysis also shows that in general, for the majority of Muslim women, the wearing of the veil today is perceived as an important expression of belonging and affirmation of the cultural identity. As a multi-layered concept, deeply integrated into political, social, personal and, nevertheless, visual interpretations, this new transnational Muslim fashion is thus opening up new perspectives in the perception of the identity of ‘modern’ Muslim women and thus revealing an important testimony to the cultural significance of migrations.
KEY WORDS: Islam, transnational dress, identity, migrations, globalization
46 / 2017
Mitja Velikonja
“Yugoslavia After Yugoslavia”: Graffiti About the Former Homeland in the New Post-Yugoslav HomelandsTwenty-five years after the bloody collapse of socialist Yugoslavia, the urban walls of its successor states are still full of graffiti of “two homelands”: the present-day nation-states and the former Yugoslav federation. The main questions of the text – based on my longitudinal research and semiological (quantitative and qualitative) methodological approaches – are how, where and why Yugoslavia, its socialism, its antifascist roots and its leaders are (de)constructed, praised and condemned in this specific urban subculture. On the level of denotation, graffiti and street art can be divided into pro-Yugoslav and anti-Yugoslav, often directly confronted in graffiti-battles. On the level of connotation, three major ideological antagonisms appear: socialist federalism vs. nationalism, Tito vs. his opponents, and antifascism vs. fascism. Before presenting the final findings of the research, an anaysis is made of the expressive strategies of this urban production, such as provocation and criticism, affirmation and continuity, territory marking, constant antagonisation and semiotic guerrillism.
KEY WORDS: Slovenia, Yugoslavia, graffiti, street art, Yugonostalgia, nationalism, semiology
46 / 2017
Mitja Velikonja
“Yugoslavia After Yugoslavia”: Graffiti About the Former Homeland in the New Post-Yugoslav HomelandsTwenty-five years after the bloody collapse of socialist Yugoslavia, the urban walls of its successor states are still full of graffiti of “two homelands”: the present-day nation-states and the former Yugoslav federation. The main questions of the text – based on my longitudinal research and semiological (quantitative and qualitative) methodological approaches – are how, where and why Yugoslavia, its socialism, its antifascist roots and its leaders are (de)constructed, praised and condemned in this specific urban subculture. On the level of denotation, graffiti and street art can be divided into pro-Yugoslav and anti-Yugoslav, often directly confronted in graffiti-battles. On the level of connotation, three major ideological antagonisms appear: socialist federalism vs. nationalism, Tito vs. his opponents, and antifascism vs. fascism. Before presenting the final findings of the research, an anaysis is made of the expressive strategies of this urban production, such as provocation and criticism, affirmation and continuity, territory marking, constant antagonisation and semiotic guerrillism.
KEY WORDS: Slovenia, Yugoslavia, graffiti, street art, Yugonostalgia, nationalism, semiology
46 / 2017
Megi Rožič
A Complex Linguistic Identity as a Consequence of Migration in the Literary Works of Brina Svit and Eva HoffmanThe article presents a comparative analysis of the literary oeuvre of Brina Švigelj Merat (Brina Svit) and of Eva Hoffman’s novel Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language, with a fundamental emphasis on linguistic identity, which very often appears in their works and is associated with the autobiographical experience of migration of both female authors and their linguistic, cultural and social adaptations to their new environments. Both authors also present issues of the construction of the personal identity of their literary protagonists in a new living environment after the experience of migration.
KEY WORDS: Brina Švigelj Merat (Brina Svit), Eva Hoffman, linguistic identity, the experience of migration, identity construction, autobiography
46 / 2017
Megi Rožič
A Complex Linguistic Identity as a Consequence of Migration in the Literary Works of Brina Svit and Eva HoffmanThe article presents a comparative analysis of the literary oeuvre of Brina Švigelj Merat (Brina Svit) and of Eva Hoffman’s novel Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language, with a fundamental emphasis on linguistic identity, which very often appears in their works and is associated with the autobiographical experience of migration of both female authors and their linguistic, cultural and social adaptations to their new environments. Both authors also present issues of the construction of the personal identity of their literary protagonists in a new living environment after the experience of migration.
KEY WORDS: Brina Švigelj Merat (Brina Svit), Eva Hoffman, linguistic identity, the experience of migration, identity construction, autobiography
46 / 2017
Janez Malačič
Migrant Crisis and Migration Policy in Europe: From Demographic Imbalances and Political Turmoil to the Increasing Migration StreamIn 2015, migrations from West Asia and North Africa to Europe increased significantly. Migration streams to Europe predominantly changed directions from West and South Mediterranean to Balkan South East direction. Unprecedented migrant crisis has caused quick collapse of the European Union legal system dealing with immigration. The rules have been broken in Greece and some other European countries. Consequently, numerous undocumented immigrants have flooded Balkans and some other European countries in late 2015 and at the beginning of the next year. The number of migrants declined after the spring 2016 political agreement between the European Union and Turkey. The thesis of the paper is that migrant crisis is a part of broader population policy crisis in Europe. Differences in demographic transitions combined with political turmoil and local wars in emigration areas will generate lasting migration flows to Europe. Therefore, European Union and its member states need well designed and politically agreed population and migration policies. The author’s ideas on sustainable European migration policy need further discussions and evaluations.
KEY WORDS: migrant crisis, migration policy, demographic imbalances, European Union
46 / 2017
Janez Malačič
Migrant Crisis and Migration Policy in Europe: From Demographic Imbalances and Political Turmoil to the Increasing Migration StreamIn 2015, migrations from West Asia and North Africa to Europe increased significantly. Migration streams to Europe predominantly changed directions from West and South Mediterranean to Balkan South East direction. Unprecedented migrant crisis has caused quick collapse of the European Union legal system dealing with immigration. The rules have been broken in Greece and some other European countries. Consequently, numerous undocumented immigrants have flooded Balkans and some other European countries in late 2015 and at the beginning of the next year. The number of migrants declined after the spring 2016 political agreement between the European Union and Turkey. The thesis of the paper is that migrant crisis is a part of broader population policy crisis in Europe. Differences in demographic transitions combined with political turmoil and local wars in emigration areas will generate lasting migration flows to Europe. Therefore, European Union and its member states need well designed and politically agreed population and migration policies. The author’s ideas on sustainable European migration policy need further discussions and evaluations.
KEY WORDS: migrant crisis, migration policy, demographic imbalances, European Union