ABSTRACT

The encounter, both direct and indirect, with the West at the turn of the 20th century led to a profound crisis in Chinese art. Many young artists went abroad to study Western art in order to reform traditional Chinese painting, which was often accused of being rigid, lacking perspective and creativity, and thus unsuited to portraying the contemporary world. It was during this period that the celebrated Beijing painter Chen Shizeng in a famous essay proposed a “theory of subjectivity” in defence of literati paint- ing. Taking that essay as a point of departure, and through the exploration of Western–Sino–Japanese interactions in artistic trends, the present paper seeks to explain why many Westernised Chinese artists identified with Western avant-garde movements instead of its academic tradition of realism. This phenomenon can also be understood as a positive reply to Chen’s theory of subjectivity, in which, based on its elements of self-expressionism and subjectivism, he compared literati painting with Western modern-‘isms’, finding more affinities than differences between them.

KEY WORDS: Chen Shizeng, subjectivity, literati painting, Western modern-‘isms’, Japanese influence

ABSTRACT

The encounter, both direct and indirect, with the West at the turn of the 20th century led to a profound crisis in Chinese art. Many young artists went abroad to study Western art in order to reform traditional Chinese painting, which was often accused of being rigid, lacking perspective and creativity, and thus unsuited to portraying the contemporary world. It was during this period that the celebrated Beijing painter Chen Shizeng in a famous essay proposed a “theory of subjectivity” in defence of literati paint- ing. Taking that essay as a point of departure, and through the exploration of Western–Sino–Japanese interactions in artistic trends, the present paper seeks to explain why many Westernised Chinese artists identified with Western avant-garde movements instead of its academic tradition of realism. This phenomenon can also be understood as a positive reply to Chen’s theory of subjectivity, in which, based on its elements of self-expressionism and subjectivism, he compared literati painting with Western modern-‘isms’, finding more affinities than differences between them.

KEY WORDS: Chen Shizeng, subjectivity, literati painting, Western modern-‘isms’, Japanese influence

ABSTRACT

As a major source of social values, Modern Confucian theory has assumed great significance amidst  the proliferation of instrumental rationalities in contemporary China. This neo-conservative current is distinguished by a multifaceted attempt to revitalize traditional thought by means of new influences borrowed or derived from Western systems. It is defined by a search for a synthesis between “Western” and traditional Chinese thought, aiming to elaborate a new system of ideas and values suitable for the modern, globalized society.

KEYWORDS: Modern Confucianism, intercultural syntheses, modernization theories

ABSTRACT

As a major source of social values, Modern Confucian theory has assumed great significance amidst  the proliferation of instrumental rationalities in contemporary China. This neo-conservative current is distinguished by a multifaceted attempt to revitalize traditional thought by means of new influences borrowed or derived from Western systems. It is defined by a search for a synthesis between “Western” and traditional Chinese thought, aiming to elaborate a new system of ideas and values suitable for the modern, globalized society.

KEYWORDS: Modern Confucianism, intercultural syntheses, modernization theories

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the influence of ideological, scientific-ethnographic and census classification schemes and descriptions on the formation of the ethnic identity of Bunjevci from Bačka during the period from 1851 to 1910. Starting from the standpoint of a theory of social systems and institutions, the influences of observational apparatuses, observations, classifications, and descriptions on the construction of ethnic identity are discussed. It is shown that transformations in the social order lead to changes in the construction principles of perception and classification schemes. Accordingly, the interaction of commonsensical, ideological, scientific, and official statistical classification schemes and descriptions in the modern social order created an ethno-nationalistic discourse that strongly affected the formation of the ethnic identity of Bunjevci from Bačka.

KEY WORDS: Bunjevci, classification, social system, population censuses, identity

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the influence of ideological, scientific-ethnographic and census classification schemes and descriptions on the formation of the ethnic identity of Bunjevci from Bačka during the period from 1851 to 1910. Starting from the standpoint of a theory of social systems and institutions, the influences of observational apparatuses, observations, classifications, and descriptions on the construction of ethnic identity are discussed. It is shown that transformations in the social order lead to changes in the construction principles of perception and classification schemes. Accordingly, the interaction of commonsensical, ideological, scientific, and official statistical classification schemes and descriptions in the modern social order created an ethno-nationalistic discourse that strongly affected the formation of the ethnic identity of Bunjevci from Bačka.

KEY WORDS: Bunjevci, classification, social system, population censuses, identity

ABSTRACT

The paper analyses the numerical trends of asylum seekers from Serbia in European countries, the reasons for their increase in certain years, and motives for seeking asylum, and attempts to answer two questions: why is Serbia among the world’s top countries of origin of asylum seekers and what are the consequences for asylum seekers and for Serbia in the event that their requests are rejected. Returnees to Serbia face numerous problems, since the lack of defined goals of migration policies in Serbia, economic difficulties, poverty and unemployment make the whole process of readmission and reintegration of the returnees to Serbia more difficult.

KEY WORDS: Serbia, asylum seekers, Europe, readmission, integration

ABSTRACT

The paper analyses the numerical trends of asylum seekers from Serbia in European countries, the reasons for their increase in certain years, and motives for seeking asylum, and attempts to answer two questions: why is Serbia among the world’s top countries of origin of asylum seekers and what are the consequences for asylum seekers and for Serbia in the event that their requests are rejected. Returnees to Serbia face numerous problems, since the lack of defined goals of migration policies in Serbia, economic difficulties, poverty and unemployment make the whole process of readmission and reintegration of the returnees to Serbia more difficult.

KEY WORDS: Serbia, asylum seekers, Europe, readmission, integration

ABSTRACT

The article is a result of empirical research among Slovenian cultural societies in other republics of the former Yugoslavia. The central part of the article presents the results of a survey carried out in the spring of 2012 by members of the Slovenian Migration Institute at ZRC SAZU in the context of the research project entitled “Slovenian Labour Migration to the Countries of Former Yugoslavia: from Settlers to Transmigrants”. General introductory data about the past and current presence of Slovenians in the discussed territories are followed by a summary of the findings based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the survey results as well as the findings of the informative-strategic roundtables co-organised by the Institute at the time of the survey.

KEY WORDS: Slovenians abroad, Slovenian cultural societies, cultural-artistic activities, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage

ABSTRACT

The article is a result of empirical research among Slovenian cultural societies in other republics of the former Yugoslavia. The central part of the article presents the results of a survey carried out in the spring of 2012 by members of the Slovenian Migration Institute at ZRC SAZU in the context of the research project entitled “Slovenian Labour Migration to the Countries of Former Yugoslavia: from Settlers to Transmigrants”. General introductory data about the past and current presence of Slovenians in the discussed territories are followed by a summary of the findings based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the survey results as well as the findings of the informative-strategic roundtables co-organised by the Institute at the time of the survey.

KEY WORDS: Slovenians abroad, Slovenian cultural societies, cultural-artistic activities, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage