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The Transformation of Veddha Identity into a Modern Myth in Sri Lanka
91-100Views:88This article examines how the ethnic identity of the Veddha community in Sri Lanka has been transformed into a modern myth through dominant practices of representation. Based on Eriksen’s understanding of ethnic identity as dynamic and socially constructed and Barthes’s theory of modern mythology, the present study argues that Veddha identity is not inherently primitive or static but is actively reshaped through cultural, political, and symbolic processes. Tourism, media, and political discourse continue to portray the Veddha community as timeless forest dwellers belonging to the past, although they are integrated into the modern Sri Lankan society where they have access to formal education, wage labor, and everyday use of modern technologies. The article utilizes qualitative insights from fieldwork and textual analysis to show how political discourse uses Veddha identity as national heritage. This hides the effects of development, conservation, and land dispossession. Similarly, media narratives depoliticize cultural change by framing it as a natural disappearance. Tourism promotes the staged performance and commercialization of specific cultural practices. These processes simplify history, erase power relations, and naturalize inequality. The article concludes that the Veddhas have become a modern myth not because of their lived realities, but because of how they are represented. It highlights the need to recognize them as a living ethnic community with agency, rights, and an ongoing place in contemporary Sri Lankan society.
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National Commemoration and Cultural Identity in the Light of Changing Traditions: An Anthropological Study of Kuwait's National and Liberation Days
137-150Views:232This study undertakes an anthropological analysis of Kuwaiti National celebrations. It examines the construction and reinforcement of national identity, the development of the nation-state, and how these are expressed within the local community. Through an examination of historical narratives, governmental influence, and public performative expressions, this paper aims to identify the mechanisms by which these national commemorations function as tools for collective memory, social integration, and the processing of historical trauma within Kuwait’s diverse demographic landscape. The anthropological investigation also considers the historical evolution of these commemorations, the role of governmental influence in the construction of collective memory, and the performative aspects of public participation, particularly concerning the processing of transgenerational war trauma and intergroup relational dynamics. The study's objective is to provide a nuanced understanding of how these traditions function to construct identity, facilitate social integration, and shape historical narratives within the local group context. Examining the development and historical changes of Kuwait’s National and Liberation Days reveals a dynamic interplay between official commemoration and popular expression.
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Crafting the commons: an ethnography on collectivity and identity in action
49-63Views:230Studies on social movements underwent a prominent shift from the rigid division between the ‘personal’ and the ‘political’ into the feminist perspective from the renowned concept and slogan popularised by second-wave feminism in the 60s’ and 70s’ “the personal is political”, that served and was used by many movements of the time. This shift aimed to illuminate the strong link between these concepts focusing on lifestyle and the effects on culture. Following the concept of prefigurative politics (Boggs, 1997), where the embodiment of the different forms of socialties and human experiences is the ultimate goal within the political practice of a movement, this paper is based on an ethnographic case study that examines a network of five organised communities – Toestand (Brussels, Belgium), Termokiss (Prishtina, Kosova), Space Tetova (Tetova, North Macedonia), DKC Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Pomorandza (Podgorica, Montenegro). The findings show how members of these communities, who besides their respective communities are part of a joint network, engage in lifestyle choices and adopt cooperative practices as acts of resistance and transformation, challenging contemporary capitalist values and their surrounding sociocultural realities.
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Inter-Diasporic Relations: The Tunisian Diaspora and Arab/Muslim Communities in Hungary
219-225Views:252As the study of human cultures, traditions, and the way communities develop their cultural identities, cultural anthropology analyzes how various groups develop and evolve in different socio-cultural environments. The primary focus of this scientific field of studies is the investigation of migration, diasporas, and cultural exchanges which represent the main factors contributing to identity creation and adaptability within heterogeneous contexts. Within this framework, this paper explores inter-diasporic relations. More specifically, the Tunisian diaspora in Hungary and its contacts with other Arab and Muslim populations, particularly Turkish, Moroccan, and Syrian groups, in addition to their interactions with locals and other different groups.
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Exploring the Vietnamese Immigrants' Experience in Hungary: an Intersectional Analysis
201-218Views:268The way Vietnamese immigrants in Budapest negotiate their multiple identities is by all means but simple. It is a mix of personal belongings, culture, and how society sees them. In today’s more and more globalized world, people move between different cultures all the time, adjusting themselves to new social rules and expectations. Identity is not something fixed—it changes all the time, influenced by both a person’s background and the pressure to fit into the new society. For Vietnamese immigrants in Budapest, this idea means trying to keep their traditions and connections to their community while also finding a place in Hungarian society. In this process, big questions come up: Where do they belong? Are they accepted or excluded? How do they define themselves? The immigrant experience is often full of mixed feelings—sometimes they feel close to both cultures, sometimes they feel distant from both. They are always rethinking where they stand between their old home and their new. This paper attempts to explore the ways Vietnamese immigrants in Budapest navigate through the host society while balancing their multiple identities in a multicultural context.
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Beyond the Public Sphere: The Household as a Site of Cultural Persistence and Adaptation
55-61Views:82The paper examines the idea that the Tunisian migrants in Hungary are capable to preserve the feeling of home by means of conducting their domestic activities. The point is that the sphere in which cultural contingency is the most prominent is not the community life in general, but the very household where the traditions of the cooking process, family life, and ritual activity are practiced every day. Based on a questionnaire survey (N = 100) and 25 semi-structured interviews, these domestic practices remain remarkably stable and are passed to younger family members. It is observed in the analysis that daily activities aid greatly to the continuity of cultures even when the family has migrated; food preparation, hospitality, and the ritual celebrations are ordinary and routine practices that introduce cultural information and principles into the family environment. The results show how domestic heritage helps the migrants to maintain cultural continuity as they adjust to the Hungarian society. This way, they become part of the host culture without losing their identity back home because they remain involved in domestic affairs. In brief, daily domestic activities, create a hybrid experience of integration that upholds cultural identity and adopts new environments.
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The Analysis of Early School Leaving from the Aspect of Inter-Sectionality
19-33Views:506Hungary ranks in the bottom third of the European Union regarding early school leaving, falling further and further away from the EU average year on year. The lower educational attainment and higher drop-out rates of Roma/Gypsy youth have been confirmed by several studies. Still, the descriptions are often two-dimensional, as in international approaches. The Hungarian Youth 2020 database allowed for a wider range of explanatory variables in the analysis. In our study, we examine the educational attainment of Roma youth aged 20-29 and then compare subsamples of Roma and non-Roma dropouts. Finally, we run a binary regression model on the database with early school leaving as the dependent variable and explanatory variables as background variables that may shape the odds of early school leaving. The social and economic backgrounds of Roma and non-Roma ESL learners differed, while parental education and subjective financial situation showed a less favourable pattern for Roma. The effect of Roma identity was significant in the regression model, but the explanatory power did not reach the effect of lower parental education. In other words, ethnic background is a crucial factor in dropout, while some segments of the family background are more significant.
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Materializing Devotion: Exploring Identity Negotiation in Parañaque City’s Sayaw ng Pagbati
123-136Views:67Catholics in several Southern Tagalog towns in the Philippines express the joy of Christ’s resurrection through a ritual dance called Sayaw ng Pagbati (Dance of Greeting). In Parañaque City, children in elaborate costumes and holding flags perform the dance ritual in the cathedral early Easter Sunday morning and in their corresponding neighborhoods throughout the day. This study intends to frame the Easter dance through material culture by exploring how ritual objects relate to both performers and the community. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 respondents and unstructured observation of the ritual dance in San Dionisio, Parañaque. The study identifies that ritual objects in the Easter dance mediate and materialize the sacred and entangle both performers and the community in networks of obligation, reception, and identity. As prestige goods, ritual objects function as social markers for the performers and their families.
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„We Should Try to Live in a Way that We Are in Control of Our Own Lives” – Autonomy and Self-Determination of Adults with Disabilities I.
37-53Views:168This study presents the partial results of research exploring the autonomy and self-determination opportunities of adults with disabilities. Our present study presents the results of a set of questions concerning identification and, in connection with this, the possibility of taking responsibility and making decisions (guardianship), as well as independence in activities related to everyday life, such as dressing, transportation, and the use of information and communication tools. The uniqueness of our research lies in the fact that we examine the realization of autonomy from two different perspectives: that of the person with a disability and that of the family caregiver, primarily the mother. We use a qualitative method, semi-structured interviews, to explore the possibilities for people with disabilities to exercise autonomy and self-determination. Our goal is to find out whether persons with disabilities consider themselves adults, whether they have the opportunity to make independent decisions and take responsibility, and how they assess their own skills and abilities in various activities related to everyday life. A further aim is to explore whether families identify their relatives with disabilities as adults, how they relate to their efforts to achieve autonomy, and whether they help them to achieve autonomy; if so, how, and in what ways do they support the realization of autonomy? According to our research findings, people with disabilities have limited autonomy. They experience greater freedom of self-determination in the areas of self-service and self-care activities related to everyday life. The responses of people with disabilities reveal a need for autonomy, a desire for independence, and a desire for self-determination. The attitude of family members towards the autonomy of their relatives with disabilities is contradictory in many areas, and they tend to strive for control. The view of disability continues to be characterized by an ability-centered and deficit-oriented approach.
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ELIGIBILITY AND NECESSITY OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF ÓBECSE
7-28Views:232The main purpose of ours degree work is to present multiculturalism, the importance, and necessity of multicultural rearing, and the way it is realized in Vojvodina. We also touched upon the conceptual origin and complexity of culture, because without culture there is no multiculturalism and the concept of multicultural rearing could have not been created either. Today we all live in a multicultural environment in which we are in touch, we meet or live together with nations of different cultures day by day, whether we want to or not. For this exact reason, it is very important for people to become aware of the significance of their own culture and be sensitive to other cultural traditions in the same environment. They should express willingness to accept and get acquainted with other nations which might greatly differ in their tradition, habits, identity, and religion. This is the only way we can create a peaceful world.
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A Well-Being Study of Families Raising Young Children in the Roma Segregated Area of Hajdúböszörmény
19-32Views:281As part of a grant-funded inclusion program, we conducted a lifestyle survey and needs assessment among 241 individuals of Roma identity in Hajdúböszörmény. This study included the WHO’s five-item well-being questionnaire. The study also provides an overview of well-being research in Hungary. Based on our research findings, we believe patterns from previous generations for families raising young children can be a source of strength, even in role model selection. In contrast, for families not currently raising young children, a sense of trust in the future can contribute to higher well-being levels among those living in segregated areas. We found that raising young children is generally associated with a higher level of well-being, which can be further reinforced by younger age, higher educational attainment, stable work income with optimal workload, and the location of the residence. We emphasize that promoting well-being requires a holistic approach, broad social cooperation, and a more equitable system that balances opportunities. Our research helps to understand the multifaceted nature of well-being, contributing to the identification of challenges and the search for solutions.
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INVISIBLE LINES, INVISIBLE LIVES; EDUCATION OF AFGHAN MIGRANT CHILDREN AND THEIR FUTURE WITHIN IRAN’S BORDER
91-108Views:365During the Soviet Union occupation of Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgency within this country’s borders, and a subsequent war with the USA, people inhabiting this land were forced to leave their country to cross the neighbouring borders with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Exploring their right place in Iran’s society resulted in the residency of approximately 3.000.000 of them, which has yielded both constructive and at the same time disturbing economic and educational experiences for both nations. Cultural similarities and deviations, in some cases mutual language, and common religion have been presented as the underlying reasons for integration opportunities and also challenges. This study explains how the trends for delivering education to Afghans in Iran have fluctuated so far, yet been remarkably more efficient than their departure point. The educational future of the second, third, and even fourth generation of Afghans in Iran has become a big question with regard to the economic status and political relations of the two countries. What this study manifests is the need to recognize and fill the gaps in the education of Afghans. This goal will be achieved through a review of human rights opposing geographical determinism, illiteracy, and mistaking prejudice and excessive behaviours in the host country.
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Floating “Home”: The Chinese Diaspora and the Dynamics of Travel
97-106Views:503The phenomena of migration and diaspora are becoming more common in the context of globalization, and the idea of “home” has taken on several dimensions and complexity for dispersed populations. In order to investigate how the concept of "home" is recreated in the diaspora, this study focuses on Chinese immigrants. The study examines how culture and geography interact to define “home,” drawing on the idea of “diaspora,” and how travel affects “homemaking” in Chinese Migratory Movements. Additionally, the study discusses maintaining cultural continuity in globalization and reshaping individual and collective identities in the practices of “travelling-in-dwelling, dwelling-in-travelling” (Clifford 1992,108).
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STUDENTS FROM ROMA COLLEGES FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN HAJDÚ-BIHAR COUNTY
41-60Views:506The main objective of the paper is to present students who are members of those kinds of Roma Colleges for Advanced Studies which headquarters can be found in Debrecen. The frame of the study is in connection with research that has been carried out in 2019 and dealt with three Colleges for Advanced Studies with 62 students. The relevance of the topic is given by the fact that by comparing Roma and non-Roma students’ ratio in tertiary education, we can recognize the phenomenon that the proportion of Roma students is still lower. We sought an answer to the question of what factors helped Roma students to achieve success in school. The research questionnaire assessed students’ socio-cultural background, learning motivation, high school experiences, and the ethnic patterns of networks. The theoretical framework of the empirical results is the outcome of the sociological researches that focus on Hungarian Roma children’s educational situation. These were supplemented by the description of the development programs. In the course of analysis, we compare the obtained data with the database of the Hungarian Youth 2016, as a consequence that, we get an idea of the groups of Roma youth for whom tertiary education has become available. One of our research targets includes the comparison of students with or without Roma identity.
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Tourism in Khuvsgul Lake National Park, Northern Mongolia
19-28Views:93Tourism has surged in Khuvsgul Lake National Park region in the past few decades. This area attracts both foreign and domestic visitors due to its natural scenery, cultural heritage and unique ethnic minorities. As a result, numerous tourist camps, restaurants, and shops have dramatically established in Khatgal village and lake surrounding campsite areas, recently. The area is also home to several indigenous ethnic communities including Tsaatan and Darkhad. They maintain distinct culture and diverse nomadic lifestyle. Tsaatan people depend on their reindeer herding while Darkhad nomads engage in pastoralism, raising livestock including yak. Local communities in this area actively participate in tourism development. However, rapid tourism growth can also introduce environmental pressures. This research aims to briefly describe main tourism patterns and trends in Khuvsgul Lake National Park and its surrounding camp site areas, indigenous ethnic communities with their cultural practices, their participation in tourism development and current ecological environment conditions. The research analyzes secondary data resources, literature, tourism and domestic statistics and firsthand field findings including visual observation.
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Cultural Resistance and Collective Memory: The Impact of Nationalism of the Vargas Dictatorship on Hungarian Heritage in Jaraguá Do Sul - SC
71-82Views:255This work encompasses an analysis of the dictatorship experienced in Brazil between 1937 and 1945, during the Estado Novo (New State), the government of Getúlio Vargas, when there was an attempt to consolidate a fictitious homogeneity in the country, especially regarding culture. In a country where layers of different cultural influences converge, making it rich, unique, and celebrated for its diversity, cultural heritage is of extreme importance. During this period, in a contradictory manner, through repression and adaptation of culture to fit the interests of the State, the period witnessed censorship and sometimes even the forgetting of cultural heritages that somewhat conflicted with the interests of the regime at the time. The issues that emerge are related to the impact of nationalism in the face of the repression of the expression of different cultures, through documentary research in primary sources, including publications in local newspapers and testimonials from descendants of the local community about the collective memory of the repression of the cultural expression of immigrants in the southern region, finally reaching the feelings generated that resonate to this day. The analysis reached a possible rupture and distortion of the collective memory, indicating how nationalism shaped and still shapes imagined communities. Amidst a discussion that also presents an analysis of the role of nationalist discourses in architecture and its homogenization.
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Exploring Traditional Roles of Women among the Bukusu in Precolonial Kenya
169-185Views:385From existing scholarly sources, the traditional Bukusu community in western Kenya existed on a structured socio-economic, political, and cultural framework. Gender roles were played out distinctively by men and women, boys and girls. However, external factors continue to influence the contemporary community, creating a fluid and blurry distinction of roles. This paper focuses on women's roles in the traditional Bukusu community to uncover their cultural significance and impact on social structures. This article analyzes how these roles shaped the community's identity and influenced interpersonal and generational dynamics. To achieve this objective, the study uses a comprehensive literature review methodology and authors’ observations from the Bukusu community to identify patterns, contradictions, and gaps in the current body of knowledge. The literature review synthesizes data from ethnographic studies, historical texts, and relevant scholarly works; hence, this article provides a basis for understanding the historical and cultural significance of the roles of Bukusu women. We establish that women's traditional roles in the Bukusu community were based on the community's patrilineal structure, some of which continue to be reinforced. These included marriage, fecundity, childbearing, caregiving, food security, home management, ownership and wealth sources, and craftsmanship. In contrast, others continue to undergo significant transformations due to underlying factors that are not the focal point of this paper for now. Further, women's roles are deeply rooted in Bukusu cultural values and practices, which are critical in maintaining social cohesion and transmitting cultural heritage. This work is a foundation for further scholarly work on women, culture, and change.
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THE PLACE OF THE GYPSY LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
73-81Views:402The Hungarian gypsy population is not only varied from the social, cultural, and ethnic side, but also from the lingual viewpoint. The education, health, the situation of the labour market, and the social sciences discourses are continuously in connection with the Gypsy people. At the same time, the examination of the gypsy language and the use of gypsy language can only be the interest of a narrow professional circle, while the phases of gradual language changes, language retention, and loss, or the language policy issues are showing particular problems. We are talking about a language that has been able to preserve its origins, besides the forced lingual and ethical assimilation. In our country, the form of national upbringing and education is always really closely related to educational policy. In my opinion, every student in the educational institutions is enriched with the knowledge of other nationalities' cultures and language, as they have the opportunity for studying it. During the statistical analysis, we looking for answers to the question of whether this relationship can be traced between the territorial distribution of Roma Gypsies and the schools of Gypsy nationality education.
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The Local Wisdom of Luang Islands: ‘Hygeralay’ of History Aspect
47-62Views:265This research aims to identify hygeralai from a historical aspect as one of the local types of local knowledge that lives in the indigenous community of Luang Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia. This research uses a qualitative research method with a historical approach. Data collection techniques in this research through in-depth interviews, field observations and literature studies. The analysis technique used in this research is historical analysis. The results of field research show that the etymology of hygeralai began as a sign of identity, a sign of ownership, a sign of territorial boundaries and used by the ancestors of Luang Island at that time. In its development, it underwent changes related to several attributes and organization when Protestant Christianity entered. The results of exploration in the field show that the etymology of hygeralai is also influenced by the environment and geography. This is evidenced by its affiliation with one of the plants that grow on Luang Island, the koli tree. From this affiliation material, it is also important to display the position of Luang Island in the division of flora in Indonesia according to Wallacea and Weber line. Thus, we can analyze the history of plant movements used by the ancestors in etymology of hygeralai. The hygeralai research results from this historical position are then compared in general with other terms in Maluku related to environmental and natural resource management. The results of this research contribute to local history, especially the management of natural resources based on local wisdom in coastal communities and border areas.
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Cultural Heritage and Migration: The Architecture of Immigrant Communities.
119-135Views:303This article examines the connection between cultural heritage, migration, and architecture, highlighting how immigrant communities navigate identity and memory through built environments. The study investigates the reflection of the built environment in response to new environmental and social conditions. Through a theoretical analysis of heritage, assimilation, national architecture, and vernacular architecture, the findings aim to contribute to broader discussions on multicultural inclusivity and immigrant architecture's role in shaping national and local identities.
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CHARACTERSITICS OF ROMA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS BASED ON SAMPLES FROM ROMA COLLEGES FOR ADVANCED STUDIES
43-59Views:393The study intends to present in a comparative manner the research conducted at the University of Pécs and the Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, which focuses on the family background, identity, school-related successes and failures of Roma students studying in tertiary education. The research was supplemented with information collected from the students of the Lippai Balázs Roma College for Advanced Studies at the University of Debrecen Faculty of Education for Children and Special Educational Needs.