Language as a resource for ethnic and cultural identity: experience of Latvian expats in Sweden

The aim of this article is to investigate the experience and significance of the use and preservation of Latvian for native language maintenance, national culture and identity in the Nordic countries. This has been done by analysing native (heritage) language as a resource for ethnic and culture identity. The aim of the article is to ascertain the language situation in the diaspora, explore practices and perspectives regarding the sustaining of Latvian language and ethnic culture. From the theoretical point of view, the data is approached with reference to P. Bourdieu`s view on language skills as linguistic capital, a form of culture capital. The paper uses a combination of both quantitative survey and in-depth interviews with Latvian emigrants, especially those in the Nordic countries.

ICONOGRAPHY: ON BAROQUE MENTALITY OF UKRAINIANS

Based upon the empirical background of professional and folk baroque icons represented in the Radomysl Castle Museum’s exhibitions, this article reveals the compositional, artistic and ideological characteristics of the Ukrainian baroque icon painting. The coincidence of its images and ideals with the national character and public aspirations of Ukrainians is also described. It is due to this that the Ukrainian baroque icon painting (both professional and folk) in the time of long statelessness and cultural decentralization became the main means of rendering collective reminiscences that are basic for the preservation of ethnic and cultural identity, and social ideals with them. The latter transformed over time into mental models that unconsciously determined the ideological and value priorities of Ukrainians. They, as evidenced by the compositional specification of the baroque icons presented in the Radomysl Castle Museum’s collection, were much influenced by the ideas of the world’s transformation and achieving the Kingdom of Heaven on earth through the ascetic activity of heroes, which was basic for the baroque worldview. For a man of the “Baroque era,” such heroes were not only Orthodox saints, but also religious and political figures. Moreover, it was assumed that they could even ignore the demands of Christian moralists for the sake of promoting the specific vital interests of the people. Their ascetic activity was considered one of the main prerequisites for the transformation of the world, the prototype of which was the Mother of God. For Ukrainians, she was not only a tireless patron for disadvantaged and suffering ones, but also a prototype of the selfless love that would rule the world (“the holy Ukrainian land”), as the result of its transformation. The sincere hope of Ukrainians for the protection of saints, combined with an unshakable faith in the divine “omnipresence” and the fullness of the whole world with God’s wisdom led to the establishment of ontological optimism in the Ukrainian consciousness. This means the belief in the ultimate overcoming of all life obstacles without personal efforts. Ideas and mental models formed and transmitted by Ukrainian baroque icon painting, due to the spiritual leaders of the 19th century’s national revival (with the absolute primacy of Taras Shevchenko and his both literature and art heritage) acquired secular features. They continued to determine the way of thinking and behavior of Ukrainians. Even today, they sincerely believe that the renewal of the world and the formation of new and just order does not require any personal effort and is to be achieved by the forces of some heroes they would call.

SOCIAL DISTANCES IN A MULTI ETHNIC REGION

The paper presents the results of a sociological study conducted in some multiethnic communities situated in the central area of Moldova, Romania. Its main aim was to establish the ethnic identity of Catholic population in the villages of this region and to discover the way in which these communities build their ethnic and cultural identity. We used the scale of social distance, starting from the model developed by Bogardus (1925), which has become the most frequently used method of emphasizing the acceptance or isolation of social groups. We calculated the Social Distance Index (SDI) which highlights the number of social contact opportunities rejected by the respondent, the Social Contact Index (SCI) derived from the number of social contact opportunities accepted by the respondents, and the Qualitative Index of Social Contacts (QISC). The results are focused on ethnic aspects and local features of studied communities and the conclusions reveal the methods of ethnic self-defining for each community and their tendency to conserve local identity by refusing external influences that have an ideological stake.

Recognition of the Ainu as an Indigenous People in Japan: Legal Implications for their Right to Traditional Salmon Fishing

The Japanese government legally recognized the Ainu as an Indigenous People in 2019. While the legislation is a step forward, it does not provide the Ainu with concrete rights applicable to Indigenous Peoples as those rights are set out in international legal standards, articulated in several human rights instruments and authoritative statements issued by both United Nations organs and the international treaty monitoring bodies. The most common issue concerning Indigenous Peoples’ rights is the practice of traditional livelihoods linked to their lands and resources. Particularly for coastal communities, traditional fishing has been recognized as an important livelihood for sustaining the people’s culture and their ethnic and cultural identity. This article explores the traditional fishing right of the Ainu, which has recently become a point of conflict given that existing local regulations jeopardize the right. The article critically examines the compatibility of the provisions of the conflicting local and national regulations.

ETHNIC IDENTITY AS A BASIS FOR STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCY FORMATION

The article considers the relevant and urgent issue of formation and development of ethnic identity of agricultural students as a framework for the development of intercultural competency. It is an essential and key competence in a modern world. Ethnic identity developing in childhood and youth maintains its stability lifelong and it is a key factor determining one’s emotional state. During the intercultural communication the manifestations of “our” and “other” ethnocentrism may result in aggression, frustration and depression. Ethnic and cultural identity management as a significant component of developed intercultural competency gives the opportunity to avoid undesirable negative consequences. Ethnic identity can be developed in the process of intercultural foreign languages teaching in higher education on the basis of methodological principles of the personal and activity approach, contextual education, the competency-based approach. The formation of positive ethnic and cultural identity starts with the perception of specific and particular features of native culture which is problematic as people become accustomed to accept values, customs and traditions of their own culture as something firm and permanent, as a matter of course. In this regard, the syllabus should contain ethnic and cultural knowledge and skills, the skill to see a situation from different perspectives on the base of understanding the relativity of ethnic and cultural events, the skill to govern one’s own emotional state. In this case the self-analysis, empathy and reflection become the psychological mechanism of stereotypes transformation, the realization of habitual ethnic and cultural preconceptions, and the acceptance of cultural diversity as a standard.

La construcción de las identidades étnicas y culturales en niños y niñas migrantes: Un enfoque desde la etnografía colaborativa

La construcción de las identidades culturales en niñas y niños migrantes requiere de un conocimiento profundo de las experiencias que se desarrollan en diversos espacios (la escuela, el hogar, la mezquita, las asociaciones vecinales, el centro cívico, etc.). Nuestra investigación reflexiona sobre los procesos de construcción de identidades culturales y la aportación de la etnografía colaborativa en su análisis. La utilización de este enfoque metodológico ha permitido la incorporación de la voz del alumnado migrante de Educación Infantil en la exploración de la construcción de sus identidades. Este artículo plantea como objetivo explorar las posibilidades de la etnografía colaborativa en el estudio de la construcción de identidades culturales mediante el análisis semiótico multimodal. Para ello, se ha utilizado un estudio de casos holístico y técnicas propias del enfoque Mosaic como los mapping, el retrato familiar, el roleplay y el autorretrato. El análisis semiótico social multimodal ha puesto en evidencia la difracción que se produce en los diferentes discursos de las niñas y los niños, evidenciando los conflictos en la construcción de sus identidades entre la cultura de origen y la destino, y ha mostrado cómo se configuran los estereotipos culturales en la etapa de Educación Infantil. Las conclusiones de este estudio subrayan la utilidad de la etnografía colaborativa y el análisis semiótico multimodal para el estudio de la construcción de identidades culturales en la infancia. The ethnic and cultural identity construction among pupils from immigrant families requires a deep knowledge of intercultural communication practices that are developed in different spaces (school, home, mosque, neighbourhood associations, civic centre, etc.). Our research analyses the intercultural communication of children in school and shows the use of a methodology that allows access to their cultural identities’ construction. The use of collaborative ethnography with children has allowed the incorporation of their voices in the exploration of intercultural communication. This article aims to explore intercultural communication in 5-year-old students through collaborative ethnography and analyses their identities construction through multimodal discourse analysis. A holistic-case study design has been utilised as well as mosaic approach techniques, such as mapping, family portrait, role play and self-portrait. The social semiotic multimodal analysis has shown the diffraction that occurs in the different students’ discourses, evidencing the conflicts in the identity construction among participants from immigrant families. Likewise, the results have shown how cultural stereotypes are configured in Early Childhood Education classes. The conclusions highlight the usefulness of collaborative ethnography and multimodal analysis for the study of intercultural communication and the identity construction in childhood.

Антропологические аспекты современного танца. Беседы с Акрамом Кханом о судьбе, вдохновении и сценическом повествовании

Современный танец – глобальный феномен, однако национальные и этнические аспекты регулярно проявляются и в содержании, и в форме постановок, и в судьбах артистов. Акрам Кхан – один из самых известных и высокооплачиваемых танцоров и хореографов нашего времени: член Ордена Британской Империи за заслуги в области танца с 2005 г., он – создатель множества балетов, представляемых различными труппами, а также автор и исполнитель сольных представлений. Каждое из его выступлений – событие, предлагающее новое видение как формы, так и содержания современного танца. Настоящая статья написана на основе многолетних исследований южноазиатской танцевальной культуры, а также личных бесед Светланы Рыжаковой с Акрамом Кханом в 2017 и 2019 гг. и анализа особенностей его семейной истории, творческого пути и особенности художественной деятельности. Обсуждение проблем этнокультурной идентичности, отношения к языку и к телу, исторической памяти, социальной напряженности, «своего» и «чужого», понятию родины, а также тех путей и способов, с помощью которых современность можно отражать на сцене легли в основу наших разговоров. Contemporary dance is a global phenomenon, but national and ethnic aspects are regularly manifested both in the content and in the form of performances, and in artists’ life-stories. Akram Khan is one of the most famous dancers and choreographers of our time. Member of the Order of the British Empire for Dance Merit since 2005, he is the creator of numerous ballets performed by various troupes and the author and performer of solo programs. Each of his performances is an event that offers a new vision of both the form and the content of contemporary dance. This essay is based on personal conversations of Svetlana Ryzhakova with Akram Khan in 2017 and 2019, as well as observations and analysis of his family history, career and artistic activity. Akram Khan was born and raised in England, but his parents are migrants from Bangladesh, a Muslim, although a very Westernized family. Problems of ethnic and cultural identity, personal attitudes towards language and the body, historical memory, social tension, “friends and foes”, homeland, as well as how modernity can and should be reflected on stage formed the basis of our conversations and reasoning of Akram Khan.

Exploring Sikh Youth in Toronto and Issues of Identity

My paper investigates ten Punjabi-Sikh youth from the ages of 18 to 25, across Ontario, this study attempts to answer how Sikh youth identify themselves and what external and social influences affect perception and identity. As Punjabi-Sikh youth struggle to find their identity in the midst of competing expectations, they may face institutional and structural barriers that may further complicate their identity. While there is extensive literature on the reception of first generation Sikhs in Canada, there is minimal information on how second-generation Sikhs have integrated within the mainstream culture. There are many important questions to be answered, such as, do Western euro-centric values and beliefs by the mainstream contradict with traditional and cultural beliefs? How do youth accommodate some cultural and religious values over others? Are there multiple oppressions, which are in conflict with retaining an ethnic and cultural identity? How do the values, expectations, and beliefs of Punjabi-Sikh parents differ from their children's? How do youth negotiate their cultural and religious identity in the face of conflicting expectations from parents, school, and their community? These are just some of the questions that will be explored in this study.

Exploring Sikh Youth in Toronto and Issues of Identity

My paper investigates ten Punjabi-Sikh youth from the ages of 18 to 25, across Ontario, this study attempts to answer how Sikh youth identify themselves and what external and social influences affect perception and identity. As Punjabi-Sikh youth struggle to find their identity in the midst of competing expectations, they may face institutional and structural barriers that may further complicate their identity. While there is extensive literature on the reception of first generation Sikhs in Canada, there is minimal information on how second-generation Sikhs have integrated within the mainstream culture. There are many important questions to be answered, such as, do Western euro-centric values and beliefs by the mainstream contradict with traditional and cultural beliefs? How do youth accommodate some cultural and religious values over others? Are there multiple oppressions, which are in conflict with retaining an ethnic and cultural identity? How do the values, expectations, and beliefs of Punjabi-Sikh parents differ from their children's? How do youth negotiate their cultural and religious identity in the face of conflicting expectations from parents, school, and their community? These are just some of the questions that will be explored in this study.

Formovanie kultúrnej a etnickej identity Maoriov prostredníctvom príslušnosti ku gangu

Though often called a “heaven on Earth” New Zealand suffers from a serious problem with gangs. Ethnic gangs have dominated the New Zealand gang scene since the 70s when many Maoris left traditional rural areas and migrated in search of work to the cities but ended up in poverty because of lack of skills and poorly-paid jobs. Maori urbanization and the dual pressures of acculturation and discrimination resulted in a breakdown of the traditional Maori social structures and alienated many from their culture. Maoris who have been unable to maintain their ethnic and cultural identity through their genealogical ties and involvement in Maori culture attempt to find it elsewhere. For many of those that have lost contact with their cultural and ethnic links gangs have replaced families and community and provides individuals with a sense of belonging and safety. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the role of gangs in Maori ethnic and cultural identity development. This paper demonstrates the impact of gang environment on individual identity development and provides evidence that cultural engagement initiatives can enhance Maori identities, which in turn could increase psychological and socio-economic wellbeing.