A life course perspective: young people's trajectories and transitions in Colombia

This paper aims to describe, from the standpoint of the life course, how young people's trajectories are shaped through the articulation between history and biography, emphasizing the changes associated with the meaning of the family and, from an economic standpoint, how the growing uncertainty resulting partly from the impact of the globalization of the labor market, social changes and cultural transformations, causing young people to stop experiencing linear trajectories, leaving current itineraries and collective identities at risk.

Culture as a Conceptual Vector of Economic Modernization

The article shows that at present the processes of total marketization have spread to the sphere of artistic culture, in which more and more the value of a creator and the results of his activity is evaluated in terms of market and capital. It becomes one of the factors of the economy stagnation that lasts for decades, in particular, in Russia. Meanwhile, the existing experience of modernization in the USSR shows that there is a powerful feedback when culture and, in particular, art, become an important factor and conceptual vector of socio-economic and technological modernization. The means for this can be and have been historically long-term strategic development programs linking together technological, scientific, economic, educational and cultural transformations, mass labor enthusiasm, the inclusion of workers in social creativity and other relations and institutions that transform a person from a passive object (an employee, consumer) into an active creator. The history of the USSR gives contradictory examples of such relations formation (the GOELRO plan, etc.).

Christ’s Evolution of Moral Upbringing in the Light of Letters to Young People by Popes St. John Paul II and Francis

The significant social, economic and cultural transformations taking place since the second half of the twentieth century reveal with increasing force that young people are diverging more and more from adults as far as ethics and morality are concerned. Contemporary reflection on morality is increasingly being expressed in the manifestation of individuals’ rights. This is the view of both the Letter to the Young People Parati semper by St. John Paul II (1985) and the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit by Pope Francis (2019). The above papal documents will become the starting point for answering the following question: What does Christ propose in terms of morality? Man is capable by nature (in his heart) of recognizing good and evil. Morality is then bound to keeping the Law, which, while being positive, is limited in time. Man’s coming to faith causes, as Pope Francis points out, the exhaustion of the Law’s propaedeutic value and, thus, gives way to another authority. The Law is still in force (the commandments continue to exist), but it has no justifying power. The one who justifies is Jesus Christ. In this context, it is crucial to answer the question regarding the stage of moral maturation: do I still need the Law, or perhaps I am already living in the love and freedom of a child of God. These levels of morality cannot, as postulated by St. John Paul II in Parati semper and Francis in Christus vivit, be treated as separate or contradictory, because both are necessary. Hence, one cannot reject and despise the commandments and, at the same time, keep them, even though they are not absolute, because salvation is in Jesus Christ.

Philosophical Discourse for the Development and Improvement of the Intellectualization of Human Nature

The principal goal of the study is to characterize the philosophical discourse of the development and improvement of human nature in the context of its intellectualization. The article uses a set of methods that make it possible to reveal a philosophical analysis of the development and improvement of human nature in the context of its intellectualization, in particular: general scientific methods; logical methods of theoret- ical analysis; technical analysis, clarification. Because of the study, the philosophical aspects of the devel- opment and improvement of human nature in the context of its intellectualization were characterized. The needs of the modern economic, political, spiritual development of society require further, deeper research of the actual problems of the doctrine of man. Therefore, interest in man and humanity is becoming espe- cially acute, prompting to justify social and cultural transformations.

Street Network: Physical and Cultural Transformations on the Morphology of Historical City of Malacca

The deterioration of streets in the historical city of Malacca in Malaysia due to modernization contributes to the streets’ vulnerabilities. This paper purposely analyses the physical transformation of the street networks for the years of 1993-2015, and the cultural influences and impact throughout the establishment of multi-racial cultural society. The methodology for the study is through mapping the street networks of Malacca city by using SPOT satellite imageries of three different years; 1993, 2005, and 2015, and through the street semi-automatic extraction technique to monitor the street pattern of Malacca city. Multiple sensors of SPOT were used, consisting of SPOT-2XS, SPOT 5, and SPOT 6 with 20 m, 5 m, and 1.5 m resolutions in extracting the street objects, while using the IMAGINE OBJECTIVE tools from ERDAS. The finding shows that the street network trend varied from 1993, 2005, and 2015 where the streets achieved 23.8% street expansions in the year 1993 compared to 10.49% in the year 2005. However, the development trend of streets increased to 14.68% in the year 2015. The connection of the physical transformations of the streets with the cultural impact contributed to the sense of place and divided the streets based on socio-economic, cultural and ethnic lines. Finally, it shows that the trend and pattern of street networks were essential in understanding a city’s morphology that has a significant impact on cultural evolution since the establishment of the Chinese community in Malacca.

The Condition of Instability: Performative Turn and Contemporary Lithuanian Theatre / Ebastabiilsuse seisund: performatiivne pööre ja Leedu nüüdisteater

The article discusses the new strategies of representation that emerged in contemporary Lithuanian theatre under the influence of socio-cultural transformations that can be attributed to the umbrella notion of “performative turn”. With the help of three case studies, the article investigates how certain codes of “aesthetics of performativity” as described by Erika Fischer-Lichte are circulating in contemporary Lithuanian theatre, what processes and agencies facilitate their emergence, and what possibilities as well as challenges for performative practices they entail. Viimastel aastakümnetel Leedu teatris toimunud muutused – olgu need siis performatiivsed, post-postmodernsed, postdramaatilised või kaasavad – on kõige nähtavamad lavastuspraktika peamiste struktuurielementide: kujundi, teksti, keha ja ruumi kasutuses. See nihe on omakorda seotud ja kõige paremini põhjendatav representatsiooni ja taju tähendusvälja muutumisega nüüdisaegses kultuuri- ja kriitilises teoorias. Artiklis käsitletakse uusi representatsioonistrateegiaid, mis tekkisid Leedu nüüdisteatris sotsiaalkultuuriliste muutuste mõjul ning mille võib koondada katusmõiste „performatiivne pööre“ alla. Võttes aluseks kolm juhtumiuuringut (Poola lavastaja Lukasz Twarkowsky immersiivne lavastus „Vabariik“, Jonas Tertelise dokumentaallavastus „Roheline niit“ ja Karolina Žernytė lavastus „Supervõimed“), uuritakse artiklis, kuidas Erika Fischer-Lichte kirjeldatud „performatiivsuse esteetika“ teatud koodid levivad nüüdisteatris, millised protsessid ja agentsused soodustavad nende tekkimist ning milliseid võimalusi need loovad performatiivsetele praktikatele ja milliseid väljakutseid esitavad. Leedu nüüdisteatris esile kerkinud uued tähenduse loomise ja lavastamise vormid (visuaalne dramaturgia, teatrielementide eraldamine/dekonstrueerimine, intertekstuaalsus) destabiliseerivad nüüdisaegseid lavastus- ja tajumiskategooriaid. Kuigi neid võib tõlgendada postmodernse või postdramaatilise esteetika tunnustena, kuuluvad need selgelt performatiivse pöörde määratluse alla. Nende põhijooni – avatud struktuur, voolav ja mitmekihiline tähenduse ringlus ning taju kui läbirääkimine, vahetus ja ühislooming – saab kõige paremini mõista performatiivse esteetika raames. Leedu nüüdisteatris võib täheldada vähemalt kahte strateegiat, mis on tekkinud vastusena performatiivse pöörde aluseks olevate performatiivsete tegevuste ja metafooride levikule. Esiteks, tagasipöördumist mimeetilise representatsiooni või selliste kunstivormide juurde nagu dokumentaal- või verbatim-teater võib tõlgendada soovina peegeldada laval tänapäeva ühiskondlike reaalsuste teatraalsust, vältides samal ajal traditsiooniliste teatrivormide kunstlikkust ja referentsiaalsust. Nagu näitas dokumentaallavastuse „Roheline niit“ analüüs, lihtsalt taastootes „autentset“ reaalsust, muutub teater enda teisikuks, korrates ja taasesitades inimkäitumise performatiivseid aspekte. Selline kordamine võtab aga harva kriitilise hoiaku ning sageli lihtsalt taastoodab „vaatemänguühiskonna“ stereotüüpe ja kujutlusi. Eneserefleksiivseid teatripraktikaid, kus laval analüüsitakse etendust kui nüüdisaegse reaalsuskonstruktsiooni mudelit ja muudetakse performatiivsed metafoorid kunstilisteks reaalsusteks, võib kirjeldada kui teist viisi performatiivse pöörde mõjude analüüsimiseks. Parimatel juhtudel võib selline teater saada teatri ja ühiskonna kohtumispaigaks, kus tajudes ühte (teatrit), mõistame teist (ühiskonda). Dekonstrueerides ja demüstifitseerides etenduse representatsiooni aparaate, paljastades kogemuste taasloomise võimalikkuse (või võimatuse), andes võimu tajutava paljususele, püüavad sellised kunstilised strateegiad, nagu on näha „Vabariigis“, häirida sotsiaalseid konventsioone, mis reguleerivad igapäevaseid arusaamu ja käitumist. Samamoodi on performatiivne arusaam subjektiivsusest ja identiteedist kui intersubjektiivse suhtluse käigus loodud efektist mõjutanud näitlemise protsesse ning eriti näitleja ja tegelase vahelisi suhteid. Sellest tulenev valmisolek loobuda professionaalsete näitlejate vahendavast rollist kellegi loo jutustamisel ei tähenda aga tingimata postrepresentatsioonilist arusaama rollist. Üsna sageli sarnaneb see hoopis modernse etenduskunsti tavadega. Kuid mõnel juhul, näiteks lavastuses „Supervõimed“, võimaldab laval oma eluloo taasesitus lisaks narratiivi kontrollimisele ja stereotüüpsete kujutuste vaidlustamisele ka näidata performatiivset arusaama puudest kui ümberkujundavast agentsusest.

Intercultural communication from the perspective of individualist and collectivist cultures

The process of globalization, which initially dominated only the economic sphere, subsequently led to profound socio-political and cultural transformations, influencing interethnic and inter-confessional relations in multicultural and multilingual environments. In the context of the new socio-political and cultural realities, the need to raise awareness of the importance of intercultural communication is evident. Intercultural communication contributes to overcoming the negative aspects of individualism and collectivism, changes the human perception of traditional values, causes changes in the way people think and behave.

Introduction

This edition of the Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies focuses on discussion and ongoing research presented to an academic community of scholars in Balkan and Baltic Studies at a conference held on 9-11 June 2020 in Riga, Latvia, organized by the International Society of Balkan and Baltic Studies. This annual conference was hosted by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Latvia and was jointly supported by the Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian Academies of Sciences, the Centre of Excellence in Estonian Studies; the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with the Ethnographic Museum, the Estonian Literary Museum and the Lithuanian Institute of History. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was held over Zoom. In spite of the physical distance that had to be maintained, however, academic discussions were vibrant and fruitful, resulting in this joint edition of the Yearbook. Scholars from various countries and academic schools presented their research on spirituality, religion, identity and culture in the Baltic and Balkan regions and analysed the dynamics of religious and national transformations. The conference also examined the impact of globalization on religious communities and spiritual processes, and touched on aspects of social and cultural transformations in the modern era and their challenges. This necessitated a focus on migration, transnationalism, secularization and the search for the new spiritual means and models. Our academic community also analysed developments regarding the place of belonging and transformations of the historical memories of religious communities in the Baltic and Balkan regions.

Where in the World are Chinese Women Filmmakers? Transnational China and World Cinema in the Twenty-First Century

Transnational Chinese women filmmakers reflect the enormous changes happening in the global film industry as well as political, economic, technological, social, and cultural transformations taking place in the region since the beginning of the millennium. An analysis of Hong Kong writer-director Aubrey Lam’s Anna & Anna (2007) uncovers how this film explores the divided psyche of a woman torn between “two systems” that model femininity for women in Singapore and Shanghai in the 21st century. Lam’s narrative touches on issues central to the work of many women working across the Chinese-speaking world including migration, labor relations, postcolonial and postsocialist identities, commodification of female bodies in consumer culture, cross-border sexualities, female desire and domesticity.