Contesting Chineseness

Nearly eleven million Chinese migrants live outside of China. While many of these faces of China’s globalization headed for the popular Western destinations of the United States, Australia and Canada, others have been lured by the booming Asian economies. Compared with pre-1949 Chinese migrants, most are wealthier, motivated by a variety of concerns beyond economic survival and loyal to the communist regime. The reception of new Chinese migrants, however, has been less than warm in some places. In Singapore, tensions between Singaporean-Chinese and new Chinese arrivals present a puzzle: why are there tensions between ethnic Chinese settlers and new Chinese arrivals despite similarities in phenotype, ancestry and customs? Drawing on rich empirical data from ethnography and digital ethnography, Contesting Chineseness investigates this puzzle and details how ethnic Chinese subjects negotiate their identities in an age of contemporary Chinese migration and China’s ascent.

Gender Equality and Institutions as the Driving Force of Football Performance: Women vs Men

Gender equality should be a necessity in every developed economy of the world. Despite this assumption, this is not the case. The field of sports is no exception. This study addresses the relationship between gender equality, institutions and football performance of national teams. Correlation and regression analysis is used to determine the relationship between variables. The results suggest that higher gender equality leads to better performance for footballers on the fields. Countries with higher gender equality perform better (more FIFA points). The economic condition of the country has a similar effect on performance. Estimates have shown a statistically significant positive relationship between economic prosperity and performance on the pitch. Climate and age of players do not affect the performance of national teams. Institutional factors significantly affect players’ performance. Members of the European Union perform significantly higher than those that are not in the EU. As well as countries in which there was no communist regime in the past . Keywords: gender inequality index, FIFA ranking, men, women, institutions

Participatory Landscape Design and Water Management—A Sustainable Strategy for Renovation of Vernacular Baths and Landscape Protection in Szeklerland, Romania

Szeklerland is a historical-ethnic region located on the eastern border of the Carpathian Basin, in the central region of Romania. In Szeklerland, thanks to its varied topography and a network of small settlements, landscape management is still carried out using traditional methods. Szeklerland is a macro-region rich in natural resources. Among its natural treasures, the mineral water springs with healing properties are of particular importance: around 40 percent of Romania’s mineral water resources are found here. This richness in hydrogeological features is due to the fact that the post-volcanic activities in the young tertiary mountain ranges in the region still produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, which dissolves beneficial minerals from the earth. When dissolved in water, these minerals produce mineral waters that can be used to cure various types of diseases. For centuries, the medicinal properties of the mineral waters of Szeklerland have been regularly used by the local population. In addition to their consumption, small and larger vernacular baths were built in the settlements with medicinal springs, and their regular use led to the development of a traditional, local cold-water bathing culture in the region. However, the vernacular baths were destroyed in the world wars, and their traditional use was abolished by the apparatus of the 20th century communist regime, which had no respect to natural and cultural heritage. After the political change in 1989, the attention of the society turned back to tradition and values. Alongside (or as part of) nature and landscape conservation initiatives, the reinterpretation and restoration of the intangible and practical values of vernacular baths in Szeklerland also began. Over the past decades, the renovation of vernacular baths, which started as a professional–civic initiative, has grown into an independent heritage conservation programme: dozens of vernacular baths have been renovated in Szeklerland over the past twenty years with public participation initiated and led by professionals. In the course of the renovations, baths used by local communities have been rebuilt using nature- and environment-friendly techniques, materials and in a way that they are also related to the physical environment and the mythology of the region. The project has won prestigious awards both in Romania and internationally, and has become a successful and exemplary movement in landscape heritage conservation.

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union

In late December 1991—some 74 years after the Bolsheviks had taken power in Russia under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin—the Soviet Communist regime and the Soviet state itself ceased to exist. The demise of the Soviet Union occurred less than seven years after Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Communist Party. Soon after taking office in March 1985, Gorbachev had launched a series of drastic political and economic changes that he hoped would improve and strengthen the Communist system and bolster the country's superpower status. But in the end, far from strengthening Communism, Gorbachev's policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (official openness) led inadvertently to the collapse of the Soviet regime and the unraveling of the Soviet state. This article analyzes the breakup of the Soviet Union, explaining why that outcome, which had seemed so unlikely at the outset, occurred in such a short period of time.

The Golden Age of Narrow-Gauge Railways in Hungary after World War II until the Transport Policy Concept of 1968, Through the Example of the Szerencs-Prügy Narrow-Gauge Railway

The purpose of my study. The main target of my study was to survey the golden age of the Hungarian narrow-gauge railways from the and of WWII until the Transport Policy Concept of 1968. Beside the survey, I examined the impact of the Transport Policy Concept of 1968 on the narrow -gauge railways, especially at the Szerencs-Prügy narrow-gauge railway. Applied methods. Literature review including the history of the Hungarian narrow-gauge railways in the time frame of World War II and 1968. We involved sources from monographies, our own data from researches of archives, especially from MÁV Archive, and local newspapers of the above mentioned period. Outcomes. After WWII ended, notable narrow-gauge railway constructions begun, so we can call apostrophe the quarter century as the second golden age there history, however from the early 1960’s the communist regime did not sympathize with narrow-gauge railways (New Economic Mechanism in 1968). Therefore the railway system, which was more than 5000 kilometres long before, constantly began to diminish. Nowadays only 5% of the original system has left (245 kilometers) and today narrow-gauge railways – beside four lines - have only touristical funtion. Economic policy recommendations. With the implementation of the transport policy concept, 30% of the low-traffic lines and stations were closed by diverting their traffic to the road. These measures have done a lot of damage to domestic transport. The rate of closure of the sidelines was well above the level of similar measures of the European railways, but the road development did not take place to the extent planned and the loading engineering and other development measures necessary for the successful implementation of the concept were largely cancelled. The leftover railway network could not become an engine for the development of transport, its performances decreased and road transport took over the tasks of the railways even in areas where the railway proved to be more uneconomic.

Model orzecznictwa w sprawach o wykroczenia w Polsce Ludowej

The authoritarian ideology that guided the authorities of the communist Polish state did not remain indifferent to the emerging model of jurisprudence in petty offence cases. Eliminating the possibility of court proceedings, the location of adjudicating boards in petty offence cases at national councils, the introduction of collegial jurisprudence exercised by the social factor, giving the jurisprudence an educational character, and abandoning it in favour of severe penalties implemented for hooligan petty offences — these are just some of the features that distinguish the jurisprudence model in petty offence cases in the People’s Republic of Poland. The pursuit of the authorities to subordinate the individuals by, on the one hand, handing over the jurisprudence in petty offence cases into the hands of the people, and, on the other hand, filling the adjudication boards with members subordinate to the authority, did not bring independence in the decisions issued. It is evidenced, for example, by the excessive repressive adjudication boards judgments issued against participants of the political crisis of March 1968. The Authors present the development of the model of jurisprudence in petty offence cases in the controversial period of the communist regime.

On Violations of Human Rights by the Communist Regime in Poland

During the communist regime, the Polish judicial apparatus was construed as a tool to liquidate the opposition. Many people were killed, imprisoned, tortured, dispossessed, and their families persecuted and condemned to lives of abject poverty. After the fall of communism, the perpetrators of these atrocities were not confronted with their crimes and continued to function surreptitiously. Their shame and guilt have been suppressed, while the wrongs suffered by the victims have not been remedied, and thus continue to hang over the nation like the Sword of Damocles. The unexpunged culpability and corrupted conscience inherited by their descendants continue to foment social resentments. The aim of the article is to suggest the approach to restoring social equilibrium taking as the premise that the legacy of historical violence must be remedied, and the wrongs must be rectified a priori. The scientific methods used in the article are restitution, restoration, reconciliation, and mediation. The sense of social and individual justice is at the core of humanity. Where this is lacking, social unrest arises and spills over with violence. The crimes of the communist regime must be conceded to prevent an impending revolution. Compassion toward the suffering can pave the way to forgiveness, and through that, to reconciliation.

Land and mortgage registers as a cornerstone of real estate transactions in Polish law — a historical and legal outline (On the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Land and Mortgage Registers and Mortgage Act)

With its core purpose of establishing the legal status of immovable property, the system of land and mortgage registers (perpetual books) operating in Poland plays a paramount social and economic role in ensuring legal security of real estate conveyancing, and thereby contributes to implementing the constitutional principle of democratic state ruled by law. The foundations for a uniform land and mortgage register law were laid down in the 1930s by the Codification Commission of the Republic of Poland, appointed after the Polish State regained independence in 1918, following the period of partitions. The works of the Commission were interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. In the early years of the post-war communist regime, the Commission’s draft provisions on land and mortgage registers served as the basis of the unified legislation that entered into force. Shortly thereafter, however, the very usefulness of the institution of land and mortgage register was contested by communist authorities, as it was considered contrary to the ideological assumptions underlying the socialist system. As a consequence, although not abolished, the land and mortgage register law’s relevance was diminished substantially for several decades, as manifested by the fact that it was not incorporated into the Civil Code of 1964. The significance of land and mortgage registers was restored to a certain degree only upon adopting the Land and Mortgage Registers and Mortgage Act of 1982, which, after being appropriately amended, is still in force. Subsequently, land and mortgage registers were subject to systemic reforms as part of the democratic transition process in Poland, and in recent years, advanced computerisation and informatisation actions have been undertaken bringing about noteworthy modernisation effects. In view of the forthcoming 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Land and Mortgage Registers and Mortgage Act, it is worth providing deeper insights into contemporary Polish land and mortgage register law against the historical background. The article is aimed at outlining the evolution of legislative and doctrinal approaches to the position of land and mortgage registers in the legal system in Poland — from the period of the interwar Codification Commission’s activity, through the decades of the totalitarian domination of the communist system, until the present time. In this respect, particular reference will be made to basic rules underpinning the organisation of land and mortgage registers. Based on the overview of the development of land and mortgage register law, with special consideration of its legislative marginalisation in the People’s Republic of Poland, conclusions will be drawn as to the current legal position of land and mortgage registers in the context of recognising the vital importance thereof for property law relations.

The Social Status of the elderly from a Comparative Perspective: distinctions of Post-communist Countries

Social status reflects the hierarchical position of social groups within society, their prestige as perceived by members of their society. The existing literature shows that age groups differ in their status considerably across countries, and that their status is linked to socio-economic modernization. This study investigates the determinants of elderly people’s status in post-communist countries in comparison to other countries. Using two large international datasets — from the World Values Survey (58 countries) and European Social Survey (29 countries) — as well as multilevel regressions, we found that elderly people in post-communist countries were at the bottom of the status hierarchy. Compared to other regions of the world, this low status was only in part explained by country modernization level, implying that some other factors may have had an effect. Moreover, only in postcommunist countries the perceived status of older people decreased with respondent’s age. We suggest that the low status of older people in post-communist countries was caused by the social and economic transformations that followed the fall of the communist regime — which led to the older generation losing human capital — and then exacerbated by the ageist legacy of the Soviet industrialist ideology. Finally, we insist that the very low status of older people is a problem of society as a whole rather than this particular age group.

Everyday life of Ukrainians during the years of mass artificial famine of 1921–1923. According to narrative sources

This article examines the daily life of Ukrainians during the years of mass artificial famine. The aim of our article is to analyze the perception of Ukrainians of the new everyday life: the Bolshevik occupation of Ukraine, their food policy, which caused a mass artificial famine and took the lives of 3.5 million Ukrainians. The author analyzes narratives (memories, diaries of contemporaries of events and interviews collected directly by the author and colleagues during ethnographic expeditions). According to the author, the narratives, despite a certain subjectivity, most fully reflect the essence of the era, convey the feelings and experiences of people who found themselves in the grip of a mass artificial famine caused by the policies of the communist regime. As a result of the study, the author concludes that the effects of mass artificial famine were long-lasting. We mean not only the economic, but, first of all, the humanitarian component. The psychology of the people has changed: many Ukrainians have been forced to humiliate themselves to get miserable food, some have been forced to lose their moral face and dare to steal, and anger and hatred for people have intensified. According to medical research, hunger causes anger, greed, cruelty, misanthropy, immorality. Hunger is able to activate atavistic human instincts. Children were the most affected by the mass artificial famine. They were suffered from food shortages, starved, some of them died forever. Those who survived had poor health and a broken psyche. After the mass artificial famine of 1921 – 1923, Ukrainian society transformed its identity. However, the final loss of national origins will occur during the Holodomor genocide of 1932 – 1933.