Pāvela Florenska “Ekokarte”

The introduction of the article outlines the topicality of eco-philosophy and eco-theology in rela-tion to life, nature and human existence problems. The notion of „eco-map” used in social sciences is dis-cussed as conditionally related to P. Florensky’s creative work. The main section displays three directions of his eco-philosophy: 1) general problematics (environment/culture; a man/a mask); 2) the direction rela-ted to P. Florensky as a representative of sophiology (Sophia or wisdom in a wide sense solving the relati-onal problematic of God and creation); 3) the direction characterizing the unity between his life and crea-tive work (the world of life, the asceticism/starecs’ problem). The conclusions stress the three basic traits of P. Florensky’s ecosophy: the consubstantiality of the All-Unified; the antinomic symbolism; the truthfulness of life. The research methods applied: the analysis of scientific literature; the hermeneutic analysis of P. Florensky’s texts.

Cilvēka būtības un vietas redefinēšanas iespējas: vērtību piemērs

Employing the methodological arsenal of philosophy – questioning, wondering, refuting, doubting as well as discourse analysis methods, the aim of this article is to reflect on possibilities to redefine values in a new communication situation, which can be described as a situation with a large number of communi-cation channels and diverse communication opportunities, making the „consumer” to determine the agen-da of his/her media. In this new communication situation, the necessity for a more critical, independent, conscious and reflexive manner of thinking is growing, which requires the truth-seeker to transcend his/her limitations of everyday thinking and apply the ancient and modern scientific definitions about the essence of human nature and values. This particular study employs M. Buber’s concept of I – Thou rela-tionships. Thus, in the humanitarian sciences, to define values means redefining values or defining them independently, which means that one 1) must define a particular value as a concept, logically (naming it) (ex. „forgiveness”, „I forgive You”) and in the same time 2) must implement it with a real action (act of forgiveness).

Velosatiksmes pārvaldība Valmieras pašvaldībā: sistēmpieejas izpratnes un pārvaldības attīstība

Cycling and general sustainable mobility has become a topical issue around Europe, and gradually also in Latvia, including Valmiera – a medium size town, which is a research-base for this study where the governance and development of the municipal cycling infrastructure is analysed. The rapid growth of cycling in Valmiera not only highlights some deficiencies in urban infrastructure developments, but also reveals the management problems: the expectations and needs of users of different means of transportation and also pedestrians are not met. Looking towards solving various cycling development issues, it is necessary, first of all, to develop an understanding of system’s approach and the systemic governance of the cycling infrastructure. The urban transport/mobility system must be developed as a whole, integrating cycling mobility in it as an independently and continuously developing component, promoting a process of cooperation between all parties involved. Thus, to facilitate the cycling mobility of inhabitants in Valmiera, the involvement/participation of all the interested parties shall be pro-actively communicated – informed, educated/trained, pro-cycling behaviour encouraged. During this integrative case study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied complementary: analysis of documents, infrastructure observations in the town with photo documentation, survey of inhabitants, also in-depth semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Additionally, a participatory observation was conducted through participation in cycling activities, forums, working groups, etc., elaborating suggestions for the municipal planning document - Transport Infrastructure Development Concept of Valmiera.

Latvijas Komunistiskās (boļševiku) partijas Ventspils apriņķa komitejas slepenā sarakste ar Prokuratūras, Iekšlietu un Valsts drošības iestādēm (1945–1949)

The secret correspondence of the Ventspils District Committee of the Latvian Communist (Bol-shevik) Party (LC(b)P) with the Prosecutor’s Office, the Interior and the State Security Institutions dur-ing the last years of the district’s existence, from 1945 to 1949, shows how the Communist Party man-aged and controlled life in the region. The research is based on the scope of documents dedicated to Ventspils District Committee of the LC(b)P. The secret correspondence covers the following issues: collection of compromising materials on the nominees; abuse of authority performed by officials and military personnel; events organized by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of State Security in Ventspils District on election days of the Supreme Council, local councils and the People's Court; sending the best communists to work in the sys-tem of the Ministry of the State Security and the Ministry of the Interior, as decided by the Central Committee Bureau of LC(b)P; the staff conflicts within the Interior and State Security Institutions; defi-ciencies in the work of people's courts; non-compliance with the fire safety regulations, etc.

Piekrastes pārvaldība Latvijā: pārvaldības ietvara attīstības pārskats

The coastal territory is a complex socio-ecological system (SES), which needs to be governed using an integrated approach. Integrated coastal management (ICM) is considered as the main approach in coastal governance, offering a holistic view of the coastal zone by integrating different governance sectors and governance levels, but ICM is not a fixed approach and should be adopted to meet each particular unique national and local situation. Full scale ICM in Latvia is not applied, but the following problems are recognized as most significant in the coastal territory: the lack of qualitative infrastructure and the lack of good governance; the local level coastal SES is studied, monitored and evaluated insufficiently as well as good practice examples are not communicated enough. In the current study, the exploration of the legisla-tive regulations and planning documents was conducted, therefore, the main research methods are docu-ment studies and expert interviews. Both the vertical and horizontal integration were assessed for the coastal governance, as well as overview of ICM developments in the modern history of Latvia. In order to understand the situation of the coastal governance in Latvia, the scheme of coastal dune protection zone was prepared, based on Latvian coastal legislation, however it is often difficult to depict different protec-tion zones in practice in such a dynamic and changing territory as a coastal zone.

Starpkulturālās komunikācijas nozīme visaptverošas valsts aizsardzības sistēmas veidošanā

The implementation of the comprehensive national defense system in Latvia marks a new turning point in the relationship between the state and society – instead of being consumers of the security and defense provided by the state, every inhabitant of Latvia must become an active contributor to the natio-nal defense system. Thus, the society’s willingness to defend the state becomes an essential element in the successful implementation of the comprehensive state defense system. This article analyzes the different views of Latvian and Russian-speaking population on issues that affect the willingness to defend the state, as well as evaluates the role of intercultural communication for informing public and increasing the involvement in the comprehensive national defense system.

Nevalstiskās organizācijas kā vēstures skaidrojumu veidotājas un izplatītājas valsts varas vajadzībām Krievijā

The aim of this article is to analyse the activity of agents of civil society – the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia, which create and disseminate the interpretations of historic milestones of the 20th century. The article demonstrates how factors, which have classically been regarded as characte-ristics for the civil society that is independent from direct interference of the state, become the tools directly controlled by the state. Thus, democratic and rational discussion on milestones of history is dis-torted. Several NGOs disseminate narratives elaborated and supported one-sidedly by the state while pre-sented as independent from it and thus – reliable and sound. The arguments put forward by these agents to justify their claims marginalize alternative views due to their imperative nature.

Latviešu Sieviešu apvienības (LSA) Liepājas sieviešu labklājības veicināšanas komisijas (LSA LSL VK) biedreņu sociālais portrets un sociāla darbība (1927–1937)

Latvian Women’s Association (LWA) was established in Riga in 1924 by its one and the only le-ader Emilija Jurevica and it was one of the biggest monoethnical active nationalistic („for latvians only”) socpolitical women’s organisations in Latvia, which tried to solve both social and political issues topical for the society of that time. It’s branch – Liepāja Commission for the Promotion of Women's Welfare (LWA LCPWW), established in 1927, was not the biggest LWA’s branch, but the most active one. The aim of this article is to analyse the role of LWA LPWW in the social an cultural life of Liepaja through the social portrait and social activities of its members.

Latvijas 20. gs. vēstures hronoloģija: problēmas, iespējas un risinājumi

The 20th century history of Latvia is complex and sometimes difficult to understand for a non–professional. In the 1900’s, in Latvia various powers changed several times and events unfolded rapidly and with many turning points. Tracing all of them is a challenge even for a professional historian. The chronology is the first serious attempt to provide an answer to this challenge and make the history of Lat-via more understandable not only for history enthusiasts, but also for people interested in history – both in Latvia and elsewhere. The group of historians who developed this chronology also faced various problems – from the development of the most important criteria for the selection of facts to the problems of the exact data of events. Although a complete reflection of chronology cannot be expected in a chronology of this nature, which, in the author’s opinion, is only an ideal goal – it is undoubtedly a significant step towards the fur-ther formation of chronology and creation of deeper understanding of history of Latvia.

Rīgas Stradiņu universitātes Socioloģijas katedras devums Latvijas izglītībai, zinātne un sabiedrībai

The article offers an overview of the activities of the Department of Sociology of Riga Stradins University during its existence in 1998–2020. The article states the aims of the Department, lists the implemented study programmes in sociology, law and psychology, as well as describes the development of the Department during its existence. It should be noted that the Department has played an important role not only in research and teaching the new generations of sociologists and psychologists, but also in scientific expertise.