ROUTES OF KUÇEDRA

The article takes the reader along the multitude of entanglements between the social, political, economic, infrastructural, scientific, and mythological meanings of water in Albania. Waterways, along with the routes of the mythical water figure called Kuçedra, continuously bring to the shore the meaning and the relation to authority. The latter used to be an essential part of the unwritten laws or the so-called Kanuns that were managed by the big men of particular patrilines. The article argues that the relation to authority is deeply rooted in the structural terrains of the Albanian society. The changing nature of the water (in similar ways to Kuçedra) always manages to trickle down, permeate, entangle and transgress these ambiguities and generate space-time in contemporary Albania.

A SPIRIT IN THE SERVICE OF THE NATION

The thesis of the article is that slivovitz or plum brandy (slivovka in Slovene) played an important role in the reproduction of Yugoslav banal nationalism. It reminded Yugoslavs on a daily basis that they were members of a particular national community. The article is based on an analysis of texts containing the word slivovka that appeared in Delo, Slovenia’s newspaper of record, in the period 1959–91 and Delo’s predecessors Slovenski poročevalec and Ljudska pravica in the period 1945–59.

FOOD HERITAGE-MAKING BETWEEN THE ALPS AND THE ADRIATIC

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PLENTY OF FISH IN THIS SEA: SIFTING THE PAST IN THE NORTHEASTERN ADRIATIC

The paper discusses heritagization, remembering, and past presencing in the North East Adriatic through the four fish species that serve as nodal points in the interplay between the past and the present. Following the selected fish species, the paper explores the diversity of imaginaries that pertain to the mediation of the past in the present in the field of ethnological study in the North East Adriatic.

THE MUSICAL CODE OF ROUND-NUMBER BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR SENIORS IN LITHUANIA

This article examines round-number birthday celebrations for people in Lithuania using video recordings uploaded to the internet over the past decade. The focus of attention is birthday celebrations for seniors (age fifty and over). The main goal is to use a structural and semantic approach in order to reveal the cultural and social meanings of celebrations through their musical code.

NARRATIVES ABOUT WORK IN CROATIAN CELEBRITY CULTURE

This paper is based on research into narratives surrounding the work of (micro)celebrities in Croatia. The analysis comprises written materials dedicated, in various degrees, to different aspects of work as it is performed in Croatian celebrity culture, such as space, time, intensity, character, and value of the work in question; published in newspapers and weeklies or posted on web portals during 2018 and the first half of 2019. Micro-celebrities occupy a special place within celebrity culture, characterized not only by lesser fame and public recognition compared to traditional celebrities, but also by different avenues leading to the acquisition of this particular status.

EVEN THE GODS DIE ... THE STATE FUNERAL AND NATIONAL MOURNING FOR THE ALBANIAN COMMUNIST DICTATOR ENVER HOXHA

This paper focuses on the death, state funeral, and national mourning for the Albanian communist dictator Enver Hoxha (1908–1985). This exploration of the emotional experiences and cultural strategies of coping with the death of a deathless leader aims to shed light on the performative roles of the ruling party, the workers, and the class enemies, as well as on the methods of ruling in a dictatorial system.

THE UPPER SAVINJA VALLEY STOMACH SAUSAGE – A NARRATIVE OF SPACE, DIET, AND PEOPLE

The author discusses the history, methods of production, and use of the Upper Savinja Valley stomach sausage, an excellent dry meat product, which is firmly embedded in economic and ritual practices of the inhabitants of the Savinja Alps. Through the examination of the production, consumption, donation, and promotion of the Upper Savinja Valley stomach sausage, we are acquainted with the lives of the people along the upper reaches of the Savinja River, their connection with food heritage, their values, norms, and social differentiation. The author also aims to answer the question of the role of food beyond its physiological significance and material substance.

BRANDING TOLMIN CHEESE

The author presents the history of local cheese evaluation, from the commodification at the end of the 19th century to modern qualification instruments, emphasizing the collective trademark and the protected designation of origin. The main actors involved in the branding process, their objectives, effects, and specific features are outlined. In addition to strengthening agricultural production, food processing, and market supply, the branding processes have shaped and consolidated representations of (past) regional cheese production and livestock breeding, and have built locality.

BRAZILIAN MUSIC BETWEEN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL

After Brazil became independent in 1822, intellectuals and politicians were confronted with the question of how to create a common identity that would connect the vast territory and the communities living there into a single whole. Along with the national identity, regional ones were formed as well, marked by the desire to preserve their own cultural expression within the larger state. Under the influence of the mass media, folk musical expressions contributed to the emergence of popular music, which was also influenced by the elites, who acted as gatekeepers and arbiters.