Nationalisms and the Orthodox worlds

This review article explores the role nationalism has played in the world dominated by the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The focus is on the recent contributions of Paschalis Kitromilides who has written extensively on this topic. The article assesses the four books dealing with the relationship between religion, politics, Enlightenment and nationalism in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. The analysis emphasises the complex and contradictory relationship between nationalisms and the Orthodox Churches pointing to the profound transformation that has taken the place in this relationship over the last 250 years.     

Residents' attitudes toward ethnic neighborhood tourism (ENT): perspectives of ethnicity and empowerment

ABSTRACT

Ethnic neighborhood tourism (ENT) has the potential to not only alter the identity of the ethnic landscape but to also influence the distribution of power and economic benefits from tourism between ethnic groups. Such unequal distribution may foster divergent attitudes toward tourism between minority residents whose culture is at the center of ENT and those of the majority population whose cultural heritage is being overshadowed. With this in mind, this study compared the relationship between Japanese and Brazilian residents’ perceived empowerment from tourism and their attitudes toward tourism development in the ENT destination of Oizumi, Japan. Results revealed that even though the Brazilians perceived themselves to be more psychologically and socially empowered from ENT, the perceptions of empowerment among the Japanese were slightly better predictors of support for tourism and Japanese residents’ perceptions of tourism's contributions within the community. The findings suggest the importance of sociocultural determinants of resident attitudes especially among those who do not perceive economic benefits from tourism. The study also indicates the appropriateness of combining social exchange theory with more holistic theories to capture the complexities influencing resident attitudes toward tourism.     

The futures of ethnic groups in the Russian Federation

The changes, sometimes dramatic, in the size and structure of the ethnic groups of the Russian Federation (RF) raise questions about their possible futures. The paper presents simulations of how ethnic groups of the RF could develop in the future and discusses the demographic aspects of the predicted changes. The simulations cover a 25-year period, from 1 January 2011 to 1 January 2036 and were prepared for the 22 most numerous ethnic groups using a multistate cohort-component population dynamics model. To prepare the assumptions for the simulations, ethnicity-specific data (no longer collected) on fertility, mortality, and international migration were used. The results indicate that in the coming 20 years Russia will face numerous challenges related to the changes in the size, age structure, and ethnic composition of its population. The population of the RF will age and, except in the “Modernization” scenario, will shrink. Non-Slavic and Muslim populations will increase their share in the total population at the expense of Slavic and Orthodox ethnic groups and will age more slowly.     

Nunavik and the Multiple Dimensions of Inuit Governance

ABSTRACT

Over the last five decades, the emergence of a sophisticated and multidimensional set of governance institutions in the predominantly Inuit regions of Canada and the circumpolar north has had a profound impact on the lives of Inuit peoples and the states in which they live. The region of Nunavik in northern Québec has played an important role in the political development of the Canadian and circumpolar Inuit, serving as both an institutional innovator and a key source of leadership at the regional, national, and international levels. Using a multilevel governance framework, this article explores the vertical and horizontal dimensions of Inuit governance in Canada and the circumpolar north. In particular, the article will focus on Nunavik’s contribution to and place in this multidimensional governance structure.     

Cultural impact of modernization and tourism on Dai villages in Xishuangbanna,China

The development of tourism can have a considerable sociocultural impact on ethnic communities, but few studies have attempted to separate the unique impact of ethnic tourism from the overall impact of modernization and describe its mechanism clearly. This paper describes a quasi-natural experiment performed in three typical Dai villages in different stages of tourism development. A crosswise and longitudinal comparative study was performed on Dai village culture. The study indicates the following: (1) spiritual culture has been transmitted relatively unchanged across generations in three Dai villages, but material culture has undergone various degrees of change. (2) The changes in material culture and some parts of institutional culture have been caused primarily by the pressure of overall social modernization. (3) Currently, the overall thrust of modernization in mainstream Chinese society has driven some ethnic cultural practices out of use, while the endogenous driving force of tourism development in ethnic communities has pulled them back into use. (4) Under the influence of modernization, the issue of whether ethnic tourism communities can be developed in a sustainable way depends on both bottom-up and top-down factors: the leading role played by community elites internally, developing useful parts of ethnic culture and discarding useless parts during repeated games in the tourism field, and government policy and guidance facilitating planning.     

苏格兰地区少数族裔创业与社会资本引入

论文通过调研华裔、印度裔、巴基斯坦裔等少数族裔在苏格兰的创业活动,分析了苏格兰华裔、印度裔、巴基斯坦裔等少数族裔移民的人口与经济活动及创业障碍。认为尽管少数族裔创业对促进少数族裔就业、改善少数族裔群体生活条件、促进地区社会稳定与经济增长作出了重要贡献,但少数族裔创业仍存在难以获得外部融资、可获得建议渠道有限、创业动机不太积极、行业过分集中导致竞争激烈以及创业者素质有待提高等局限性。主要原因可归结为少数族裔创业环境的"政策缺失"和"社会资本弱化"。这两点可通过"政府引导"与"社会资本引入"管理制度的创新进行改善和补偿。     

对青海省回族聚居区新农村建设问题的探讨

青海省是多民族聚居的省份。重视各个民族的新农村建设,因地制宜,因势利导,是加快全省新农村建设步伐的题中应有之义。该文从六个方面就青海省回族聚居区如何建设社会主义新农村进行了探索。     

依旧是“客人”：印度加尔各答客家人认同的重塑

从奥兰多·帕特森的种族定义入手,探讨加尔各答客家人种族认同的构成,就加尔各答客家人而言,有三个因素对确立和维持其认同具有重要意义：即国家和民族政治、不同种族从事不同职业的分层制经济和东道国以“洁”与“不洁”之间的象征性对立为基础的宗教制度。种族、种姓、语言和宗教是维持种族认同的几个重要因素。种族认同会随着条件的变化而发生转变,由于职业、教育和政治环境迥然不同,客家人其认同轨道会截然不同。     

网络、国家与亚洲地域秩序：华人研究之批判性反思

以华人网络、国家和亚洲地域秩序为切入点,分析和反思了海外华人研究中若干关键性的理论和方法论问题;探讨了华人网络与市场、社会与国家、地方化与全球化的互动关系;解构和重估了华人社会和商业网络的历史性、空间化、制度性和局限性,华人网络在与国家和市场的频密互动中发挥作用,并在这一进程中调适自身的机制和功能。     

史料、方法、理论——谈马新中文源流“华人研究”主体的建立

从史学的视角为切入点,通过史料、方法、理论三个层面对马新中文源流“华人学”主体性建构可能性的探讨,得出结论,由于在研究方法和理论上的严重不足和匮乏,马新“华人学”的未来,只有在史料的发掘和解读的基础上,方能进一步发展自身的方法和理论。