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This paper explores whether the succession of generations can be an impetus that changes prevailing patterns of interpretation within teaching staff. Following Karl Mannheim, I argue that social patterns of interpretation are shaped by generation-specific experiences. One then would expect changes in the patterns of interpretation within teaching staff to take place continuously, as older members are replaced by younger ones. But due to particular dynamics within the labour market, over the last two centuries, always one specific birth cohort was prevailing among teachers (in Germany). At the end of its career, it was replaced by a younger cohort within a short period. This might mean, typical patterns of interpretation changed within a short period as well. This idea is tested by two examples. They suggest it is correct for a homogeneous group of teachers. However, within other social groups of teachers in other geographical areas different patterns of interpretation can be found simultaneously. Considering the teaching profession as a whole it would thus be problematic to assume uniform, generation-specific patterns of interpretation that changed at uniform points in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study shows both coexistence and confrontation between Czech minority and German majority in musical life of a small town of Litoměřice which is situated on the route from Prague to Dresden in the agricultural and fruit-growing area alongside the River Labe. At the turn of the 20th century the town was the seat of the Catholic bishopric as well as several regional and district offices, schools and monasteries. The main pillars of its musical life there were music and cultural societies Leitmeritzer Gesang- und Musikverein (1858) and Měšťanská beseda (Burghers' Club, 1862) which had been associated with music activities of the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral and other churches, music schools, municipal theater (since 1822) as well as military bands of infantry regiments stationed in the nearby Terezín. There are mentioned in the text some significant events (festival of the Deutscher Sängerbund in Böhmen, 1883, visit of Emperor Franz Josef I. in 1901 and others) and is given a characterization of a standard musical season. The paper is partly based on research into so far unexplored archival material deposited in the State Regional Archives Litoměřice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following article focuses on the issue of the militant feminist group Red Zora. Red Zora made their first appearance in 1973 and the last one in 1995. This group attacked predominantly patriarchal institutes, companies, and persons representing and building up a male sexist society, which is seen by the radical feminist group as an oppression and exploitation women worldwide. They have conducted campaigns against porn traders, sex shops, international traders of women etc. The goal of this paper is to explain actions of Red Zora by using the perspective of feminism. Concrete theories of feminism which were used were radical and marxist types of feminism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text sums up the conclusions of the author's sociolinguistic investigations conducted (particularly in the form of questionnaires) in years 1996–2001 and published in the monograph Sprachverhalten und ethnische Identität. Sorbische Schüler an der Jahrtausendwende (Language Attitudes and Ethnic Identity. Sorbian Students at the Turn of the Millennium) in 2005. Investigations were carried out at many Sorbian schools in Upper Lusatia and were aimed at ethnic awareness of the students, their choice/use of Sorbian or German, attitude to both languages, and reception of culture among young Sorbs aged 11–19. The author is mainly focused on the Sorbian Grammar School in Bautzen (Budyšin in Sorbian). In order to make the generalisation of the acquired outcomes possible, analogical surveys were also conducted at lower secondary schools in the villages of Crostwitz/Chrós?icy, Ralbitz/Ralbicy, Panschwitz-Kuckau/Pan?icy-Kukow, Räckelwitz/Worklecy, Radibor/Radwor, and in the municipality of Bautzen/Budyšin. The findings presented, analyzed and interpreted in the paper can, to a great degree, be in general applied to the present-day young Sorbian population as a whole. Simultaneously, they yield data for possible comparisons with the situation of other minority ethnic groups in Europe (e.g. the Welsh, the Romansh, Breton…). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with activities of German institution from Mainz Stiftung Lesen. Author's aim is to present the last of its surveys (2008) against a background of other publications and activities that Stiftung Lesen has rendered. As for results, the survey was organized in relationship to two main topics: reading of minority national groups in Germany and reading within Internet. Results show that reading still represents a key competence, even for such activities as dealing with Internet and other media. One can witness no competition between these two media, but rather an attempt how to organize their roles and cultural cooperation anew. Once again, the book is not dying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a translation and preliminary evaluation of selected curses written on lead tablets discovered in the joint temple of the Great Mother and Isis in the German town of Mainz. They belong in the category of prayers for justice and the most remarkable features or information we can obtain from them are especially the facts that: (1) they invoke, quite unexpectedly, the Great Mother and Attis, whose presence on curse tablets had been previously either only very rarely attested (in case of Attis) or completely unknown (in case of the Great Mother); (2) the relatively early dating of these tablets (75-125 CE), together with the use of very deferential epithets in addressing Attis and allusions to mysteric components, might lead to a reconsideration of the traditional opinion that the deification of Attis should be placed in the reign of the Antonine dynasty or even later; (3) they use colorful persuasive analogies and proleptic expressions probably attesting a very good knowledge of the Attis myth and rituals taking place during the March festival of this god in Rome or in Ostia and thus making the traditional demarcation between magic and religion problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the substitutions and deformations of human faces in the Ashkenazi Hebrew illuminated manuscripts in the 13th and 14th centuries of Germany. It says that facial deformations are predominantly represented by Jewish characters while birdlike or animal faces are being used as a typical substitution. It adds that the insight of medieval Jewish scholars on the images biblical prohibition for the faces' substitutions and deformations are also discussed.