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In this study, we developed sodium alginate-chitosan hydrogels using a microwave-assisted synthesis method, aligning with green chemistry principles for enhanced sustainability. This eco-friendly approach minimizes chemical use and waste while boosting efficiency. A curcumin:2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin complex was incorporated into the hydrogels, significantly increasing the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the structure and successful incorporation of curcumin, in both its pure and complexed forms, into the polymer matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed distinct thermal transitions influenced by the hydrogel composition and physical cross-linking. Hydrogels with higher alginate content had higher swelling ratios (338%), while those with more chitosan showed the lowest swelling ratios (254%). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed a porous structure as well as successful incorporation of curcumin or its complex. Curcumin release studies indicated varying releasing rates between its pure and complexed forms. The chitosan-dominant hydrogel exhibited the slowest release rate of pure curcumin, while the alginate-dominant hydrogel exhibited the fastest. Conversely, for curcumin from the inclusion complex, a higher chitosan proportion led to the fastest release rate, while a higher alginate proportion resulted in the slowest. This study demonstrates that the form of curcumin incorporation and gel matrix composition critically influence the release profile. Our findings offer valuable insights for designing effective curcumin delivery systems, representing a significant advancement in biodegradable and sustainable drug delivery technologies.

E-testovi smatraju se dominantnim vidom provere znanja i ocenjivanja pomoću računara i interneta, pružajući mogućnost testiranja u bilo koje vreme, na bilo kojoj lokaciji, brzo i efikasno. Danas su gotovo neizostavan deo platformi za elektronsko učenje. Rad je koncipiran tako da su njime obuhvaćeni svi značajni aspekti e-testiranja i ocenjivanja u e-učenju, kao važnom segmentu u osavremenjavanju procesa obrazovanja. Nakon razmatranja sistema za e-testiranje i karakteristika koje jedan moderan sistem ovakve namene treba posedovati, akcenat se stavlja na e-testove kao produkt sistema za e-testiranje i ocenjivanje. Na kraju izlaganja izvršena je analiza najpopularnijih veb baziranih alata (sistema) za e-testiranje i ocenjivanje u e-učenju. Značaj elektronskog testiranja ogleda se u kvalitetu i efikasnosti ocenjivanja i procenjivanja znanja uopšte.

Half a century after the first migrant workers left to find labor in the countries of Western Europe comes the moment in which it is necessary to summarize and refocus the research into this phenomenon. The research effort has – in accordance with temporal distance and accessible documents – been joined by historians, on top of previously existing research conducted within the frameworks of demography, economy and sociology. The modest participation of anthropologists within studies of migrant workers up to the present has resulted in a scarcity of critical research questions and studies which would provide answers to them. Some issues were missed due to non-functional focusing on immigration and national minorities in neighboring countries, and can now only be studied within the context of historical anthropology. Still, it is necessary to define the directions which new research questions should take in order to make the transition from description to interpretation of phenomena stemming from the fact that over a million people from Serbia, over the last half century, have spent, or still spend a large portion of their lives working in Western European countries. This paper represents an attempt to formulate some of the possible paths contemporary anthropological research could take in the study of the semi centennial “temporary labor abroad” of Serbian citizens.

Based on fieldwork conducted in Eastern Serbia (Knjaževac and Ku!evo with surrounding regions), this paper analyzes the life stories of migrant workers as material crucial for anthropological and folkloristic research into experiences, values and attitudes of the members of a certain culture. The term "guest worker" (ser. gastarbajter, i.e. ger.gastarbeit) was used to designate temporary migrants who served as labor at the time of the reconstruction of Western Europe after World War II. A large number of migrant workers decided to stay in the host countries, and work migrations are still a common occurrence today. Based on the life stories of guest workers, in this paper we will attempt to map out the specific characteristics of different waves of migration. While all the waves of migration had a common cause – the desire for a better life and material stability – there were certain additional motives which depended on the political and socio-economic conditions in the home country. Furthermore, we are interested in the process of acculturation in different host countries, focusing on the differences in social policy regarding immigrants, the geographic distance from Serbia and the number of compatriots in the host country. Finally, we will address the narratives of guest workers who have returned, focusing on the reasons they decided to come back to their home country and the ways in which they settled down after their return.

The paper looks at the phenomenon of migrant workers who emigrated to Western European countries after World War II. The labor demands created by the economic reconstruction of these countries, most notably Great Britain, West Germany, France, Switzerland, the Benelux countries, Sweden and Austria, coupled with low birth rates and high death rates, made it necessary for them to hire immigrant workers. On the other hand, poor economic conditions, few employment opportunities and a yearning for a higher standard of living drove workers from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Greece, Ireland, Finland and North Africa to seek work abroad. These temporary migrant workers represent a link between their countries of origin and their host countries, and, as a group of people maintaining links with their native countries, they can also be considered their countries’ diaspora. However, considering the temporary nature of their residence abroad, it is questionable whether they actually are a diaspora. It is for this reason that the paper juxtaposes the phenomena of the diaspora and temporary migrant workers in order to analyze the question of whether, when and how these workers become a diaspora. In particular, it focuses on migrant workers from Yugoslavia, usually referred to as “gastarbajteri” (gastarbeiter), who in the 1960s and 1970s migrated mostly to West Germany, Austria, Australia, France and Switzerland, and on their political treatment by the Yugoslav state.

Review of a book by Nina Kulenović. The Social Ontology of the Film "Avatar." Anthropological Analysis. 2011. Belgrade: University of Belgrade - Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Ethnology and Anthropology

Recent studies of Erwinia amylovora in Montenegro, conducted from 2012 to 2014, indicated that the bacterium was widespread in the northern, continental part of the country, where the most important fruit-growing regions are situated. The presence of the bacterium was confirmed on quince, pear, apple, medlar and hawthorn. Pathogenic, cultural and biochemical characteristics of E. amylovora strains sampled from pome fruit species and indigenous flora in Montenegro had been studied previously. In the present study, serological tests were used for identification of E. amylovora strains originating from pome fruit trees and indigenous plants. Monitoring of E. amylovora and collection of samples with symptoms of bacterial fire blight from different hosts and locations were performed in Montenegro from 2012 to 2014. Isolation of the bacterium on nutrient medium produced a large number of isolates, whose pathogenicity was confirmed on immature pear fruits. Twenty-seven strains of the bacterium, originating from three pome fruit species (quince, pear and apple) and one indigenous species (hawthorn) were selected for serological analyses. Two applied serological methods, ELISA and IF test, enabled rapid detection of the bacterium and simultaneous examination of a large number of samples over a short period of time. Serological analyses showed high homogeneity in antigenic structure of the studied E. amylovora strains sampled from quince, pear, apple and hawthorn from nine locations in Montenegro.

Recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis is a rare and chronic disease of the larynx caused by infection with human papillomaviruses type 6 or 1. Larynx is the most common location of papillomas with changes in voice as the first presenting symptom. Patients suffer from wart-like growths in the aerodigestive tract, recurrences and possible life-threatening obstruction of the airway. The course of the disease is unpredictable. Although spontaneous remission is possible, variable clinical course may include frequent recurrence of disease, significant morbidity and frequent surgical procedures. The mechanisms responsible for the variability in the clinical course and the persistence of latent HPV infection remain unknown. It is considered that both adaptive and innate immune response made by patients with papillomatosis support chronic infection. Patients with laryngeal papillomas are unable to produce an effective HPVspecific T-cell response, as shown by an altered CD8+ subset and the Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance with suppression of Th1 response. There is a genetic association between certain HLA type II genes with severe course of disease and downregulation of HLA type I genes. Surgical excision, including new methods such as microdebrider, aims to secure an adequate airway and improve and maintain an acceptable voice, but may cause serious complications like stenosis of the airway. When papillomas recur, old and new adjuvant methods may be tried. Intralesional cidofovir injection is shown as effective and secure in the majority of cases. Recent advances in immune system research may provide the improvement of our treatment modalities and prevention strategies.

Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight (FB) on fruit trees and ornamentalplants, rapidly spread across eastern Mediterranean countries in the early 1980s. This quarantinebacterium probably arrived in the southern parts of the former Yugoslavia (nowFYR Macedonia) from Greece. Based on symptoms, and isolation and identification data, itwas concluded that Erwinia amylovora was the causal agent of pear drying in Macedonia(1989). It was the first experimental confirmation of a presence of E. amylovora in the territoryof the former Yugoslavia. The presence of E. amylovora was also proved in Serbia thatsame year. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, FB was detected during 1990. Based on an officialreport filed with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Belgrade, the presence of E. amylovorain Yugoslavia was confirmed (EPPO – Reporting Service, 1991). Therefore, the presenceof the bacterium E. amylovora in the territory of Yugoslavia was officially confirmedin 1990. In Croatia, FB was first observed in villages near the border on Serbia in 1995.In Montenegro, FB was first detected in 1996. In Slovenia, FB appeared as late as in 2001.E. amylovora is now present on 10 hosts (pear, wild pear, apple, quince, medlar, mountainash,hawthorn, firethorn, cotoneaster and Japanese quince) in the territory ofthe former Yugoslav republics. Based on literature data, losses caused by FB in theformer Yugoslav republics in the period 1989-1992 were estimated at about12,000,000 DEM (mostly in Macedonia) and in the period 1992–1996 at 6,000,000 DEM.Total damage in a more recent epiphytotic year in Slovenia (2003) was estimated atabout 474,200 EUR.Conventional and up-to-date rapid methods (PCR, ELISA and IF, BIOLOG and API System,FAME and SDS-PAGE) have been used to identify E. amylovora. Mainly preventive measures have been used to control E. amylovora in the former Yugoslav republics. Spraying withcopper products has been practiced during the dormant period and in early spring. Inrare cases, spraying has been done at the flowering stage (MARYBLYT), but the problemis that no synthetic bactericides are available on the market. When symptoms occur, onlymechanical measures are being applied.

Pola veka od odlaska prvih gastarbajtera na rad u zemlje zapadne Evrope je momenat u kome je potrebno rezimirati i refokusirati istraživanja celokupne pojave. U to istraživanje shodno vremenskoj distanci i dostupnim dokumentima uključili su se i istoričari, uz već ranije prisutna proučavanja u okvirima demografije, ekonomije i sociologije. Skromno učešće antropologa u dosadašnjem proučavanju gastarbajtera rezultiralo je siromaštvom problemski postavljenih pitanja i istraživanja koja na tako postavljena pitanja daju odgovore. Neki trenuci su propušteni usled nefunkcionalnog fokusiranja na iseljeništvo i nacionalne manjine u susedstvu, i danas mogu biti proučavani samo u okviru istorijske antropologije. Ipak, potrebno je definisati koji su to pravci problemski formiranih pitanja koji će učiniti prelaz sa deskripcije na tumačenje pojava proizašlih iz činjenice da je više od milion ljudi iz Srbije, tokom pola veka, dobar deo svog života provelo ili još uvek provodi u zemljama zapadne Evrope. Ovaj rad predstavlja pokušaj da se formulišu neki od mogućih puteva savremenog antropološkog proučavanja poluvekovnog „privremenog rada u inostranstvu“ građana Srbije.

Povodom knjige Gordana Gorunović. Antropologija Kliforda Gerca. Kulturna teorija i interpretativna analiza kultura. 2010. Beograd: Srpski genealoški centar i Odeljenje za etnologiju i antropologiju Filozofskog fakulteta

Prikaz naučnog skupa povodom 50. međunarodne univerzitetske nedelje "Između evropeizacije, globalizacije i tradicije: svakodnevna kultura u jugoistočnoj Evropi u tranziciji", Tucing 2011

Na osnovu sprovedenih terenskih istraživanja u istočnoj i jugoistočnoj Srbiji (Kučevo i Knjaževac sa okolinom) u radu se ispituju životne priče gastarbajtera kao materijal važan za antropološko i folklorističko istraživanje njihovog iskustva, vrednosti i identiteta. Pojam „gastarbajter“ odnosio se na privremene migrante koji su služili kao radna ispomoć u vreme obnove Zapadne Evrope posle II svetskog rata. Ne samo da se veliki broj radnih migranata odlučivao da ostane u zemlji imigracije, već su radne migracije nastavljene sve do danas. U ovom radu interesuje nas da, dajući glas samim gastarbajterima, na osnovu njihovih životnih priča izdvojimo i uočimo karakteristike različitih migracionih talasa koji su bili motivisani jednom zajedničkom odlukom – željom za boljim životom i materijalnim blagostanjem, ali i posebnim dodatnim motivima za iseljenje u zavisnosti od političkih i socio-ekonomskih uslova u zemlji matici. Nadalje, interesuje nas proces akulturacije u različitim zemljama useljenja, uočavajući razlike koje postoje u odnosu na socijalnu politiku prema imigrantima, udaljenosti od Srbije i brojnosti sunarodnika u okruženju zemlje imigracije. Konačno, razmotrićemo i priče gastarbajtera-povratnika i razloge za odluku da se vrate u domovinu.

This paper is the result of research done on the TV comedy show (series) "Kursadžije" by Grand Production. The attention is directed towards understanding the motives of the Fool (buffoon) which appears as the characteristic of the main characters in the show. Kursadžije (a rough translation would be Course-attending-people) are attendants of a course for Special Balkan Forces and they are the representatives of the countries that constituted the former Socialistic Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. By using the theoretic guidelines of Klappe’s about the Fool as a social type, and the analysis of V.Trifunovic, I will demonstrate why all of the Kursadžija’s are Fools and how they are different one from the other based on their different follies (buffoonery, craziness). Having in mind that this is a Serbian TV show and that the Serbian attendant of that course, Gedža Crazy Milojko (the American equivalent of Gedža could be Redneck or Hillbilly), is the only one who has the term "Crazy" (Fool) in his name, I will particularly pay attention to the motive of "Serbian craziness", and examine is it a way to emphasize how special the Serbs are, how unique and unbeatably exotic, i.e., why is the "Serbian craziness" valued as a positive one.

People make places – ways of feeling the world, 10. SIEF kongres, 17-21/4/2011, Lisabon

In this paper I will analyze Serbian documentary films about guest workers dating from the last decade of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st century, using the perspective of visual anthropology. I question the popular cultural notions about guest workers in films Весеље у Ждрелу (A Celebration in Zdrelo) by author Kamenko Katic, Звона позне јесени (The Bells of Late Autumn) by author Zoran Milenovic, Кад је Милорад удавао ћерку (When Milorad Gave His Daughter in Marriage) by author Vladimir Milisavljevic, Странац тамо, странац овде (A Foreigner There, a Foreigner Here) by author Sandra Mandic and 242 метра живота (242 Meters of Life) by author Novica Savic. The films deal with a number of issues: the economic aspects of guest workers’ lives, their liminal character, the issues of the second and third generations of guest workers, going away "temporarily" to work, and religious rituals. Even though the films were made recently, they all follow the lives of Vlach and Serbian, or rather Yugoslav guest workers who left to find temporary work abroad in Western Europe in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This serves the purpose of avoiding to deal with contemporary reasons for emigrating from Serbia and thus the possible critiques of current regimes or policies in power at the time the films were made.

У раду се бавим феноменом радника на привременом раду у иностранству који су после Другог светског рата мигрирали у земље Западне Европе. У циљу економске обнове, западно-европске земље су због ниског наталитета и високог морталитета биле принуђене да запошљавају инострану радну снагу. С друге стране, лоши економски услови, немогућности запослења и жеља за вишим стандардом од оног у земљи порекла мотивисали су раднике из Италије, Шпаније, Португалије, Турске, СФР Југославије, Грчке, Ирске, Финске и земаља северне Африке да потраже запослење у иностранству. Радници на привременом раду у иностранству представљају спону између земље матице и земље пријема. Самим тим, радни мигранти се могу сматрати и дијаспором земље матице. С тим у вези, у раду јукстапозиционирам феномене „дијаспора“ и „радници на привременом раду“ у циљу преиспитивања да ли, када и како радници на привременом раду постају дијаспора. У раду је посебан акценат стављен на радне мигранте из СФР Југославије, популарно називане „гастарбајтерима“ и политички однос државе према њима.

U radu se pristupa tekućem procesu evro-integracija Republike Srbije iz semiotičke perspektive. S tim u vezi, na osnovu dostupnih podataka iz medija, evro-integracije se prvo uobličavaju u narativ, a zatim se dati narativ analizira iz semiotičke perspektive koristeći se postavkama, pre svega, Alžirdasa Žilijena Gremasa. U radu se semiotički analiziraju dva nivoa značenja: semio-narativni (površinski, sintagmatski i konkretni) nivo se istražuje putem transformacijskog i aktancijalnog modela, i dubinski, apstraktni, paradigmatski i atemporalni nivo putem semiotičkog kvadrata. Cilj rada je razumevanje kako se proizvode znanje i značenja evro-integracija.

Yugoslavia's foreign policy orientation and the country's role in the nonaligned movement made it possible for Josip Broz Tito to behave like a tourist. This paper aims to show what kind of tourist Tito was and what elements of tourism are to be found in his travels. Tito’s travels were to be contextualized into an aristocratic tourism and the creation of his personality cult within the Yugoslav political system. The paper will also highlight the contradictions between the official communist ideology and the undisputed leader’s actions which have the characteristics of a capitalist tourist. Within this contradiction, the vindicating mediating factors, "the policy of peace" and the nonaligned movement as the rationale for most of Tito’s travels as a tourist, were also backed up by the absolute impossibility of publicly drawing attention to the travels of aristocratic luxury unbecoming to the leader of a proletarian movement and of the working class struggle for power.

Приказ књиге "Социјална онтологија у филму „Аватар“. Антрополошка анализа", Нине Куленовић.

SVI PUTEVI VODE U GUČU: NAČINI REPREZENTACIJE SRBIJE I SRBA TOKOM FESTIVALA TRUBAČA U GUČI U radu će, kroz analizu fotografija dostupnih na internetu, biti reči o Saboru trubača u Dragačevu, poznatijem kao festival u Guči. Dragačevski sabor trubača je jedan od najpoznatijih muzičkih festivala u Srbiji i jedan od najpoznatijih festivala trubačkih okrestara na svetu. Festival se održava jednom godišnje od 1961. godine, u selu Guča u Zapadnoj Srbiji. Od 1962. godine festival je otvoren za učesnike iz drugih delova Srbije, a 1963. su prvi put učestvovali romski orkestri. Od tada, romski muzičari su ostali među najboljim trubačima na takmičenjima. Ipak, tokom poslednjih 50 godina, festival je uvek konceptualizovan i predstavljan kao nosilac srpske narodne tradicije i kulture. U istraživanju ću se koristiti fotografijama posetilaca festivala koje su dostupne na jednom od sajtova posvećenih Guči, www.guca.rs, kako bih ispitala kako fotografije sa festivala vizuelno predstavljaju Srbe. Osnovni cilj rada je da ukaže na to kako je festival u Guči našao svoje mesto u modernoj Srbiji uprkos svojoj ruralnoj, narodnoj, varvarskoj i ponekad nacionalističkoj medijskoj reprezentaciji.

Issue of foreign labour migrants in Serbia does not occupy very prominent place in Serbian governmental policies. These policies are mainly focused towards Serbian Diaspora and Serbian labour migrants working abroad. Conversely, national policies on foreigners in Serbia are mostly concentrated on suppression of illegal immigrants and inclusion and readmission of Serbian refugees. The development of Serbian migratory policies represents part of national Euro-integration strategy. Therefore we find relevant to draw attentions to this topic. In this paper we outline basic national legislation procedures, laws and migratory strategies and give review of basic national and other bodies. Furthermore, we focus on gaps in processing problems of labour migrants in Serbia.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) protein is a cytosolic ligand-dependent transcription factor with numerous functions regulated by post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. Among the functions most extensively affected by GR phosphorylation are the modulation of its transcriptional activity, alterations in its interaction pattern with cofactors, nuclear translocation and selective gene transactivation. Intensive analysis of the intracellular distribution of GR phosphoisoforms and their interaction with proteins of other cellular signalling networks required the use of [-32P]ATP as a phosphate donor, and special laboratory protection measures to avoid external irradiation and contamination. In the present study, simple and easy-to-use non-radioactive protein mobility shift assays (NMS assays) were developed using one- and/or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis based on differences in the pI and molecular mass of GR phosphoisoforms. The GR isoforms were immunodetected with specific monoclonal or polyclonal anti-GR antibodies by Western blot in three diverse systems, namely yeast BJ2168 cells expressing wild-type rat GR, rat hepatoma GRH2 cells grown in culture and brain tissue from Wistar rat experimental animals. The results obtained using the NMS assay were similar to previous results obtained with the [-32P] ATP standard assay.

In this paper I will analyze Serbian documentary films about guest workers dating from the last decade of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st century, using the perspective of visual anthropology. I question the popular cultural notions about guest workers in films Весеље у Ждрелу (A Celebration in Zdrelo) by author Kamenko Katic, Звона позне јесени (The Bells of Late Autumn) by author Zoran Milenovic, Кад је Милорад удавао ћерку (When Milorad Gave His Daughter in Marriage) by author Vladimir Milisavljevic, Странац тамо, странац овде (A Foreigner There, a Foreigner Here) by author Sandra Mandic and 242 метра живота (242 Meters of Life) by author Novica Savic. The films deal with a number of issues: the economic aspects of guest workers’ lives, their liminal character, the issues of the second and third generations of guest workers, going away “temporarily” to work, and religious rituals. Even though the films were made recently, they all follow the lives of Vlach and Serbian, or rather Yugoslav guest workers who left to find temporary work abroad in Western Europe in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This serves the purpose of avoiding to deal with contemporary reasons for emigrating from Serbia and thus the possible critiques of current regimes or policies in power at the time the films were made.

Issue of foreign labour migrants in Serbia does not occupy very prominent place in Serbian governmental policies. These policies are mainly focused towards Serbian Diaspora and Serbian labour migrants working abroad. Conversely, national policies on foreigners in Serbia are mostly concentrated on suppression of illegal immigrants and inclusion and readmission of Serbian refugees. The development of Serbian migratory policies represents part of national Euro-integration strategy. Therefore we find relevant to draw attentions to this topic. In this paper we outline basic national legislation procedures, laws and migratory strategies and give review of basic national and other bodies. Furthermore, we focus on gaps in processing problems of labour migrants in Serbia.

Nina Kulenović. Socijalna ontologija u filmu „Avatar“. Antropološka analiza. 2011. Beograd: Univerzitet u Beogradu - Filozofski fakultet, Odeljenje za etnologiju i antropologiju (Nina Kulenović. Social ontology in the movie "Avatar". Anthropological analysis. 2011. Belgrade)

In this paper I research famous Serbian music event, the Dragačevo Trumpet Festival, better known as the Guča festival, by analysing on line photographs about the festival. The Dragačevo Trumpet Festival is one of the most famous music festivals in Serbia and one of the most famous brass band festivals in the world. Since 1961, it is annually held in the village of Guča in western Serbia. From 1962, the participants from other parts of Serbia came to Guča, while in 1963 for the first time the Roma players participated. From that time on, Roma remained among the best trumpeters at the competitions. However, during these fifty years, the festival always demonstrated and was conceptualised as the carrier of the Serbian folk tradition and culture. In my research I use visitors’ photographs available on one of the websites dedicated to Guča, www.guca.rs, in order to question how the festival’s photographs visually represent the Serbs. The main goal of the paper is to explain and show how Guča festival found its place in modern Serbia in spite of its rural, folk, barbarian and sometimes nationalist representation.

The paper focuses on the current process of euro-integrations of Serbia, from a semiotic perspective. Accordingly, based on data gathered from the media, euro-integrations are shaped into a narrative, which is subsequently analyzed from a semiotic point of view, primarily utilizing the methods of Algirdas Julien Greimas. Two levels of meaning will be analyzed in the paper: the semio-narrative (surface, syntagmatic, specific) level will be explored using the transformational and actantial model, while the deep, abstract, paradigmatic and atemporal level will be analyzed using the semiotic square. The aim of the paper is to understand how knowledge and meaning are produced within the discourse of euro-integrations.

Gordana Gorunović. Antropologija Kliforda Gerca. Kulturna teorija i interpretativna analiza kultura. 2010. Beograd: Srpski genealoški centar i Odeljenje za etnologiju i antropologiju Filozofskog fakulteta, str. 286. (Gordana Gorunović, Anthropology of Clifford Geertz. Cultural theory and interpretive analysis of culture, Belgrade, 2010)

50th International University Week, Tutzing, Germany, 2011: Between Europeanization, Globalization and Tradition: Everyday Culture in Southeast Europe in Transition (Zwischen Eurpäisierung, Globalisierung und Tradition: südosteuropäische Alltagskultur im Wandel)

Based on fieldwork conducted in Eastern Serbia (Knjaževac and Kučevo with surrounding regions), this paper analyzes the life stories of migrant workers as material crucial for anthropological and folkloristic research into experiences, values and attitudes of the members of a certain culture. The term “guest worker” (ser. gastarbajter, i.e. ger.gastarbeit) was used to designate temporary migrants who served as labor at the time of the reconstruction of Western Europe after World War II. A large number of migrant workers decided to stay in the host countries, and work migrations are still a common occurrence today. Based on the life stories of guest workers, in this paper we will attempt to map out the specific characteristics of different waves of migration. While all the waves of migration had a common cause – the desire for a better life and material stability – there were certain additional motives which depended on the political and socio-economic conditions in the home country. Furthermore, we are interested in the process of acculturation in different host countries, focusing on the differences in social policy regarding immigrants, the geographic distance from Serbia and the number of compatriots in the host country. Finally, we will address the narratives of guest workers who have returned, focusing on the reasons they decided to come back to their home country and the ways in which they settled down after their return.

Half a century after the first migrant workers left to find labor in the countries of Western Europe comes the moment in which it is necessary to summarize and refocus the research into this phenomenon. The research effort has – in accordance with temporal distance and accessible documents – been joined by historians, on top of previously existing research conducted within the frameworks of demography, economy and sociology. The modest participation of anthropologists within studies of migrant workers up to the present has resulted in a scarcity of critical research questions and studies which would provide answers to them. Some issues were missed due to non-functional focusing on immigration and national minorities in neighboring countries, and can now only be studied within the context of historical anthropology. Still, it is necessary to define the directions which new research questions should take in order to make the transition from description to interpretation of phenomena stemming from the fact that over a million people from Serbia, over the last half century, have spent, or still spend a large portion of their lives working in Western European countries. This paper represents an attempt to formulate some of the possible paths contemporary anthropological research could take in the study of the semi centennial “temporary labor abroad” of Serbian citizens.

People Make Places: Ways of Feeling the World, 10th congress SIEF, 17-21 / 04 / 2011, Lisbon

The paper looks at the phenomenon of migrant workers who emigrated to Western European countries after World War II. The labor demands created by the economic reconstruction of these countries, most notably Great Britain, West Germany, France, Switzerland, the Benelux countries, Sweden and Austria, coupled with low birth rates and high death rates, made it necessary for them to hire immigrant workers. On the other hand, poor economic conditions, few employment opportunities and a yearning for a higher standard of living drove workers from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Greece, Ireland, Finland and North Africa to seek work abroad. These temporary migrant workers represent a link between their countries of origin and their host countries, and, as a group of people maintaining links with their native countries, they can also be considered their countries’ diaspora. However, considering the temporary nature of their residence abroad, it is questionable whether they actually are a diaspora. It is for this reason that the paper juxtaposes the phenomena of the diaspora and temporary migrant workers in order to analyze the question of whether, when and how these workers become a diaspora. In particular, it focuses on migrant workers from Yugoslavia, usually referred to as “gastarbajteri” (gastarbeiter), who in the 1960s and 1970s migrated mostly to West Germany, Austria, Australia, France and Switzerland, and on their political treatment by the Yugoslav state.

Yugoslavia's foreign policy orientation and the country's role in the nonaligned movement made it possible for Josip Broz Tito to behave like a tourist. This paper aims to show what kind of tourist Tito was and what elements of tourism are to be found in his travels. Tito’s travels were to be contextualized into an aristocratic tourism and the creation of his personality cult within the Yugoslav political system. The paper will also highlight the contradictions between the official communist ideology and the undisputed leader’s actions which have the characteristics of a capitalist tourist. Within this contradiction, the vindicating mediating factors, „the policy of peace“ and the nonaligned movement as the rationale for most of Tito’s travels as a tourist, were also backed up by the absolute impossibility of publicly drawing attention to the travels of aristocratic luxury unbecoming to the leader of a proletarian movement and of the working class struggle for power.

This pa­per is the re­sult of re­se­arch do­ne on the TV co­medy show (se­ri­es) "Kur­sad­ži­je" by Grand Pro­duc­tion. The at­ten­tion is di­rec­ted to­wards un­der­stan­ding the mo­ti­ves of the Fool (buf­foon) which ap­pe­ars as the cha­rac­te­ri­stic of the main cha­rac­ters in the show. Kur­sad­ži­je (a ro­ugh tran­sla­tion wo­uld be Co­ur­se-at­ten­ding-pe­o­ple) are at­ten­dants of a co­ur­se for Spe­cial Bal­kan For­ces and they are the re­pre­sen­ta­ti­ves of the co­un­tri­es that con­sti­tu­ted the for­mer So­ci­a­li­stic Fe­de­ra­ti­ve Re­pu­blic of Yugo­sla­via. By using the the­o­re­tic gu­i­de­li­nes of Klap­pe’s abo­ut the Fool as a so­cial type, and the analysis of V.Tri­fu­no­vic, I will de­mon­stra­te why all of the Kur­sad­ži­ja’s are Fools and how they are dif­fe­rent one from the ot­her ba­sed on the­ir dif­fe­rent fol­li­es (buf­fo­o­nery, cra­zi­ness). Ha­ving in mind that this is a Ser­bian TV show and that the Ser­bian at­ten­dant of that co­ur­se, Ged­ža Crazy Mi­loj­ko (the Ame­ri­can equ­i­va­lent of Ged­ža co­uld be Red­neck or Hill­billy), is the only one who has the term "Crazy" (Fool) in his na­me, I will par­ti­cu­larly pay at­ten­tion to the mo­ti­ve of "Ser­bian cra­zi­ness", and exa­mi­ne is it a way to emp­ha­si­ze how spe­cial the Serbs are, how uni­que and un­be­a­tably exo­tic, i.e., why is the "Ser­bian cra­zi­ness" va­lued as a po­si­ti­ve one.

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