Eastern European Studies Commons^™

Frontmatter (Volume 40, Issue 5), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Interdenominational Dialogue In Contemporary Ukraine: Correction In War And Pandemic Conditions, Liudmyla Fylypovych, Oksana Horkusha

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the current state of interreligious communication in Ukraine and proves the need to correct interfaith dialogue during the war in Eastern Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors identify objective and subjective reasons for dialogue and recognize relevant issues (the lack of a joint denominational position on the need for dialogue), and new threats (the war and the pandemic) for establishing tolerant relations between religious organizations in Ukraine. Natural and socio-political catastrophes only expose problems that were not solved in peacetime. Preserving past achievements in interfaith communication is extremely important for creating new dialogue platforms. The existing …

Catholicism In The New Poland: A Religion And Society In Transition, Christopher Garbowski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Polish society is divided along a number of lines; hardly unusual in any contemporary pluralistic society. The new divisions have not been adequately named. Michał Kuź, a Polish political scientist, has coined the self-explanatory terms “localists” and “internationalists” to describe perhaps the most pertinent current divide within European societies.1 These worldview divides are also visible along political party lines. The proportions of the parties of the divide are naturally different in Poland than in countries of the old Europe. It is relatively easy to indicate which of the parties in the political landscape of the country within the localist …

"Hungary: An Inflection Point For A Young Democracy In Decline", Patrick Rhinelander Rizzi

Senior Theses

This thesis provides an analysis of the global concern with “illiberal democracies,” which are states with at least some democratic institutions but diluted civil societies. From there, it establishes Hungary as a case study of how a young democracy has entered into institutional decline through an analysis of both the illiberal policies of the current Hungarian government as well as relevant historical context that may have disadvantaged Hungary in transitioning to democracy in the first place. As a post-communist country now heading down the path towards increasing authoritarianism, Hungary serves as a prime example of this issue. Specific areas in …

Tinderbox: Danish-Russian Relations, 1989-2019, Maddy Ghose

Master's Theses

This thesis documents and analyzes the major trends of the military, political, economic, and cultural relationships between Denmark and Russia from 1989 to 2019. I document the relationship from the Danish perspective, using primary sources, with the aim to conduct analysis of Danish politicians’ speeches and activities during this period. The outcome is a comprehensive image of the Danish-Russian bilateral relationship at the present time. This relationship has fluctuated widely during the time period under study. Shared economic development interests in the 1990s contributed to a positive relationship; controversy surrounding the war in Chechnya and an assertive Danish prime minister …

Guiding Principle 28: The Unfulfilled Promise To End Protracted Displacement In Azerbaijan, Kaleigh Rose Mclaughlin

Honors Thesis

In 1998 internal displacement became a major focus of international concern with the adoption the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement by the United Nations. This seminal document outlined the rights and protections of internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as developing policy solutions for ending displacement. In the two decades since the adoption of the Guiding Principles, there has been an explosion of research into various case studies. This paper re-examines the case of Azerbaijan within a new theoretical framework. This paper uses the work of Walter Kalin, former UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons …

Increasing State Restrictions On Russian Protestant Seminaries, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"In sum, Russian Protestant seminaries are presently undergoing a trial by state inspection that threatens their very existence. Academics Perry Glanzer and Konstantin Petrenko are correct in asserting that the Russian state’s “power to license and accredit” is “the power of life and death” over any educational institution.

State justifications for close oversight of Protestant seminaries appear overstated at best and lack credibility at worst. As regards state concerns for quality control, should not the Russian constitution’s requirement for separation of church and state take precedence over a secular government’s presumption to instruct believers on how best to train their …

The Fragility Of Democracy: The Rise Of Authoritarianism In Hungary And Poland, Maria Fernandez

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

Hungary and Poland have attempted to establish democratic systems of government since the end of Soviet occupation in 1991. Recently, both states have elected leaders who have started to manipulate their democratic institution into one that seems not so democratic; both Hungary and Poland have manipulated their judicial branch into one that now serves only their own interests. Leaders in Hungary and Poland have shown their support for regimes such as those in Russia, China, and Turkey. What factors contribute to democratically elected officials shifting towards authoritarianism in post Eastern-Bloc countries? From Samuel P Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations, to Levitsky …

Anti-Semitism In Slovakia After The Velvet Revolution Of 1989, Peter Salner

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This study discusses anti-Semitism in Slovakia after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The introductory section presents an overview of the most destructive manifestations of anti-Semitism during 1918-1920, the Holocaust, and the Communist era (1948-1989). Anti-Semitism in Slovakia is less aggressive than in many other countries of the European Union. Physical violence is especially rare, and even the defacement of Jewish sites (particularly cemeteries) is typically motivated by vandalism, rather than by anti-Semitism. The most frequent expression of prejudice against Jews takes the form of verbal insults. These are predominantly used by children, who hear them from their families. Children (and …

Spraying Religion: (Anti-)Religious Graffiti Of The Post-Socialist Transition, Mitja Velikonja

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article discusses graffiti and street art concerning religion, part of the author's much broader and continuous research on contemporary political graffiti and street art in post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe, from the Baltics to the Balkans, from Prague to Moscow, comprising over 20 years of systematic fieldwork.

Book Review: Za Bolji I Pravedniji Svijet: Etika Politika Religija [For A Better And More Just World: Ethics, Politics, Religion], Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The book contains 98 columns written in the period from 2006 to 2009, by one of the best known and influential Protestant religious voices from Eastern Europe.

A review of Peter Kuzmič, Za bolji i pravedniji svijet: Etika politika religija. [For a better and more just world: ethics, politics, religion], Zagreb-Sarajevo: Synopsis, 2019. Hard cover, 326 pp. ISBN: 978-953-7968-85-4.

Frontmatter (Volume 40, Issue 4)

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Politik Und Gesellschaft Im Kaukasus: Eine Unruhige Region Zwischen Tradition Und Transformation, Paul Crego

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Olaf Leiße, editor, Politik und Gesellschaft im Kaukasus: Eine unruhige Region zwischen Tradition und Transformation. Wiesbaden: Springer Verlag, 2019. x, 490 pages 978-3-658-26373-7; 978-3-658-26374-4 (eBook)

The Motif Of Children In War In Memorialization Practices In Serbia And Bosnia And Herzegovina, Ana Gvozdić

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Studying the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the monument to children killed in NATO bombing in Belgrade, Serbia, as well as the monument to killed children of besieged Sarajevo, this research project examines the motif of children in war within memorialization practices of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Relying on six semi-structured interviews with members of civil society in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as an employee of the War Childhood Museum, this research explores the role that the motif of children in war plays in remembering and portraying the past in these countries with …

The Public Secret And Private Pain Of Wartime Sexual Violence: Comparing The Heroinat Memorial And The 2020 Newborn Monument From The Perspective Of Ngos In Kosovo, Martha Beliveau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a rare year where there are two monuments dedicated to survivors of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo, the permanent Heroinat Memorial and the year-long Newborn Monument have different approaches and effects in their processes of commemorating wartime sexual violence. This paper approaches a comparison of these two monuments through four interviews with representatives of women-centered civil society organizations in Pristina, Kosovo. This paper finds that the Heroinat Memorial and the 2020 theme of the Newborn Monument are sites of contested meanings, because of the different approaches of each respective monument, each of the monuments’ gendered implications, and the implications …

Internship Paper: Completed At The Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, Julia Herzfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper discusses my experiences while online interning with the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, an organization based out of Prishtina and works to support inclusive and victims-centered transitional justice in Kosovo. I worked primarily on two research projects, one on the Transitional Justice Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the other on the status of criminal complaints filed by the Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade to the Serbian justice system related to war crimes committed in Kosovo. While the circumstances surrounding my online internship were not ideal due to the Covid-19 pandemic, my experience greatly enhanced my knowledge of the …

European Citizens' Attitudes Towards The European Union And Integration, And The Question Of Sovereignty, Dylan Hruska

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Since the referendum in 2016 that stated the United Kingdom was to leave the EU, many were wondering what caused them to leave. Many point to the theory that integration into the European Union was the cause, however we will look into other factors such as attitudes by analyzing the works of theorists, researchers, professors, and others to answer the question if the EUs encroachment on sovereignty, rise of nationalism, and the attitudes towards the EU are the possible factors to leaving the EU. I analyze political identities, occupation, and overall feelings on the EU and EU policies to see …

Ethnic And Confessional Relations In Cross-Border Regions: A Comparative Analysis Based On Sociological Research, Vasyl Balukh, Yurii Lopatynskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The study deals with the issues of confessional issues (religiosity), freedom of conscience, state-church relations, interethnic relations, cultural identity, and language use in cross-border regions of Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to find common features in the relations between different nationalities and representatives of the multi-confessional environment of the two cross-border regions of Ukraine and to identify the specifics of each of them in solving the most important life problems of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional relations. The method of sociological research is a survey that contains 44 questions of mixed type. The research was carried out by the Center …

Fortieth Anniversary Of Publishing Opree (Ree), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"Forty years ago in February 1981 the first issue of Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe appeared. The Executive Committee of the now defunct “Christians Associated for Relationship in Eastern Europe” of which I was a member and occasional president supported my initiative to start printing information as one of our tasks is to educate church leaders and scholars with reliable information about the religious situation under communism. Previously a fair number of American church leaders and travelers were misled not only by communist government officials who dealt with religious affairs of their respective countries but even by some …

Guest Editor’S Foreword: Religiosity In Contemporary Ukraine, Nataliia Ishchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "The issues of civilizational identity became paramount to the social existence of the church in the decade of revolution and war (2010-2020). This decade has become the most heroic and, at the same time, the most tragic one in the history of modern Ukraine, for its people and its churches. The Maidan and the Revolution of Dignity (late 2013 to early 2014) gave the people of Ukraine great hopes and expectations for the choice of a European future. The annexation of the Crimea by Russia and the ongoing war in the east of Ukraine, as planned by the Kremlin’s …