Med nomade: Novi mobilni življenjski stili med Evropejci

Global modernity with its economic and technological transformations generates new mobile lifestyles that challenge officially recognized forms of human mobility. The new European nomads presented in this article are representatives of this newly emergent form of mobility. Closer ethnographic scrutiny reveals that these people are constantly on the move, and work and use several income-making strategies while on the road. Not only mobility and economic strategies, but also conceptions concerning reasons to be mobile, relations with the background society and the public spaces they traverse share similar features. There are numerous criteria according which it is possible to talk about them as representatives of a new type of contemporary mobility, for which peripatetic nomadism, marginality and inventiveness are central characteristics. In the article I discuss the field research data that underscores the characteristics according to which my interlocutors can be conceptualised as“marginal mobile subjects”: their income depends on mobile and flexible economic strategies which define their patterns of more or less irregular movement; their social reality consists of inbetweenness, a lack of networks of assistance and invisibility in public space. Although they like to state that their lifestyle is a result of a free choice, the situations in their everyday lives reveal that their freedom is actually constrained by unfortunate or unsatisfactory life situations which often lead to feelings of marginalisation and being deceived by their background society, and they tend to bypass state bureaucracies imposing “sedentary norms” on their lives.Globalna modernost s svojimi ekonomskimi in tehnološkimi transformacijami proizvaja mobilne življenjske stile, ki postavljajo pod vprašaj uradno prepoznane oblike človeške mobilnosti. Predstavniki takšne, na novo vznikle mobilnosti, so tudi v pričujočem članku predstavljeni Evropski nomadi. Bolj podroben etnografski vpogled razkrije, da so ti ljudje v nenehnem gibanju in delajo med potjo, pri čemer se poslužujejo različnih prihodkovnih strategij. Družijo jih ne le mobilnost in ekonomske strategije, temveč tudi način, na katerega konceptualizirajo razloge za svojo mobilnost, odnos do domače družbe in odnos do prostorov, skozi katere potujejo. Glede na številne kriterije bi jih lahko obravnavali kot predstavnike nove oblike sodobne mobilnosti, katere ključne lastnosti povzemajo peripatetični nomadizem, marginalnost in inovativnost. S člankom predstavljam s terenskim raziskovanjem pridobljeni material, ki izpostavlja karakteristike glede na katere bi lahko svoje informatorje konceptualizirala kot »marginalne mobilne subjekte«: njihov zaslužek je odvisen od mobilnih in fleksibilnih ekonomskih strategij, ki oblikujejo njihovo gibanje po bolj ali manj ohlapno začrtanih poteh; njihova družbena realnost je zaznamovana z vmesnostjo, odsotnostjo podpornih socialnih mrež in nevidnostjo v javnem prostoru; čeprav radi poudarjajo, da je njihov življenjski stil rezultat svobodne izbire pa situacije iz vsakdanjega življenja razkrivajo, da so se te oblikovale ukleščene v primež nesrečnih in nezadovoljivih življenjskih situacij, zaradi česar se pogosto počutijo marginalizirane in prevarane s strani domače družbe ter poskušajo zaobiti državne birokracije, ki njihova življenja omejujejo z nalaganjem sedentarnih norm

Institutional context of soil information in Burkina Faso

This study examines the institutional context of soil information in Burkina Faso. Data was collected using informant interviews conducted over a 1-month period in Burkina Faso between May and June 2015. Interviewees were drawn from the consultant’s Internet survey and recommendations from the representatives of interviewed entities (a snowball method). Given the objectives of the study, the interviews were conducted with representatives of 11 entities in Ouagadougou, Kamboinse and Bobo-Dioulasso. Interviewees spanned the spectrum of those concerned with soil fertility management issues including researchers, university lecturers and government officials. A semi-structured interview questionnaire prepared according to Terms of Reference for a Consultant guided the discussion between the interviewer and respondent to explore specific topics in an open, conversational manner. The questions concerned integration of soils into agricultural planning and implementation, perceived constraints of improving access to fertilizers and other soil management options, the level of technical knowledge in key training institutes for extension personnel and incorporation of farmer soil management strategies into curriculums of national training institutes. Specific information on civil society sector, policy and strategy documents on soil fertility management, access to fertilizers and the agribusiness private sector was complemented through an additional Internet and professional literature survey

Etnografi ja avtohišarstva v Zahodni Afriki: Turisti, popotniki, upokojeni migranti in peripatetiki

In the last two decades, West Africa with its Atlantic coast, the Sahara and various other remote places has become a haven for many people from the Global North, who have adopted mobility as a way of life. Most of them are so-called “housetruckers”, i.e. people travelling and at least temporarily living in cars, jeeps, vans, caravans, buses or trucks converted into mobile homes. They represent a highly diversified group that is sometimes hard to put into any conventional mobility category and deserves more academic attention. The aim of this article is to present the variety of this phenomenon and most of all to call attention to the appearance of a new, largely disregarded and undocumented researchable entity within it, i.e. peripatetic housetruckers, which calls for new theoretical reflection within mobility studies.V zadnjih dveh desetletjih je Zahodna Afrika z atlantsko obalo, s Saharo in z raznimi drugimi odročnimi kraji postala pristan za številne ljudi z globalnega severa, katerim je mobilnost postala način življenja. Večina med njimi je avtohišarjev, tj. ljudi, ki potujejo in vsaj začasno živijo v mobilne domove predelanih avtomobilih, džipih, kombijih, avtobusih, tovornjakih kakor tudi kamperjih. Gre za izredno raznolik fenomen, ki ga je včasih težko uvrstiti v konvencionalne mobilnostne kategorije, in bi kot tak zaslužil več akademske pozornosti. Namen pričujočega članka je predstaviti raznolikost tega fenomena in predvsem opozoriti na pojav nove, precej spregledane in slabo dokumentirane raziskovalne entitete, to je peripatetičnih avtohišarjev, ki predvsem od študij mobilnosti zahteva novo teoretsko refleksijo

Changing Contexts and Redefinitions of Identity among Bosniaks in Slovenia

This article provides an insight on the Bosniaks living in Slovenia, and on the way they understand Islam as a source of their identity. The findings of my fieldwork indicate that contemporary Bosniak self-identification in Slovenia depends on two main socio-historical contexts. On the one hand, war events in Bosnia and Herzegovina have also influenced the attitude of the Bosniaks living abroad towards the groups which featured at that time as « ethnic enemies ». On the other hand, due to increasing islamophobia since the independence in 1991, Bosniaks in Slovenia refrain from expressing openly their religious identity. Against this background, various self-representations of Bosniak identity appear. For all Bosniaks living in Slovenia, Islam represents an important source of their identity. At the same time, however, it has become a highly controversial topic. For a majority of Bosniaks, Islam represents an essential ethnic marker which separates them from (Bosnian) Serbs and (Bosnian) Croats, while for others it represents the source of a « pure » religious identity and, therefore, does not overlap with their idea of Bosniak identity.Cet article offre un aperçu sur les Bosniaques vivant en Slovénie, et sur la manière dont ils perçoivent l'Islam comme source de leur identité. Les résultats de mon travail de terrain indiquent que la représentation qu'ont aujourd'hui d'eux-mêmes les Bosniaques de Slovénie est liée à deux contextes socio-historiques principaux. D'une part, les événements guerriers en Bosnie-Herzégovine ont aussi influencé l'attitude des Bosniaques vivant à l'étranger envers les groupes qui faisaient figure à l'époque d'« ennemis ethniques ». D'autre part, du fait d'une islamophobie croissante depuis l'indépendance en 1991, les Bosniaques de Slovénie évitent d'exprimer ouvertement leur identité religieuse. Dans ce contexte, diverses représentations de l'identité bosniaque voient le jour. Pour tous les Bosniaques vivant en Slovénie, l'Islam représente une source importante de leur identité. Dans le même temps, toutefois, celui-ci est devenu un sujet fortement controversé. Pour une majorité de Bosniaques, l'Islam représente un marqueur ethnique essentiel qui les distingue des Bosno-Serbes et des Bosno-Croates ; pour d'autres, il représente la source d'une identité religieuse « pure », et ne coïncide donc pas avec leur idée de l'identité bosniaque

Slovenski muslimani: kdo so, organiziranost in državnopravno normiranje v antropološki presoji

Article presents Slovenian Muslims through anthropological evaluation of statistics about migration of Muslims to Slovenia in the period of Yugoslavia and after its disintegration (economic migrations in the period of SFRY, refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, non-aligned movement and migrations of students from Near-Eastern and African states), and through evaluation of statistics of the last population census in 2002. The analysis of the latter is concentrated on data about the number of Muslims, their regional dispersal and expressed affiliations. Statistical presence of Muslims in Slovenia is supported with description of their efforts to preserve Muslim identity from the initial period of settlement in Slovenia. A special focus is on analysis of institutionalisation of those efforts. Anthropological evaluation of the part of Slovenian legislation that regulates the field of religion and some Islamic practices is presented. The analysis shows that Slovenian legislation in principle ensures equality and freedom of religion, yet in practice the latter is often less freely enjoyed by Muslims due to widespread islamophobia.Članek predstavi slovenske muslimane skozi antropološko presojo statistik o migracijah muslimanov v Slovenijo v času Jugoslavije in po njenem razpadu (ekonomske migracije v času SFRJ, begunci iz Bosne in Hercegovine ter Kosova, gibanje neuvrščenih in migracije študentov z bližnjevzhodnih in afriških držav) ter skozi presojo statistik zadnjega popisa prebivalstva leta 2002. Pri analizi slednjih se skoncentrira na podatke o številu muslimanov, regionalni porazdelitvi in izrečenih pripadnostih. Statistično prisotnost muslimanov v Sloveniji podpre z opisom njihovih prizadevanj po vzdrževanju muslimanske identitete od samih začetkov naselitve v Sloveniji. Posebno mesto je dodeljeno analizi institucionalizacije teh prizadevanj. V nadaljevanju pod drobnogled antropološke presoje vzame slovensko zakonodajo, ki regulira področje vere in nekatere islamske prakse. Analiza pokaže, da slovenska zakonodaja muslimanom načeloma zagotavlja enakopravnost in svobodo veroizpovedi, ki pa je zaradi razširjene islamofobije med muslimani pogosto uživana v manj svobodni obliki

»Ruto si vsak razlaga po svoje«: pokrivanje med slovenskimi Bošnjakinjami

The article is based on the detailed fieldwork that I conducted between 2003 and 2006 in Jesenice. It is exploring the practices of covering among Slovenian Muslim women, specifically Bosniaks. It describes concrete practices of covering, analyses Koran ayat and hadith, religious foundations for covering, presents the most widespread interpretations by Islamic intellectuals and researchers, and lastly turns attention to Bosniak interpretations of primary Islamic sources and their concrete implementation in practice. Interpretations of Koran ayat and hadith in which the covering is justified, are various and are in different environments manifested through very different material shapes and practices. Different understandings of the practice of covering are influenced by factors such as individual’s interpretations of Islam, education, personality and environment in which those interpretations take place, and is more important than Islamic sources, i.e. the text. The same is relevant for Slovenian Muslim women, the Bosniaks.Članek temelji na podrobnih terenskih raziskavah, ki sem jih opravila med letoma 2003 in 2006 na Jesenicah. Obravnava prakse pokrivanja med slovenskimi muslimankami, bolj natančno med Bošnjakinjami. Opisuje konkretne prakse pokrivanja, analizira koranske ajete in hadise, ki služijo kot verska osnova pokrivanja, predstavi njihove najbolj razširjene interpretacije med islamskimi intelektualci in raziskovalci, nazadnje pa se posveti še bošnjaškim interpretacijam primarnih islamskih virov in njihovim konkretnim udejanjanjem v praksi. Interpretacije koranskih ajetov in hadisov, na katerih se utemeljuje pokrivanje, so precej raznolike in se v različnih okoljih manifestirajo skozi zelo različne materialne oblike in prakse. Za prakse pokrivanja je bolj kot so sami islamski viri, torej tekst, pomembno njihovo razumevanje, na slednjega pa vplivajo različni dejavniki: kako vsak posameznik razume islam, njegova izobrazba, osebnost ter okolje, v katerem se te interpretacije odvijajo. Enako velja tudi za slovenske muslimanke, Bošnjakinje

Changing Contexts and Redefinitions of Identity among Bosniaks in Slovenia

This article provides an insight on the Bosniaks living in Slovenia, and on the way they understand Islam as a source of their identity. The findings of my fieldwork indicate that contemporary Bosniak self-identification in Slovenia depends on two main socio-historical contexts. On the one hand, war events in Bosnia and Herzegovina have also influenced the attitude of the Bosniaks living abroad towards the groups which featured at that time as « ethnic enemies ». On the other hand, due to increasing islamophobia since the independence in 1991, Bosniaks in Slovenia refrain from expressing openly their religious identity. Against this background, various self-representations of Bosniak identity appear. For all Bosniaks living in Slovenia, Islam represents an important source of their identity. At the same time, however, it has become a highly controversial topic. For a majority of Bosniaks, Islam represents an essential ethnic marker which separates them from (Bosnian) Serbs and (Bosnian) Croats, while for others it represents the source of a « pure » religious identity and, therefore, does not overlap with their idea of Bosniak identity.Cet article offre un aperçu sur les Bosniaques vivant en Slovénie, et sur la manière dont ils perçoivent l'Islam comme source de leur identité. Les résultats de mon travail de terrain indiquent que la représentation qu'ont aujourd'hui d'eux-mêmes les Bosniaques de Slovénie est liée à deux contextes socio-historiques principaux. D'une part, les événements guerriers en Bosnie-Herzégovine ont aussi influencé l'attitude des Bosniaques vivant à l'étranger envers les groupes qui faisaient figure à l'époque d'« ennemis ethniques ». D'autre part, du fait d'une islamophobie croissante depuis l'indépendance en 1991, les Bosniaques de Slovénie évitent d'exprimer ouvertement leur identité religieuse. Dans ce contexte, diverses représentations de l'identité bosniaque voient le jour. Pour tous les Bosniaques vivant en Slovénie, l'Islam représente une source importante de leur identité. Dans le même temps, toutefois, celui-ci est devenu un sujet fortement controversé. Pour une majorité de Bosniaques, l'Islam représente un marqueur ethnique essentiel qui les distingue des Bosno-Serbes et des Bosno-Croates ; pour d'autres, il représente la source d'une identité religieuse « pure », et ne coïncide donc pas avec leur idée de l'identité bosniaque

Marginalna mobilnost: Hevristično orodje za primerjalni študij sodobnih mobilnosti

This article’s mission is twofold. First, it serves as introduction to the present thematic issue, which includes six different case studies discussing contemporary mobile lives across the globe. Second, it presents the concept of marginal mobility, which unifies the thematic issue. The marginal mobilities concept is understood as a heuristic tool for the comparative study of contemporary mobilities. Today various mobile subjects construct their mobile lives in highly comparable manner, as well as share very similar experiences. We argue that what we have at hand are new kinds of researchable entities that challenge the widely shared academic consensus for drawing clear analytical and conceptual bounda- ries between the mobile subjects from the Global North and South. As the contemporary analytical language of migration and mobility studies lacks an appropriate term for such mobile lifestyles, we prefer to conceptualise them as marginal mobilities. According to our understanding, these mobilities can be compared by the following five unifying characteristics: they are highly mobile (1), not entirely forced nor voluntary lifestyles (2) that occur along loosely defined trajectories (3). They generally lack politicized public spheres (4) and they are marked by the sentiments of marginality, liminality and con- stant negotiation against the sedentary norm of the nation state (5). Comparing different ethnographic cases is therefore important and can offer an opportunity to delve deeper into the cultural logic of contemporary mobile lifestyles.Naloga pričujočega članka je dvakratna. Prvič, služi kot uvod v tematsko sekcijo šestih študij primerov, ki se ukvarjajo s sodobnimi mobilnimi življenji po svetu. Drugič, predstavlja koncept marginalne mobilnosti, povezujoč tematsko sekcijo. Koncept marginalne mobilnosti razumemo kot hevristično orodje za komparativno študijo sodobnih mobilnosti. Mnogi mobilni subjekti konstruirajo svoja mobilna življenja na zelo podoben način, pri čemer delijo podobne izkušnje. Menimo, da imamo opraviti z novimi oblikami raziskovalnih entitet, ki izpodbijajo razširjen akademski konsenz o jasnem analitičnem in konceptualnem razmejevanju med mobilnimi subjekti z Globalnega Severa in Juga. Ker sodobni analitični jezik študij migracij in mobilnosti ne pozna ustreznega termina za takšne mobilne življenjske stile, smo jih konceptualizirali kot marginalne mobilnosti. V skladu z našim razumevanjem marginalne mobilnosti lahko primerjamo po sledečih skupnih značilnostih: gre za poudarjeno mobilne življenjske stile (1), ki niso niti popolnoma prisilni niti prostovoljni (2) in potekajo vzdolž ohlapno določenih poti(3). Povečini odsotni v politiziranih javnih sferah (4) so zaznamovani s sentimenti marginalnosti, liminalnosti in obremenjeni z neprestanim pogajanjem s sedentarnimi normami nacionalnih držav(5). medsebojna primerjava različnih etnografskih primerov je torej pomembna, saj omogoča poglobitev v kulturno logiko sodobnih mobilnih življenjskih stilov

Survey to assess farmers’ economic perceptions, preferences and decision-making criteria relating to climate-smart soil protection & rehabilitation in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India and Kenya

Key findings This document reports on a study to assess farmers’ economic perceptions, preferences and decision-making criteria relating climate-smart soil protection and rehabilitation (CSS) measures in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India and Kenya. Specifically, it aims to answer the question: what do farmers perceive as the key costs, benefits, barriers and enabling conditions that influence their uptake (or rejection) of different land management practices? The study applies the Evaluating Land Management Options (ELMO) tool, a participatory method that has been developed by CIAT to investigate farmers’ own perceptions and explanations of the advantages, disadvantages and trade-offs associated with different land management choices as they relate to their needs, aspirations, opportunities and constraints. The study is able to highlight farmers’ preferences for different CSS measures in the five study sites, as well as to identify the main inputs, outcomes, barriers and enabling conditions that influence their uptake (or rejection) of different land management practices. While there remain key differences between (and within) the study sites, a number of common lessons emerge which relate to the assessment and design of CSS measures. One is the need to take account of farmers’ constraints and limitations as concerns their ability to access the cash, labour and technical knowhow that are required to implement new land management practices. Even when a land management technique may be perceived to be of great interest and high potential benefit, many farmers are simply not in a position to allocate the extra inputs that are required to implement it. The other is to recognise that most farmers do not merely strive to achieve one outcome or maximise a single stream of benefits when they make land management choices. Rather, it is the array of values, and the interactions between them, that matter and shape their preferences. The most desirable and viable land management alternatives are seen to be those which not only increase the flow of physical products (for example cash, food and other items), but also enhance livelihood diversity and security (such as filling critical food and cash gaps over the course of the year), at the same time as helping to secure longer-term improvements in the production base (most importantly soil fertility and moisture). The study findings serve to underline the fact that the most preferred land management are not necessarily those that yield the highest production gains, generate the greatest income, or entail the lowest costs (the characteristics that would traditionally be deemed important when land management interventions are designed). The metrics that are used to determine the desirability and viability of different land management options, measure their desired effects, and weigh up their advantages and disadvantages do not just concern cash costs and benefits or physical inputs and outputs, but encompass a wide array of monetary and non-monetary factors (such as the type and diversity of benefits generated and costs incurred, their timing, certainty, risk and relative ease of delivery). Unless these broader needs, constraints and preferences are identified, and addressed in the land management ‘solutions’ that are presented to farmers, CSS measures are unlikely to be acceptable, effective or sustainable in practice