River Road Through Laos: Reflections of the Mekong

The world\u27s major rivers have long held a fascination for man as adventurer ,scholar, and political opportunist. The Mekong River which links the Yunnan highlands and the South China Sea is in many respects the premier river system in mainland Southeast Asia. Much of its early history and association with human activity still remains obscure. As recently as 1860 1itt1e was sti11 known of its course and sources, and what little knowledge did exist was colored by cartographic imagination

Professional and Personal Perspectives on Long Term Research

On the leveI of personal relationships, there is, perhaps, no need to pose the question that is the title of this paper. The long and ongoing research experience has been tremendously enriching for the investigators and our now adult children, who first arrived in the viIlage as toddlers and infant. From what our vilIage friends convey, satisfactions with this enduring relationship have been a two-way process. But beyond personal affect, what is the intellectual value of long-term study of a single community? Over thirty years ago the opportunity to document European village Life, in this case a village in Serbia, presented itself as a challenging academic endeavor. From the perspective of Anglo-American scholarship at that lime, the only significant works on Balkan peasant society were Sanders\u27 pioneering Balkan Village, and the writings of Moseley on the structure of the zadruga. Their researches were based on pre-war investigations and were important statements for earlier points in time. Apart from our analyses of wide-ranging sociocultural, economic and demographic changes over time, the ongoing nature of our work as it continues to evolve over several decades in the village of OraBac in Sumadija affords simultaneous appreciations for dynamics of transformation discerned on a human scale

Uncle Quiet Peace

Visits to Cika Tihomir known as Uncle Quiet Peace in Orasac, Serbia. Talks of history of his Serbian village and philosophies of life with the Halperns

BULGARIA\u27S TIME BIND: The Search for Democracy and a Viable Legacy

With the possible exception of Albania, Bulgaria is the East European country that has received least attention from the western media. This situation has a certain logic. For 45 years, Bulgaria existed in the shadow of the USSR, more closely tied to its giant neighbor culturally, economically, socially, and politically than any other country in Eastern Europe. And until recently, the absolute loyalty to Moscow of Bulgaria\u27s Communist Party was unquestioned

A Third of a Century Studying a Serbian Village? Why?

Over thirty years ago the opportunity to document European village life, in this case a village in Serbia, presented itself as a challenging academic endeavor. From the perspective of Anglo-American scholarship at that time, the only significant works on Balkan peasant society were Sanders\u27 pioneering Balkan Village, and the writings of Moseley on the structure of the zadruga. Their researches were based on pre-war investigations and were important statements for earlier points in time. Apart from our analyses of wide-ranging sociocultural, economic, and demographic changes over time, the ongoing nature of our work as it continues to evolve over several decades in the village of Orasac ■ in Sumadija affords simultaneous appreciations for dynamics of change discerned on a human scale. This is the English translation of the Serbian version in Pregled

Final report as IREX grantee, Yugoslavia

Final Report of 8 months of research and field work in Yugoslavia. At the outset it is pertinent to mention that with this trip the writer has completed 25 years of intermittent study and field research in Yugoslavia. These comments, therefore, reflect extensive temporal perspectives as well as reaction to aspects of the present situation, particularly in Serbia

WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES! ETHNOSEMANTIC MISINTERPRETATION S AND INTERPRETATION OF A SERBIAN HEALING CHARM

A Serbian charm to heal snake bite is discussed in the context of oral tradition, patterns of transmission of thecharm, text misinterpretations, symbolism, and accurate interpretation. On the surface the charm and its analysis appear straightforward. On deeper ethnosemantic investigation former interpretations are rejected; in the process of working toward the present interpretation, aspects of the economy and elegance of a folk genre are reveled along with insights into the persistence of a mythic theme in contemporary rural life

Professional and Personal Perspectives on Long Term Research in Serbia [Yugoslavia]

On the leveI of personal relationships, there is, perhaps, no need to pose the question that is the title of this paper. The long and ongoing research experience has been tremendously enriching for the investigators and our now adult children, who first arrived in the viIlage as toddlers and infant. From what our vilIage friends convey, satisfactions with this enduring relationship have been a two-way process. But beyond personal affect, what is the intellectual value of long-term study of a single community? Over thirty years ago the opportunity to document European village Life, in this case a village in Serbia, presented itself as a challenging academic endeavor. From the perspective of Anglo-American scholarship at that lime, the only significant works on Balkan peasant society were Sanders\u27 pioneering Balkan Village, and the writings of Moseley on the structure of the zadruga. Their researches were based on pre-war investigations and were important statements for earlier points in time. Apart from our analyses of wide-ranging sociocultural, economic and demographic changes over time, the ongoing nature of our work as it continues to evolve over several decades in the village of OraBac in Sumadija affords simultaneous appreciations for dynamics of transformation discerned on a human scale

Examing Boundries of an Ethnography of Communication

Boundaries, like fences . work in two ways . They can lie inclusive, containing, or they can he exclusive, withholding . One\u27s viewpoint depends on what side of the fence one is on. Thea Norwegian anthropologistFredrik Barth investigated boundaries in terms of ethnicity and territorial definitions and not the cultural stuff that they enclose . British social anthropologist Edmund Leach dealt with abstract notions of time and space . The present paper isolates a discrete segment of cultural stuff and concretely examines its position in marking boundaries

The People of Serbia

Life in the Village of Orasac, Serbia in the 1950\u27s.An Autumn FeastA Winter DayA Springtime TripA Summer Fai