Dobroslawa Wiktor-Mach

The article presents the nuanced role of culture in the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations, highlighting the contribution of UNESCO. While UNESCO has been engaged in the intersections between culture and development since 1980s, when the World Decade for Cultural Development was proclaimed, it was only with the negotiation of post-2015 development framework that culture began to enter the mainstream development discourse. It is argued that this process, influenced by both external and internal factors, has led to the reconceptualisation of the culture-development nexus. While the role of culture in the human development paradigm was focused on poverty alleviation and other human needs, including identity, education, and health, the sustainability agenda significantly widens the possible roles for cultural factors. UNESCO’s three approaches are discussed: culture as a unique dimension of sustainable development, and culture as a driver and enabler of sustainability.

50 free online copies available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/r9y8ExPx7SYk5PIvRFnB/full

The aim of the paper is to give an overview and an assessment of  the concept of 'creative cities,' which is increasingly popular around the world. The idea developed by Charles Landry ('The Creative City: a toolkit for urban innovators', 2000) has become influential in the last decade also due to the works of Richard Florida (e.g., 'Cities and the Creative Class', 2005) and John Howkins ('The Creative Economy', 2001). The paper addresses their ideas of the creative city, its foundations, and links between culture and urban development (including the concepts of culture development and cultural planning). In the European context, it is important to think of the cities' rich heritage as a potentially crucial factor in attracting talented people to boost the urban economy. By examining some specific cases from around the world, I'm trying to answer the following questions: To what extent can heritage and other cultural assets and soft attributes of cities be used in attracting the so-called 'creative class' (people working with ideas)? What are 'heritage strategies'? What are their outcomes? How can heritage, both in tangible and intangible forms, help to create inspirational environment 'where we can think, plan and act with imagination' (Landry, 2000)? What lessons can Central European cities learn from urban cultural planning in other corners of the world?

The end of the Cold War brought the child labour issues in the spotlight. The renewed interest in the problem resulted in numerous research and reports highlighting the scope of child labour around the world. There are over 300 million working children, but the focus of the international community is mostly on „children in child labour” and „children in hazardous work.” The arti- cle presents one aspect of the debate – the question of the scope and limits of universalism of standards regulating child labour in the global world. The analysis is based upon the case of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and its changing approach to the problem, which can be characterized as evolving from West-centric towards more inclusive and nuanced stance. The ILO’s Minimum Age Convention no. 138 from 1973 reflects the ideas of the Western states, who were the founders of the organization, and their willingness to set their rules as the global ones. The Convention is rooted in the urban context of the industrialized world, which only partially resembles the conditions of the developing world. Criticism that followed and the low level of ratifications led to another ILO’s document adapted in 1999 – Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention no. 182. To win the global support this convention has set new goals, acceptable for most of the countries, but at the cost of limiting the set of standards.

"This is my PhD thesis which focuses on Islamic pluralism and the competition between various Islamic branches. It underlines the heterogenity inside the Muslim religion and its dynamics and flexibility. In this work I try to show how various historic and contemporary factors affect diverse Islamic traditions which struggle for winning the hearts and minds of Muslims.

The focus is on  Azerbaijan, a country that is undergoing a very dynamic change. Iran, Arab Countries and Turkey are among the main countries that try to influence Azerbaijani Muslims. This situation contributes to the ``religious revival'' that is noticeable especially in Baku and makes this revival colorful and interesting.  It seems that the Turkish model of Islam has been gaining an increasing popularity among the younger population, looking for more transnational identities and opportunities.

As in other post-Soviet states, this process has to be seen against the background of the majority of Muslims with secular outlook, who are often called ``cultural'' or ``ethnic'' Muslims." For them religion is more about belonging to a particular group than about religious observance or orthodox beliefs. However, this situation is also dynamic, as religious ideas spread among society and religious knowledge is more and more accessible.

This manuscript has been rewritten and will be published as a monograph in 2017

There has been a dramatic rise in cross-cultural social surveys on religion that aim at gathering comparable data from around the world. In order for quantitative studies to fulfill their role, closer attention must be paid to the measures employed in such research. In the field of religion the issue of generating data faces more challenges than in any other field in sociology. The problem is already acute in research on Christianity (Finke, Bader, Polson 2009), which has dominated the sociology of religion since the inception of the discipline. However, dealing with non-Christian religions raises additional questions. I will discuss measurement challenges in regard to two crucial concepts in the current scholarship on religion: religiosity and plurality. My focus will be on the quantitative research in Islam conducted in the last decade in Azerbaijan --- a secular, Muslim-majority country which has been experiencing religious revival for over a decade. I will address the following questions: (1) To what extent does the concept of religiosity used in these projects encompass the empirical sphere of religious expressions? (2) How is the concept of pluralism defined in studies on Islam? Do researchers pay attention to the issue of religious diversity? (3) In what ways can anthropological projects enhance the study of Islamic religion? In targeting these areas, I will refer to my own data from interviews and participant observation and I will point to weak points in the methodologies employed.

The discourse on European Islam focuses on the developments inside contemporary Muslim immigrant communities and stresses the dynamics and transformations of the religion in the changing social context. In such perspective one point is missing - the example of 'indigenous' Muslim minorities, such as the Poles of Tatar origin, who, in the course of the history, adapted some elements of Islamic culture and developed the first variants of Euro-Islam. The paper explores the socio-cultural processes that contributed to the emergence of an European identity of the Polish Tatars' community. Some aspects of the negotiation of social identity are analyzed, and the role of the state and state's policy towards Tatar group are shown, are as well as some inspirations for the Tatar modernist ideas in the Islamic reformist movements.

The paper reveals contemporary developments in post-Soviet Islam that challenge the predominant juxtaposition of Islam against secularization and modernization. I argue that the question Gellner has posed: why is Islam so secularization-resistant, is based on inappropriate assumptions. As the anthropological data from field research among Muslims in post-Soviet regions show, there are trends and processes in contemporary Islam that do not fit into "Islam as a secularization-opposed force" thesis. When the problem is approached from a perspective of diversity inside a religious field (Bourdieu) and competing "discursive traditions" then it's possible to identify religious groups that have positive attitudes towards secular institutions and modern solutions. Next, problems with Gellner's vision of contemporary Islam are discussed, particularly concerning the shift in power relations between "folk" and "pure" (or "fundamentalist") Islam. Finally, I argue that overcoming the notion of one homogeneous modernity enables us to understand the modernizing forces in Islam.

The common dichotomized classification of Islam in the Caucasus (“traditional” versus “fundamentalist”) does not take into account all major processes taking place in the region. The Sufi-Wahhabi discourse simplifies the social interactions between Muslims and suggests homogeneity of each of these categories. In this paper I would show how the term “Wahhabi” has been employed by the local community of Muslims who live in the Georgian Pankisi gorge  (Chechen Kists) to express their resistance towards new and radical ideas and practices. In this social conflict, Sufi brotherhoods assume the role of the defenders of traditional order, while the reformists attempt at changing not only religious but also social structures.

Coraz większy udział internetu w życiu codziennym stanowi wyzwanie dla socjologicznych teorii zaufania i kapitału społecznego. Te klasyczne zagadnienia poddawane są obecnie testom bazującym na danych dotyczących uczestnictwa w portalach społecznościowych czy w grupach dyskusyjnych działających w internecie. Czy możliwości komunikacyjne, jakie stwarzają nowe technologie sprzyjają wzrostowi czy upadkowi kontaktów interpersonalnych i uczestnictwu w grupach społecznych? Czy istnieje związek pomiędzy korzystaniem z internetu a politycznym zaangażowaniem? Artykuł poświęcony jest prezentacji wyników wybranych amerykańskich i kanadyjskich badań społecznych nad wpływami internetu na kapitał społeczny

The book explores the complex world of Islam from the perspective of its adherents and activists in Azerbaijan. Baku, the most secular Muslim capital city, is a battlefield for the minds and souls of „ethnic Muslims.” Visiting pirs was till now the typical expression of religiosity among Azerbaijani Muslims. Sunni-Shia division was blurred. Nowadays, Shia and Sunni Muslim movements propose new distinctive identities. Foreign and local preachers took advantage of liberal religious policies of the 1990s to promote their ideas. Salafis stress the „pristine” Islam and the idea of universalism, while Shias underline rationality in their faith tradition. Turkish model of Islam is more inclusive towards local customs. Sufism, although not as powerful as before, also finds a committed audience. Finally, independent charismatic local leaders gain supporters. The book investigates how this pluralism affects both religious groups and believers. Competitive environment requires effective strategies and flexibility. In this process, the traditional dominance of Shiism is challenged by Sunni movements. Shiism, however, is not giving up and adapts its concepts and practices to contemporary contexts.

Jak wygląda życie w Baku – z jednej strony wyjątkowo jak na świat muzułmański zsekularyzowanym, z drugiej – przeżywającym religijny renesans mieście?

„Życie codzienne w Baku” jest książką o mieszkańcach kaukaskiej stolicy, o ich zwyczajach i tradycjach, o codziennej etykiecie, ubiorze i mentalności. Opowiada  o wpływach sąsiednich krajów, Iranu, Turcji, Rosji, które przez wieki współkształtowały kulturę azerską. Zawiera liczne fakty i obserwacje o przemianach, jakie dokonały się od czasu, gdy z małego, prowincjonalnego miasta portowego Baku zamieniło się w światowe centrum wydobycia i produkcji ropy naftowej i gazu ziemnego.

Ważną i ciekawą częścią książki są fotografie, które przybliżają czytelnikowi pełną kontrastów i paradoksów stolicę Azerbejdżanu – pomostu pomiędzy Wschodem i Zachodem.

Gringloandia tells a story of cultural encounters and their consequences. Gringolandia – the land of gringos (i.e. Americans living in Latin America) – refers directly to San Miguel de Allende, a Mexican town. The movie is a perfect introduction into everyday culture of Latin America, with stories and pictures presenting Mexican values, social norms, attitudes towards life and death etc. The first part explores the motives for American immigration and settlement in Mexico. The second part is entitled ‘Real Estates’. Both Americans and Mexicans comment on current economic and social processes that have turned San Miguel de Allende from a cosy town to a crowded and popular destination of American expatriates. The clash between them and the early Gringos is reflected in another part of the film: ‘Two cultures’.