Číslo 2, roč. 107 (2020)

The paper addresses representations of danger in the spiritual sphere in
contemporary society in Slovakia by exploring the specific case of neoshamanic
groups. This argument is based on Mary Douglas’s theory and
the representations of spiritual practices are interpreted in relation to the
particular social context. I present the results of ethnographic research
conducted in Bratislava. I argue that in the neo-shamans’ interpretations
of spiritual healing the notion of contagion serves as a signal of danger
and indicates “wrong” beliefs and behaviour. Their reasoning is centred
around altered states of consciousness (ASC) linked to the concept of energy.
Neo-shamans represent shamanic healing as a moral act. However,
rivalry between experts results in mutual blaming: “wrong” practice results
in harm caused by the influence of negative energy. My interpretation is
complemented by the results of a preliminary survey of articles in selected
Christian media addressing the theme of alternative spirituality. They define
Christianity as the only true spiritual path and condemn practitioners of all
non-Christian spiritual techniques involving ASC, the reason being that any
spiritual healing, including neo-shamanism, opens the way for contagious
evil forces. The harmful effect is therefore associated with contagion and
is ascribed to the practices of “others” both in the context of alternative
spirituality and in the context of Christian media.

The article presents an overview of contemporary Czech shamanism based on the field research the author has been conducting since 2017 among the Czech shamanic communities. Despite the specific Czech distrust to ‘religion’ and ‘formalized ritualization’ in general, shamanism enjoys particular popularity. Particular attention is paid to the concept of illnesses and shamanic treatment. It is argued that the shamanic ‘action approach’ to human adversity offers a rather broad and attractive explanation as to what is experienced and performed during the shamanic ritual. Therefore, the second part is dedicated to shamanic ritual - the paraphernalia, ritual set and setting, which creates a space for ritual practice as well as a safe-space for spontaneous communitas, and one’s own understanding of this psychotherapeutic and religious experience. The final part is concluded by the specifics of contemporary Czech shamanism in the pervasive discourse of modern western spirituality.

Based on selected archival materials from the Bohemian and Moravian
milieus, the study deals with the problems connected to the burial of peo-
ple who committed suicide. The study seeks to demonstrate the extent to
which the concept of ‘impurity’ and ‘tainting’ still played a crucial role in
the period in question and how it established the legitimacy of a number
of ‘parajudicial’ practices applied to the body of a suicide (cutting off the
head and limbs, burning or burial of items that came into contact with the
body of the suicide or objects which the person used to kill himself/herself).
These practices, usually enshrined only in custom, might be interpreted
as rudiments of purifying rituals with elements of protective magic that
persisted in some localities up to the 18th century, often independent of
the decisions of the secular and ecclesiastical courts.

The aim of the article is to gain a more comprehensive insight into a Czech collective memory of the Second World War. The article suggests that vivid collective representations of the Second World War are informed by family memory as well as by generational memory. On the example of four generations, the article shows a transformation of a national narrative of persecution and resistance of the oldest generation into an abstracted and generalized narrative of the youngest generation. Attention is paid to family recollections, their importance for the creation of the war memory by older generations and their gradual disappearance into younger generations. The article emphasizes a change of the perspective with which the youngest generation remembers the Second World War and stresses the emotional engagement of remembering. It argues that holocaust memory is well included into a Czech collective memory but under a new form provided by a new culture of remembering.

The terms ‘return migration’ or ‘re-emigration’ deal with the return of the
diaspora to the country of origin and are therefore full of nationalistic
perspective. These terms can be useful in the case of a diasporic return to
the country of origin, however, the use of the term ‘ethnic return migration’
should be clarified as well becaus migration of diasporic descendants
(to the country of origin of their ancestors) by strategic, rational and
pragmatic use of their ethnic disposition (i.e. passports of their ancestors
with written nationality) should also be looked into. Indeed, term ethnic
return migration expresses that in the case of some diasporic descendants
their ethnic origin might be lost and the diasporic identification questioned
hence their migration to the country of origin of their ancestors could be
analysed as mobility for material or economic benefit. In this article I will
analyse the migration of diasporic descendants from West Ukraine and
South Moldova to find out whether they incline more to return migration/
re-emigration or to ethnic return migration.

This study deals with an overview of international versions of the folk character kinderschreck, a pedagogical figure that scares children. The research probe is based on testimonies of respondents from thirteen countries in Europe and beyond. The work includes both characters based on traditional folklore narratives, as well as mentions of characters that are known mainly due to popular culture. It turns out that popular culture is an indispensable factor in the migration of folklore narratives and their subsequent transformations.