Parallel Cultures

Christopher Lord, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic Olga Strietska-Ilina, National Training Fund, Prague, Czech Republic

• Contents: Parallel cultures, Christopher Lord; Competing cultures, conflicting identities: the case of Transylvania, Gavril Flora; Transformations of ethnic identity: the case of the Bulgarian Pomaks, Madeleine Danova; The identity crisis and emergence of alternative ethnic identities among the Eastern Slavs: the case of the Poleshuks, Kirill Shevchenko; Inter-ethnic coexistence and cultural autonomy in Ukraine: the case of the Donetsk region, Kateryna Standnik; Quo vadis? the case of Russia, Olga Strietska-Ilina; Index.

’I can only highly recommend a book which is not only thought-provoking and valuable, but is also a reaction on behalf of the human imagination, common sense and generosity of spirit to the many manifestations of retrogressive thinking still prevalent today. Parallel Cultures is a fascinating study by a group of young scholars from what used to be called the Eastern Bloc...essential for those who believe tolerance to be the guiding light of the twenty-first century (and even more essential reading for bigots!).’ Sir Peter Ustinov ’Parallel Cultures may well become a catchword in discussion of identity, nationalism, or minorities as much as, say, imagined community or invention of tradition...Lord’s essay founds a moral anthropology.’ Professor André Liebich, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Switzerland ’...polemic and grappling with a problem that is of real and contemporary importance. That is what will make it very well worth buying.’ Maurice Keen, University of Oxford, UK