Cyprus,ethnic conflict and conflicted heritage

This article examines the dominant heritage discourse in Cyprus concerning preservation and destruction, and its implications for ethno-cultural identity construction and promotion. By exploring two heritage sites (one north and one south of the Buffer Zone) it suggests that heritage practice is more complex than commonly presented. Specifically, it shows how ethnic conflict has not only been responsible for heritage destruction but also for the preservation of it as an unintended consequence of ‘freezing’ development. It also examines how ethnic groups and individuals may come to evaluate their ‘own’ heritage negatively, specifically as an inconvenient cultural load, in efforts to develop ideologically specific or socially ‘progressive’ identities.     

The patterns of ethnic settlement and violence: a local-level quantitative analysis of the Bosnian War

The debate on the link between ethnicity and violence has been raging in political science literature since the end of the Cold War. Often, cross-country quantitative studies dismissed the importance of ethnic heterogeneity as a source of violent conflict. How the patterns of ethnic settlement within a country affect the severity of violence, though, has not yet been studied through similar techniques. In this essay, we build and analyse a data set of major violence-related variables collected at the local level during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. What emerges is that the local distribution of the population, in terms of the number and relative size of the groups, is a key factor in explaining the intensity of violence in the Bosnian municipalities.     

State mutability and ethnic civil society: the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel

This article identifies the phenomenon of ethnic civil society activism as mobilization that seeks to empower an ethnic community and challenges the institutional order. The case of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel is discussed and is used to reveal the conditions under which disaffected minorities pursue the path of ethnic civil society. The study finds that an analytical framework that stresses the mutability of state structures and changes in broader state-society relations provides a better explanation than existing theories of ethnic conflict. State-society characteristics conducive to this type of mobilization are a well-institutionalized state that can prevent deviation from the state's foundational rules and a counterbalanced dispersion of authority that limits regime capacity to control society.     

On the present situation of vultures in Bulgaria: A review

Abstract

A review of the literature indicated that about 100 pairs of Egyptian Vultures, less than five pairs each of Griffon Vultures and Black Vultures and no more Lammergeiers breed in Bulgaria.     

The evolution of violence within far-right mobilization: evidence from Russia

This article analyzes the temporal variation in far-right violence by examining it as a series of interrelated attacks that are embedded within and arising out of a broader cycle of far-right mobilization. It argues that the changing nature of far-right violence occurs as a trial-and-error process – what Sidney Tarrow terms “tactical innovation” – within a mobilizational cycle. As we demonstrate below, far-right mobilization is characterized by innovation, experimentation, and selection of specific types of attacks and particular targets that are deemed likely to garner public support and increase pressure on state officials. Consequently, over the course of the mobilizational cycle, far-right violence employed more organized forms of violence and increasingly targeted ethnic minorities and migrants. We find empirical support for this argument in the case of Russia, using event analysis of a ten-year span of mass violent attacks and an in-depth examination of selected riots.     

The mobilization of the ethnic vote: A thesis with some Scottish and Welsh evidence*

This article provides a historical and comparative analysis of post‐imperial migrations of ethnic unmixing. It examines the post‐Soviet migration of ethnic Russians to Russia in the light of the migrations of other once‐dominant ‘new minorities’ engendered by transitions from multinational empire to incipient nation‐states: Balkan Muslims during and after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, Hungarians after the collapse of the Habsburg Empire, and Germans after the collapse of the Habsburg Empire and the German Kaiserreich.     

The perception of ethnic diversity and anti-immigrant sentiments: a multilevel analysis of local communities in Belgium

Most of the literature suggests a positive relationship between immigrant concentration and anti-immigrant sentiments. The main goal of this study is to investigate the impact of both perceived and actual size of migrant populations on anti-immigrant sentiments. A representative survey of inhabitants of local communities in the Flemish region of Belgium shows a strong tendency to overestimate the presence of non-nationals. The survey allows us to conclude that respondents living in ethnically diverse communities do not have more negative attitudes towards immigrants. Individuals who perceive more immigrants to be present in their communities are more hostile even after controlling for reported contact with members of immigrant groups. We can therefore conclude that the perceived size of the immigrant group has a stronger impact on anti-immigrant sentiments than the actual presence of ethnic minority groups.     

Boundaries of ethnic identity in Central Asia: titular and Russian perceptions of ethnic commonalities in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Using data from nationally representative public opinion surveys done in 2005 in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the authors focus on the titular groups as well as the Russians in both countries and provide assessments of their perceived ethnic commonalities with one another and with various other ethnic groups, including Uzbeks and Jews in each country. The results indicate that there are hierarchies of intergroup differentiations that help to delineate the boundaries of ethnic identities in both countries. Multivariate analyses show the systematic effects of regional variables in shaping these ethnic boundaries. The basic topographies of the boundaries are consistent with the effects of social identification processes and the relative power and social standings of the different target ethnic groups across the regions. Our results lend clear support to the ethnic boundaries paradigm by underscoring that ethnic boundaries can be independent of objective commonalities and can vary according to contexts.     

Ethnic intolerance and ethnic conflict in the dissolution of Yugoslavia

The causal link between ethnic intolerance and ethnic conflict is tested using four highly comparable data sets from Croatia that span the time before and after the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia: 1984–5, 1989–90, 1996 and 2003. Though most approaches to ethnic conflict posit a social-psychological dimension critical to violent encounters, our analysis provides an unprecedented empirical examination that dispels the commonly held view that ethnic hatred, hostility, and intolerance are the cause of ethnic conflict. After explaining the events and the shifting social, political and economic landscape that precipitated the war, we examine demographic, social structural and attitudinal changes between 1985 and 2003 that are associated with variation in ethnic intolerance, giving special attention to the connection between religiosity and intolerance. Prior to the war people were slow to translate public tensions into personal animosities. We find strong support for concluding that the events of the war itself and especially elite manipulation of public images of these events, are strongly implicated in rising intolerance during the war, and that the war's residual effect has been slow to dissipate.     

The Politics of the Gap: Indigenous Australians, Liberal Multiculturalism, and the End of the Self-Determination Era

ABSTRACT  Since the 1970s, "self-determination" has been the dominant trope for expressing national aspirations for Indigenous Australians. Through the principles of self-determination, the liberal multicultural state has attempted to deliver postcolonial justice to its first peoples. In this new century, the sheen of the self-determination era has faded. Once heralded as the antidote to the racist assimilation era, it is now depicted as the cause of social ills. In this article, I draw on an ethnographic study of White antiracists working in Indigenous health in northern Australia to analyze the brand of liberal rationality that dominated the discourse of the self-determination era. By engaging with a "tribe" of White people who identify with the aims of the self-determination era, we can decipher the logic of self-determination as an instrument of the liberal state and better understand the internal contradictions and ambiguities that have led to its recent demise.     

Economic transition and household food consumption: A study of Bulgaria from 1985 to 2002

Major economic transitions typically entail changes in the availability of and purchasing power for different types of foods leading to long-term changes in the composition of the diet. Bulgaria, a former Eastern Bloc country, underwent a difficult and protracted transition from a centralized to market economy with acute economic crises and a much slower recovery of income levels than in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Using annual data from the Bulgarian National Household Survey, we study changes in the reported consumption of major foods (excluding alcoholic drinks) and their constituent macronutrients from 1985 to 2002, examining also the differences in dietary patterns between the period prior to and following the transition. The consumption of most major food items decreased, resulting in a fall in per capita energy consumption of 429 kcal/day (1.80 MJ/d), following the economic transition of 1991. As expected, the consumption of foods that were more expensive per unit of energy decreased greater than cheaper foods, -34% for animal products and -19% for visible fats, but only -10% for carbohydrates. These changes are related to the changes in income and market prices as well as the general negative trend in economic growth and hyperinflation in the mid-1990s. Thus, Bulgaria experienced a decrease in food consumption without significant changes in the dietary pattern following the economic transition of 1991. The fact that part of this decline may be attributed to continued economic challenges suggests that future transitions in the diet may be expected as economic development proceeds.     

From ethnic minorities to ethnic majority policy: Multiculturalism and the shift to assimilationism in the Netherlands

Abstract

Recently in numerous European countries of immigration, there has been a widespread ‘moral panic’ about immigrants and ethnic diversity. In The Netherlands, a backlash has occurred in policy and in public discourse, with migrants being blamed for not meeting their responsibility to integrate and for practising ‘backward religions’. Why is it that a self-defined ‘liberal’ and ‘tolerant’ society demands conformity, compulsion and introduces seemingly undemocratic sanctions towards immigrants in a move towards assimilationism? These issues are analysed by providing an overview of modes of incorporation of immigrants in the Netherlands and it presents evidence on the socio-economic situation of immigrants. The article argues that patterns of disadvantage cannot be explained solely by the low human capital attributes of the original immigrants. In spite of multiculturalism, the causes have to be sought in pervasive institutional discrimination and the persistence of a culture of racism. The study argues that a shift to assimilation is more likely to create further societal divisions.     

Awash National Park,Ethiopia: use policy,ethnic conflict and sustainable resources conservation in the context of decentralization

In response to recent decentralization in Ethiopia, we investigated pressure exerted on Awash National Park (ANP), vis‐a‐vis park resources; causes of park‐related conflicts and the impact of policy on sustainable resources conservation before decentralization (pre‐1995) and after decentralization (post‐1995). The study's aim was to assess the implementation of sustainable resources conservation in terms of use policy and conflicts in protected areas. We sampled a total of 210 respondents by stratified random sampling and group discussion participants and key informants using purposive sampling technique. Our results show that while policy problems were perceived to be the main threats to the park pre‐1995, demand for pasture land and water, resource‐caused conflicts, expansion of private and state farms were identified as main threats to the park post‐1995. Before decentralization (pre‐1995), inequitable resource sharing and poor organizational structures were the main causes of ethnic conflicts, whereas after decentralization, increasing demand for various resources were the main causes of conflict. We recommend experiences from the Simen National Park be tested to the benefit of improving the state of ANP.     

Towards the vegetation and settlement history of the southern Dobrudza coastal region, north-eastern Bulgaria: A pollen diagram from Lake Durankulak

Palynological investigation and radiocarbon dating of a 6-m core from lake Durankulak, north-eastern Bulgaria, enables vegetation development and human occupation from ca. 5500–5300 cal. B.C. onwards to be traced. Steppe vegetation that included with groves of deciduous trees asQuercus, Ulmus, Carpinus belulus andCorylus changed to a forest-steppe after 4000 cal. B.C. The archaeopalynological record indicates three distinct phases of human activity as follows: (1) 5300–4200 cal. B.C. (late Neolithic and Eneolithic) during which farming, that included a substantial arable component, was pursued, (2) 3500–3000 cal. B.C. (transition to early Bronze Age) when stock rearing appears to have dominated, and (3) after 1300 cal. B.C. (late Bronze Age) when arable farming again assumed importance. The palynological data correlate well with the rich archaeological record for human settlement that is available for the region from late Neolithic times onwards.     

First Record of Graphoglyptids in Cyprus: Indicative Presence of Turbidite Deposits at the Pakhna Formation

Abstract

Ichnological analysis at the Pakhna Formation (Miocene, Cyprus) reveals, for the first time, the presence of graphoglyptid structures. The Pakhna Formation is dominated by pelagic/hemipelagic sediments, together with contourite, reworked turbidite and turbidite facies. Thus, a complex interaction between pelagic, bottom-current and gravitational sedimentation is envisaged. The discernment of facies is sometimes difficult, based principally on stratigraphic and microfacies features. The record of Helminthorhaphe as a component of the graphoglytid group supports the presence of turbidites, facilitating their differentiation from the other facies. Nereites ichnofacies, punctuating a dominant/background Zoophycos ichnofacies, would reflect changes in paleoenvironmental conditions. This record offers significant perspectives to advance in the study of bottom-current and gravitational processes through outcrop examples.     

Holoplanktonic gastropoda (Mollusca) from the Miocene of Cyprus: systematics and biostratigraphy

Abstract: Eleven randomly chosen outcrops in the Miocene Pakhna Formation of Cyprus were sampled for holoplanktonic Mollusca. Four species of Heteropoda were found, and 24 of Pteropoda, a substantial increase from the two species recorded until now from the Miocene of Cyprus. One pteropod species, Peracle charlotteae sp. nov. (Gastropoda, Pseudothecosomata), is introduced. Age assignments based on holoplanktonic molluscs for the 11 localities are as follows: Langhian (Alassa 1–4), (Serravallian?) Tortonian to Messinian (Episkopi 1), Tortonian (Agios Tychon, Tokhni and the Maroni Marlstone of Khirokitia 1–2) and Tortonian to Early Messinian (Episkopi 2). These age determinations in some cases are at odds with those from previous publications based on calcareous nannofossils and Foraminifera. The sediments underlying the Amathus Channel outcrop yielded insufficient fauna for definitive dating, but we suggest are younger than Late Serravallian. At some localities, particularly in the Alassa area, pteropod assemblages are strongly variable on a bed‐by‐bed basis, and this offers possibilities for future refined biostratigraphical interpretations. This is the first substantial holoplanktonic mollusc fauna described from the eastern Mediterranean basin and allows correlation with assemblages in the central Mediterranean and elsewhere.     

Cyprus versus UK: Cultural Differences of Attitudes toward Animals Based on Personality and Sensational Interests

The aim of the present study was to see if positive attitudes toward animals can be predicted by the personality traits of agreeableness and conscientiousness, and whether higher levels of militaristic interests may lead to less positive attitudes. Militarism was expected to be predicted by lower agreeableness and conscientiousness, higher extraversion, and lower age. Known relationships between gender, age, and personality were also expected. These relationships were examined cross-culturally through a comparison between Cyprus and the UK, using measures translated for use in a Greek Cypriot sample and a new measure specifically designed for use in both UK and Cyprus samples. Cyprus, while similar to the UK in terms of its standard of living, retains a more traditional, rural lifestyle most often associated with collectivist cultures. While this study does not examine individualism and collectivism, findings may inform on any possible differences between such societies and offer a basis for more in-depth research. An online questionnaire was completed by 618 people and a path analysis was used to analyze the data, pooling the data for the analysis to determine possible cross-cultural causes for the observed differences in attitudes, personality traits, and interests. Findings indicated that individuals scoring high on agreeableness, scoring high on conscientiousness, Cypriot residents, females, and individuals expressing fewer militaristic interests expressed more positive attitudes toward animals. Additional relationships between personality, militaristic interests, and demographics were also established. The findings lend support to existing theory regarding the variables of interest and highlight significant new findings for the field. Cypriot residents reporting more positive attitudes toward animals may be a result of their collectivist culture, which appears to extend to human–animal relationships. New findings are discussed in light of suggestions for future research in the collectivist nature of Cypriot culture and its potential effects on militaristic interests and general animal welfare.     

Spatial and temporal distribution of bluetongue and its Culicoides vectors in Bulgaria

Surveillance of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges was carried out between 2001 and 2003, at 119 sites within a 50 x 50-km grid distributed across Bulgaria, using light trap collections around the time of peak adult midge abundance. Sentinel and ad hoc serum surveillance of hosts susceptible to bluetongue infection was carried out at around 300 sites between 1999 and 2003. Following the initial incursion of bluetongue virus 9 (BTV-9) into Bourgas province in 1999, affecting 85 villages along the southern border, a further 76 villages were affected along the western border in 2001, with outbreaks extending as far north as 43.6 degrees N. The BTV-9 strain in circulation was found to have a low pathogenicity for Bulgarian sheep populations, with less than 2% of susceptible individuals becoming sick and seroconversions detected up to 30 km from recorded outbreaks in the south. The major Old World vector Culicoides imicola Kieffer was not detected among over 70,000 Culicoides identified in summer collections, suggesting that BTV-9 transmission in Bulgaria was primarily carried out by indigenous European vectors. The most likely candidates, the Palaearctic species complexes - the Culicoides obsoletus Meigen and C. pulicaris L. complexes - were widespread and abundant across the whole country. The C. obsoletus complex represented 75% of all individuals trapped in summer and occurred in high catch sizes (up to 15,000 individuals per night) but was not found across all outbreak sites, indicating that both Palearctic complexes probably played a role in transmission. Within the C. pulicaris complex, only C. pulicaris s.s., C. punctatus Meigen and C. newsteadi Austen were sufficiently abundant and prevalent to have been widely involved in transmission, whilst within the C. obsoletus complex most trapped males were C. obsoletus s.s. Adult vectors were found to be largely absent from sites in west Bulgaria for a period of at least 3 months over winter, which, taken along with the spatiotemporal pattern of outbreaks in the region between years, indicates the virus may be overwintering here by an alternative mechanism - either by covert persistence in the vertebrate host or possibly by persistence in larval stages of the vector.     

Peddling sport: liberal multiculturalism and the racial triangulation of blackness,Chineseness and Native American-ness in professional basketball

Abstract

Deploying liberal multiculturalist discourse, the media depicts professional basketball as a post-racial space where all talented players, regardless of their race, can thrive if they work hard. An analysis of the construction of non-white players in the 1930s and in 2010 demonstrates sport as modulated by racially charged discourse. As part of a liberal multiculturalist frame, the coding of basketball players as hero, threat and novelty serve to privilege whiteness and replicate racialized and gendered images that can be traced to the 1930s. In doing so, the article highlights how liberal multiculturalism involves racial triangulation and the simultaneous processes of hyper-racialization and de-racialization.     

The destruction and conservation of the Egyptian Fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus in Cyprus: a historic review

In Cyprus, there are 16 species of bats most of which are threatened with extinction. With the exception of the megachiropteran Egyptian Fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus that feeds on fruit, the rest of them are insectivorous microchiropterans. The Fruit bat was declared as a pest by the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment of Cyprus since the early 1900s. To reduce the number of this “pest”, the above-mentioned Department, since 1927, used fumigation, shooting, and the purchase of dead bats. Fumigating and closing caves not only destroyed Fruit bats by direct poisoning, but the entire cave ecosystems, including highly beneficial and protected insectivorous species. The first attempt to protect bats on the island was in 1988 with law No. 24 of 1988, ratifying the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, 82/72/EEC. This convention protects all microchiroptera species except Pipistrellus pipistrellus that is strictly protected. R. aegyptiacus is rare, with small populations that are not at present endangered or vulnerable but at risk. Cyprus recently became a member state of the European Union. This provided the opportunity to include R. aegyptiacus in the Annexes II and IV of the council directive 92/42/EEC of May 21, 1993 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, which will guarantee the long-range protection and survival of this species.