In southeast Europe, more than 20 years of rapid change under the combined impact of transformation, globalization, and EU integration have deeply affected the structures of everyday life and have produced a variety of (post-)modern lifestyles. This book's contributions focus on the changing practices and patterns of everyday life. The concepts of multiple modernities and post-modernity appear to be particularly appropriate for a region in which everyday life is marked by often sharp contrasts: the coexistence of modern and traditional labor relations and legal concepts * the return to traditional religions and the adherence to new religious forms * the enthusiasm for modern communication technologies * the reliance on national identification. Understanding these paths to (post-)modernity is relevant for those generally interested in processes of socio-cultural change, but particularly for those interested in the Balkans. (Series: Ethnologia Balkanica - Vol. 16)

The papers in this volume continue our focus on emotions of people in Southeast Europe. Grief and sadness are, of course, universal, but they take on different forms of expression. Strong emotional values are often attached to specific foods (e.g. the kurban), usually food is of great importance for labour migrants and in times of crisis. Likewise, dress can be of great emotional significance and value. Wars as well as communist collectivization often lead to emotional consequences such as trauma. Smells and tastes can become expressions of actual or remembered emotions, a fact that can also concern the researchers themselves. Klaus Roth is professor em. at the Institute for European Ethnology of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. Milena Benovska is professor em. of the Dept. of Ethnology and Balkan Studies of the South-West University of Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Ana Luleva is Assoc. Prof. at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia.

The papers in this volume continue our focus on emotions of people in Southeast Europe. Grief and sadness are, of course, universal, but they take on different forms of expression. Strong emotional values are often attached to specific foods (e.g. the kurban), usually food is of great importance for labour migrants and in times of crisis. Likewise, dress can be of great emotional significance and value. Wars as well as communist collectivization often lead to emotional consequences such as trauma. Smells and tastes can become expressions of actual or remembered emotions, a fact that can also concern the researchers themselves.

The historical upheavals in Southeast Europe since the early 20th century brought about deep transformations of people's everyday lives and their life courses. The concept of ‘life course’ enables the understanding of human lives within their socio-cultural and political contexts, stressing agency and people’s everyday experience. Balkan contexts invite for analyses that bridge political and social changes and their influence on individual life courses. The papers discuss problems such as family life and parenthood, ages and ageing, life-cycle rituals and the artistic expressions devoted to them. The authors present manifestations of the social differentiation and cultural multiplicity under post-socialist or post-colonial conditions – from developing contemporary global life styles among the emerging urban middle class to the ghettoization of some social or age groups. This volume focusses on developing family cultures, on experiencing socialization and age, on ‘old’ and ‘new’ life cycle rituals and their artistic representations in contemporary Southeast Europe.

The historical upheavals in Southeast Europe since the early 20th century brought about deep transformations of people’s life courses. The concept of 'life course' enables the understanding of human lives within their socio-cultural and political contexts, stressing people’s everyday experiences and agency. The papers in this volume discuss problems such as the impact of migration and mobility on families, such as economic migration transforming traditional structures into individualistic strategies. Other papers give examples of ruptures of life worlds caused by the impact of dramatic historical events. Demonstrating the agency of actors instead of presenting them as passive victims, some authors present approaches that are innovative for the region. Apart from various forms of migration and their impact on life courses, the volume also includes contributions on the role of religion and social memory in the family.

More than 20 years of rapid political, economic, social, and cultural change have turned Southeast Europe into a laboratory of transformative processes - processes that have deeply affected the structures of everyday life and that have resulted in a variety of (post-)modern life styles. The contributions by native and foreign researchers to this first of two volumes shed light on the changing practices and patterns of everyday life in Southeast Europe, many of which differ from those in other parts of Europe. The concepts of multiple modernities and post-modernity appear to be highly appropriate for a region in which - under the combined impact of post-socialist transformation, globalization, and EU integration - everyday life is marked by sharp dichotomies and tensions. Understanding these paths to (post-)modernity is relevant for those interested in the Balkans, as well as for those generally interested in processes of socio-cultural change. (Series: Ethnologia Balkanica - Vol. 15)