A description of the field of activities and tasks of the IOV Science and Research Commission for East-Central Europe

The scope of the Commission’s scientific and research activities comprises primarily Slavic cultural heritage viewed in two different perspectives: 1/ The cultural individuality of particular ethnoses within East-Central Europe (their cultural distinctive features), and 2/ Their common features: cultural universals combining individual nations within both Eastern and Western Slavdom and a broader community of European nations. A broad consideration of two religions – Western (Roman) Christianity and Eastern (Orthodox) Christianity – and their systems of values will be important for reconstruction of the traditional vision of man and the world characteristic of the component ethnic cultures of the ECE Commission.

Emphasis will be laid on correspondence between traditional and contemporary aspects of anthropologically orientated studies in folklore. This research will consider both spiritual and social areas of folk culture of East-Central European nations, with their material culture as a context.

Investigations will be made into both traditional verbal folklore (its various genres along with their inherent ethnosophy) and multi-coded folk messages: verbal-musical-dancing. The lateter category comprises primarily the folk drama of the liturgical calendar (ritual year) and of the family calendar (principal rites of passage). Comparative studies of the folkloric ritual calendar comprise e.g. similarities and differences of its elements across the folklore of various nations, or patterns of its transformation in contemporary culture.

To illuminate changes in contemporary culture it will be also indispensable to take into account the forms of folklore and folklorism functioning within contemporary mass culture (cultural unification).

The other principal activities of the ECE Commission result from the program of the IOV UNESCO. They comprise building bridges among peoples and nations through undertaking common research; articulation and reception of their cultures; presevation of archaic phenomena in various folk cultures; accumulation, systematization and spreading of Slavonic cultural heritage; working out a technology of transfer of folk records on digital repositories of information. Comparative analyses of folklore phenomena will be presented at international congresses, conferences, seminars, symposia – both European and worldwide. Common publication projects will be also pursued: for example a monograph of annual cycle of rites in different countries.

The ECE Commission would also stimulate research into the folk culture of East-Central European nations and forward scientific expertise and advice on organization of conferences, folk art exhibitions, and other cultural events. The ECE Commission would also engage in scientific co-operation with other IOV scientific commissions (e.g. common research projects and their promotion at IOV world meetings) and international scientific organizations outside IOV structures (e.g. The International Committee of Slavists, The Slavic and East European Folklore Association – USA).

A general program of activities

• Establishing a website of the ECE Commission which would comprise a characteristic of its scientific research, bibliography of publications and curricula vitae of its members, presentation of their most recent publications, information about organized conferences, etc.
• Organization of cyclical conferences, seminars, symposia (their scope would depend on funds) in the countries represented by members of the ECE Commission: they would focus on the field of scientific research into the ethnic cultures represented there – both regional-local and comparative.
• Participation of members of the ECE Commission in other conferences organized within IOV structures.
• Working out mechanisms of fund raising for popularization of results of research into significant problems of folk culture in contemporary era of globalization.
• Scientific expertise and advice on organization of world IOV meetings.
• Scientific expertise and advice on shaping the profile of IOFA scientific journal.
• Recruiting new members of the ECE Commission.

Lublin, 2009-03-31

Prof. dr hab. Anna Brzozowska-Krajka

Chairperson of the IOV ECE Commission

This general program of activities of the ECE Commission was discussed and approved during its 1st inaugural meeting on July 16th, 2009 in Minsk Belarus with the participation of Mr. Hans Holz, IOV General Secretary.