Pannoniana

'Ante Starčević. Ideals of Freedom and Law' by Pavo Barišić

Pavao Nujić — 2023-12-15

May 2023 brought the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ante Starčević (1823 – 1896), pater patriae and one of the most prominent figures in Croatian history. To commemorate this important jubilee, as well as the 125th anniversary of his death, Full Professor Pavo Barišić, Ph.D. presented us with a meticulously researched book titled ‘Ante Starčević. Ideali slobode i prava [Ante Starčević. Ideals of Freedom and Law]’, published by Školska knjiga in Zagreb in 2022. Professor Barišić is a well-established expert in the area of philosophy of law and an authority on the subject of Ante Starčević, having already published the book ‘Filozofija prava Ante Starčevića [Philosophy of Law of Ante Starčević]’ in 1996, the year of the 100th anniversary of Starčević’s death, as well as various other research papers, editions and source materials. Moreover, as a professor at the Faculty of Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb, Barišić introduced the lectures and courses on the philosophy of law and state of Ante Starčević in 1993, rounding up three decades of continuous research on the subject.

Ivan Filipović – Organiser of the Croatian Teachers and Reformer of the Croatian School System by Emerik Munjiza and Snježana Dubovicki

Pavao Nujić — 2023-12-15

In the wake of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Filipović (1823 – 2023), one of the most influential Croatian teachers and pedagogues in the 19th century, authors Associate Professor Emerik Munjiza, Ph.D. and Associate Professor Snježana Dubovicki, Ph.D. presented us with a monograph that thoroughly approaches the subject of Ivan Filipović. The book is titled ‘Ivan Filipović – Organizator hrvatskoga učiteljstva i reformator hrvatskoga školstva [Ivan Filipović – Organiser of the Croatian Teachers and Reformer of the Croatian School System]’, spans over 220 pages, and was published by the Faculty of Education, J. J. Strossmayer Universtiy of Osijek, in Vinkovci in 2023. The authors are eminent experts in the area of Croatian history of education with multiple studies on various subjects with a focus on Ivan Filipović himself; therefore, it comes as no surprise that they are responsible for commemorating the aforementioned jubilee with another significant contribution to the research and preservation of the deeds of the father of Croatian teachers. Moreover, the book is a product of a homonymous project under the supervision of Snježana Dubovicki dedicated to the commemoration of the anniversary on multiple levels and thus shares the projects’ visual identity produced by Associate Professor Marko Šošić, Ph.D. in Art.

Students’ Evaluation of Online Assessment Practices in the Covid-19 Online Teaching Period: In Türkiye, Poland, Republic of North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nihada Delibegović Džanić — 2023-12-15

The COVID-19 outbreak forced many changes in education, including teaching techniques, teacher-student interactions, materials, and assessment practices. The present study aims to uncover students’ opinions on the types of exams they took, their evaluation of the testing/ assessment practices they experienced, whether online learning influenced the way they prepared for the exams, whether they would like to keep the testing/assessment practices in the new normal and how they evaluate the teacher’s role as an assessor.

The data for the study were collected in Türkiye (TUR), the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM), Poland (POL), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) using cross-culturally valid questionnaires including items asking students to evaluate the teaching, assessment, and interaction skills of their teachers during the first “emergency online teaching semester”. Both closed- and open-ended items were included in the data collection tools. Responses to the items in the questionnaires were analysed quantitatively, keeping in mind country and context-specific peculiarities. The study results show similarities in the ways students were evaluated and their perceptions of evaluation procedures during the COVID-19 period, as well as contextual differences in the four countries.

Bioethics and Diplomacy

Željko Kaluđerović — 2023-12-15

The Declaration on Human Cloning was adopted at the 82nd United Nations plenary meeting on 8 March 2005. This Declaration crowned the efforts taken by France and Germany since 2001 to adopt a convention against the so-called reproductive human cloning. The negotiation was initially conceived as a bioethical debate that should have led to a general agreement to ban human cloning. However, more often, it took the form of a discussion on human rights, cultural, civil and religious differences among people, their interaction and the question of who or what has priority in case of potential conflicts among heterogeneous value systems. Neither the Declaration nor the negotiations gave any answers to these difficult questions, but they did allow superficial insight into the problems. They showed that international legislation falls into apories when professional argumentation does not prevail in conflicting attitudes, i.e. when political and other differences are in the middle of the dialogue. If one reads the Declaration carefully, it has an unexpected result since, because of its generality and attempts to establish a compromise between difficult-to-combine interests and definitions, it neither defines cloning of people nor prohibits it directly and unconditionally, including cloning for reproductive purposes. Finally, maybe it would have been better if the debate on the cloning controversies and subsequent comprehensive regulations were first left to scientists, philosophers and corresponding expert bodies and panels, who would explain the basic mechanisms of the cloning process and, more importantly, the bioethical implications of the process itself,

UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage in Science and Social Studies Textbooks for the Fourth Grade of Elementary School

Marija Pandurić — 2023-12-15

On the occasion of the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, it is important to emphasise the role of intangible cultural heritage in preserving the identity of an individual nation. This paper analyses the Science and Social Studies textbooks for the 4th grade of elementary school. The aim of the paper is to determine the representation of intangible cultural heritage inscribed on UNESCO’s list of cultural goods by analysing textbooks and to provide guidelines for approaching this topic. The review of textbooks revealed differences in the approach to coverage relating to content related to intangible cultural heritage in textbooks by different authors and different publishing houses. It was observed
that different authors approach the topics of cultural heritage differently, and intangible heritage is represented differently in different textbooks. In the majority of textbooks, intangible cultural heritage inscribed on the UNESCO list is well presented, but it is mostly mentioned as such without additional explanations and visual representations. It is necessary to approach this topic in education in a way that will encourage students to be active and participate in preserving the intangible cultural heritage that is a part of each of them, with a textbook being just one of the available tools in the teaching process.

Bioethics and Geopolitics – The War in Ukraine as Cause

Denko Skalovski — 2023-12-15

The article mainly relies on original scientific papers, and reviews of a large number of bioethical works published from the end of the last century to the present day, but it primarily leans on the reviews, critical reflections and comments of the renowned Croatian philosopher Rade Kalanj. He rightfully warned some thirty years ago that biological and genetic research had reached a level (“a borderline situation”/Jaspers) where the question of the relationship between science and ethics is raised anew, but now in a much sharper and more radical form. Today, in light of the war in Ukraine, we would add: the relationship between bioethics and geopolitics. One of the severe consequences of the tragic events in Ukraine is the danger of exacerbating the already significant global hunger, in which, ultimately, it becomes less important whether food is natural/organic or GMO, but rather whether there is any food at all, primarily the grains. Or, on the contrary, there is an abundance of food, but only for those who have money to buy it, and their numbers are decreasing, so it remains to give them food. But in that case, the profits of global capitalism would be missing, which would certainly be unacceptable for the world’s transnational elites and practically endanger the foundations of capitalism, marking the end of the global capitalist system/order. So, a major humanitarian catastrophe is looming, supplemented by millions of refugees, not only from Ukraine but also from around the world. This situation will be exacerbated by poor economic consequences, primarily for the EU and then for the whole world, all of which includes the UN and its specialised

Bioethical Sensibility Towards the Status of Animals and Their Rights

Matea Hiršinger — 2023-12-15

Man is a moral and conscious being. His role in the natural context is the care and preservation of nature with the aim of achieving natural balance. On a global level, bioethics, as a scientific discipline, assumes this role in developing and preserving nature, plants, and animals. The ethicality of man is reflected in his care, sensitivity, and sensibility towards nature, life, birth, and death. For ethics to be realized, every individual must become aware of their morality. The moral consciousness of man is manifested in various life contexts. Likewise, man’s morality is also reflected in his treatment of animals. Animals, as beings or as non-human animals, deserve the care and compassion of man. How animals are perceived as essential participants in the natural hierarchy depends on each individual. Do animals represent equal members of the natural community, or are animals merely means to satisfy various human interests? Do people think about preserving the Earth when mass breeding of domestic animals is encouraged and developed? The importance of animal welfare and respect for laws protecting them can be discerned from human actions. Greenhouse gases caused by mass animal breeding raise questions about the moral justification of such practices in the social and academic community. Is meat consumption considered a necessary need to feed and sustain the human population, or is it a matter of human interest and choice? The choice and selection of lifestyle in this busy and modern world are solely up to us. With knowledge, motivation, perseverance, love, care, respect, and sensitivity towards nature, the environment, plants, and animals, we can make this world healthier and more beautiful for all of us.

The Influence of Stage Dolls on the Development of Empathy in Younger School Students

Lidija Štimac — 2023-12-15

In today’s time of global change and recessionary crises, the importance of the “little man” in the context of understanding his existential needs and for the purpose of self-realisation is often overlooked. In the torrent of adaptation to these changes of world proportions, man seems to be lost. Neoliberal capitalism, with its culture of narcissism and the cult of individualism, we dare say, creates a culture of ruthlessness and indifference in which we become immune to social tragedies and observers of human suffering. By permeating aesthetic-artistic and empathic features as essential components of what constitutes the essence of man, it is possible to achieve harmonious interpersonal relationships as prerequisites for the first steps towards more successful growth and adaptation of the individual. It is necessary to mention the role of empathy and empathetic and caring thinking, which, along with critical and creative thinking, is an indispensable trinity when it comes to children’s educational process. What constitutes the essence of empathy itself, as an act of humanisation of man, is the imaginative leap, which is a prefix for overcoming social and political obstacles, limitations, marginalisation and distances that are a brake on indulging in other people’s feelings. One of the ways to help express feelings in children is a stage puppet. Through play, the child spontaneously takes on roles to express his or her thoughts, efforts, desires, wills, and feelings in a creative way. Puppetry education is an important component of the child’s overall development, starting from the earliest age when the newborn exercises motor skills all the way to psychosocial development in later life. The application of the stage puppet is wide, so it is used in resolving peer conflicts and discovering new artistic inclinations. This also contributes to education for empathy, mutual respect and the development of social skills. This paper will attempt to show the importance of its use and influence on the development of empathy at a young school age. After the theoretical framework, which explains the importance and role of puppetry and empathy in children’s lives, the methodological approach to action research will present the practical part of the work. This includes drama workshops, as a presentation of the impact of puppetry on the development of empathy in lower grades, with and emphasis on the need to nurture an imaginative leap by indulgence. Through the discussion, we try to expand and re-examine the hypothesis and offer answers appropriate to the problem.

Lace in Croatia – Tradition and Sustainable Development

Tonka Vekić — 2023-12-15

On the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in Croatia, art has taken its place, respectively the skill of textile handicrafts, better known as lacemaking, which rests on preservation, promotion and sustainability tradition. Consequently, sustainable development is based on an integrated, comprehensive approach to economic, ecological and social values through the natural, social and human sciences. Interweaving threads using a needle or a stick forms a characteristic shape of textile activity that requires exceptional calmness, patience, precision and specific work of hands whose product is a handicraft called lace. This work aims to explore and compare the role and purpose of Croatian lace in the past and today to raise awareness of tradition and the value that Croatian lace still carries today.
The lace tradition in Croatia has been nurtured for centuries, especially in smaller rural areas where women have woven their traces in the rich history of folk art by making lace. Silk, cotton, linen, silver and gold threads form a hollow work worthy of admiration. With their technological and artistic characteristics, lace works are not only an integral part of the culture of the community but also an indicator of artistic creativity in Croatia.

Political and Ideological Focus of Croatian Feature Films in the 1990s

Marija Živković — 2023-12-15

the country itself. During Croatia’s struggle for survival and against aggressors attacking its borders, the film industry also had to undergo its own rebirth. The Homeland War as an artistic theme, of course, could not be avoided. Therefore, it was exploited beyond measure by filmmakers for whom the themes of patriotism ––no matter how vain, uninspired, or manipulative––brought a certain social and/or financial satisfaction. Film and politics have always been connected in Croatian cinematography and used for direct manipulation. The frequent division of directors into suitable and unsuitable was also maintained by the newly enthroned regime, only according to other criteria. The paper provides an overview of glaring examples of the political and ideological focus of Croatian feature films from the beginning to the end of the 1990s, especially regarding their contextual, thematic, and stylistic features. It is shown that the response of Croatian film art from that period to the active aggression that suppressed fundamental human rights––the right to life, freedom, and security ––was also (passive) aggressive, in the form of discrimination, intolerance, and exclusivity, which resulted mainly in the low qualitative range of Croatian filmography in that period.

Pietro Marubi – Founder of The First Photography Studio in Albania

Edmond Muço — 2023-12-15

The article aims to highlight the art of photography in Albania, which began at the end of the 1850s and is associated with the name Pietro Marubi (1834- 1903), an Italian from Piacenza who, for political reasons, left Italy and sought refuge in Albania, where he finally settled in the city of Shkodra. The scope is on his extraordinary work, including the founding of the first photography studio in Albania around 1855, which was a bold step at that time. Among his earliest photographs are those of Hamzë Kazazi (1858) and Leonardo de Martino (1859). He became a popular figure in Shkodër, photographing important events with the latest technique, immortalizing historical events such as the connection of Prizren (1878-1881) and the uprising of Mirdita that were published in the international press as in the pages of the well-known magazines such as “La Guerra d’Oriente” and “The illustrated London news”. Pietro Marubi also took the first photograph in Montenegro. In the collection of Sultan Abdul Hamit II, there are photographs with a view of Shkodra or people in folk clothes, as photographed by Pietro Marubi. This proves the great fame that Marubi’s photography studio gained in the Ottoman Empire. Pietro Marubi, therefore, brought Shkodra on the level with the first European cities representing the art of photography. The results give an original picture of the role and importance of the photography studio. Marubi and his vision are shown in passing on the profession to his sons. With the act of inheritance of his studio to Kel Kodheli, Marubi would lay the foundations for the continuation of the activity. With Kel Kodheli, the “Marubi Dynasty” was consolidated, where the next generations of photographers were formed, who today make up the collection of the Photo Gallery of the “Marubi” National Museum of Photography. The opening of the national museum “Marubi” in Shkodër, in addition to its extraordinary cultural and historical values, is also at the service of cultural tourism, which is visited by many local and foreign tourists. The article is based on research of the literature and sources published by the Marubi National Museum of Photography and the Library of the Academy of Sciences, as well as international publications and meetings with historians and other researchers. The conclusions provide another important aspect of this work, especially for the generation of young artists educated today who look up to Marubi as a model of inspiration, but also for the general public.