The author reflects upon the Balkans as an ethnographic museum of Europe. She explores this idea in connection with the extinction, transformation, and revitalization of traditional cultures in the Balkans. Phenomena such as time perception, fascination with living "antiquities", the specifics of long-term phenomena, opinions on the Balkans' backwardness and different attitudes towards cultural heritage are discussed. The author also examines rescue field research, changes to the academic paradigm, and postmodern efforts to preserve cultural diversity. and Autorka se zamýšlí nad představou Balkánu jako etnografického muzea Evropy v souvislostech zániku, transformace a revitalizace tradiční kultury na Balkáně, vnímání času, specifik jevů dlouhého trvání, názorů o zaostalosti Balkánu, záchranného výzkumu, fascinace živými "starožitnostmi", postojů ke kulturnímu dědictví, postmodernistických snah o zachování kulturní diverzity i proměn vědeckého paradigmatu.
In Brno there live about 500 Bulgarians, in most cases university-educated specialists, descendants of gardeners and students. Even though they do not acknowledge Bulgarian nationality, they speak Bulgarian and they maintain contacts among themeselves and with relatives in Bulgaria. Ethnic identity is being preserved in privacy. Czech majority considers them Czechs, only friends and colleagues know their ethnic origin. Seasonal migrations of gardeners reached peak in the 1930s, when the Bulgarian minority in Brno constituted the most numerous community in Bohemia. Through the contacts with Bulgarians, Czechs constructed the image of modest, hard-working, efficient Bulgarian workers and professionals. Bulgarians were respected and welcomed. They represented the most emancipated sector of Bulgarian population. They contributed to their home country as well as to Europe, they constituted part of European cultural history. Czech majority nowadays had already forgotten their activities and their results accepts as regular part of their life. Ignored is the educational contribution of Bulgarian graduates of technical institute and medical faculty in Brno. The incorporation of Bulgarian minority in Brno proceeded throughout generations, from acceptation of Czech particularities through gradual integration into uncompleted assimilation with certain manifestations of ethnic and cultural identity. The authors applied the method of guided interview during their field researches, they utilized archival sources and long-term personal acquaintance with Brno and Bulgaria.
This study aims to describe, analyze and interpret culinary culture of today´s Balkans ethnic minorities in the Czech Republic – Bulgarians, Serbians, Greeks, Albanians, Macedonians, Bosnians and Croatians. The analysis is based on empiric materials from fieldwork held in 2009–2018. The author demonstrates specific examples of processes of enculturation, adaptation and acculturation, and mainly focuses on the issue of cultural persistence. Migrants from the Balkans living in the Czech Republic perceive and categorize their food, drink and eating habits through their ethnicity. They apply the elements of their national cuisine especially in the family life, at informal social meetings, and organized minority events. Their diet combines meals and eating habits of both: their national, and Czech cuisine. The national gastronomy remains part of their everyday lives and second most common way of ethno-cultural self-presentation during their organized minority events. The existence and intensity of national cuisines in minority culture is no longer determined by the length of their stay in target country. Instead, it is determined mainly by individual ethnic identification and the relationship to the national cultural heritage of the country of origin. The author put this phenomenon into context of postmodern revitalization of ethnic groups. and Obsahem studie je deskripce, analýza a interpretace kulinární kultury dnešních balkánských etnických minorit v České republice – Bulharů, Srbů, Řeků, Albánců, Makedonců, Bosňáků a Chorvatů. Východiskem je empirický materiál z terénních výzkumů z let 2009–2018. Autorka demonstruje na konkrétních příkladech procesy enkulturace, adaptace a akulturace, a hlavně se věnuje otázce kulturního přetrvávání. Čeští Balkánci vnímají a kategorizují své jídlo, pití a stravovací zvyklosti etnicky. Prvky své národní kuchyně uplatňují zejména v rodině, při rodinných a přátelských neformálních setkáních a při organizovaných akcích menšin. V rodinných jídelníčcích kombinují pokrmy a stravovací zvyklosti vlastní národní a české kuchyně. Národní gastronomie v rodinách zůstává součástí každodennosti; na organizovaných setkáních je druhým nejčastějším prostředkem etnokulturní symbolické sebeprezentace. Existence a intenzita národní gastronomie v kultuře minorit se dnes už neliší generačně podle doby příchodu do cílové země. V současnosti je závislá hlavně na individuální etnické sebeidentifikaci a vztahu ke kulturnímu dědictví mateřského národa. Autorka to dává do souvislosti s postmoderní revitalizací etnických skupin.