COFFEE-SHOPS IN FLATLAND VILLAGES: FROM BIRCUZ TO CAFÉ

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This paper presents the findings of a sociological research of coffee shops in the village of Stapar (Northwestern Serbia, near the City of Sombor). The case study method was used, and the results showed that a rural coffee-shop/tavern has been an important rural institution, since it performs several functions for a rural society. The findings also show that in rural coffee-shops/taverns it is possible to find a special mix of modernity and tradition.

TAVERN AS OUR EVERYDAY ROUTINE AND A BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN

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In the form of a sociology essay, the author analyzes the tavern as a sociology and culture institution, lifestyle, part of our everyday routine and a pattern of behaviour. All is backed by excerpts from the works of famous authors who wrote about the tavern. In the end, the essay points to “the other face of the medal“ i.e. to the pathology of the tavern peaking in alcoholism.

TAVERN NAMES

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The paper offers a semantic and structural systematization of the names of hospitality facilities in the Serbian speaking regions. Possible motives behind the listed names are also examined.

INNS AS FORERUNNERS OF COFFEEHOUSES

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A coffeehouse, as its very name indicates, is a place for having coffee and smoking tobacco. The first coffeehouse in Serbia opened in Belgrade in 1522. Later, under the Turkish rule, various places were opened: taverns, pubs, caravansaries and hans (inns). When the Turks left, the coffeehouses that survived were those of social, economic, political and cultural significance. The medieval Serbia opened its inns in towns. The villages were expected to provide free meals, food and accommodation for people as well as oats for the horses. The goods that travelers were carrying were entrusted to the innkeeper who had to take care of them and return them to the traveler at departure. The Canon law forbade the clerics to either patron or possess inns. The most important guests were pilgrims and then merchants: they undoubtedly helped develop the hospitality industry. Statutes of the Serbian coastline towns differ: in Budva no inns are mentioned, in Skadar they were banned and in Kotor they had a specially prescribed legal status. The importance of inns and coffeehouses cannot be compared but it is certain that both had a great economic significance and that they were instrumental in the arrival of Roman Catholics in Serbia.

CULTURAL ROOTS OF THE SERBIAN TAVERN

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The introductory part of this paper examines the psychological and culturological background of catering facilities, aiming to place the original cultural phenomenon marked as the “Serbian tavern“ in a global context. Then, the main body of the paper analyses the origin of certain culture units representing the Serbian tavern as a complex and layered cultural fact, in order to discover its cultural roots. The analysis shows that it is a unique product as a specific combination of West European, oriental and autochthonous cultural elements from the Balkans, East Europe and Serbia. It is an institute of national importance, because of both its role in the national history and the fact that it is a tourist brand. This is why its nurturing, upgrading and tourist valorization need to be well planned.

TAVERN AND THE INTERNET SOCIABILITY: A COMPARISON

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Although the tavern as a social institution and the internet as technology do not constitute phenomena of the same kind, comparing them has sociological significance in the context of tavernology. In this paper, such comparison will include comparing the tavern and the internet sociability based on the functions that theorists attach to the one or the other phenomenon. The basic hypothesis is that most functions attributed to the tavern can be applied to the internet and vice versa, which points to the conclusion that what is at the core of the social aspect of the internet use is, in fact, the copying of patterns of sociability from a real into a virtual space. Consequently, the tavern and the internet sociability are not conflicting but complementary concepts. The internet sociability in fact represents “the version 2.0“ of its tavern counterpart, because it is derived from the patterns of social relationships peculiar to the period of modernity which the global social network upgrades, shifts to a virtual space, and at the same time, as each new phenomenon does, creates new controversies and dilemmas.

ROLE OF CAFÉS IN THE LIFE AND CREATIVE WORK OF THE 19TH CENTURY ARTISTS IN FRANCE

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The paper studies the role of the café as a specific social institution in the French culture and arts of the 19th century. In discussing the psychological and historical aspects of the café atmosphere and its influence on the appearance of revolutionary movements and new styles, historical data and available paintings have been used. In the psychological sense, cafés had a cathartic function and represented a specific type of protected locations providing support to artists in their expressing new and original ideas. The café was an alternative location for the restrictive and rigid École des Beaux-Arts, which did not accept any deviation from the classical principles of painting. The café is presented in the light of various characters of individual artists and also in the light of their artworks. In addition to the positive social role of the café, the paper also deals with its negative influences such as alcoholism and absinthism, and bases this discussion on the analysis of paintings and several individual artist careers. Particular attention has been paid to the connection between the changes in Van Gogh’s style of painting and the dynamics of his psychological crises. A short presentation is given of the results of an empirical study on the change in Van Gogh’s painting techniques from five distinctive periods, based on the Martindale’s scales of arousal potential and primordial content. Finally, the topic of the café is discussed in the light of psychoanalytic theories of art as sublimation, catharsis and regression in the service of the ego.

THIRD PLACES: GENEALOGY OF А HETEROTOPIA IN CIVIL SOCIETY

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The subject of research in this paper is coffee houses as third places. They are approached and defined from the sociological and the genealogical perspective. When observed as a spatialized history of places, genealogy provides an adequate theoretical and methodological framework for this research. The main task of such genealogy is to research the spatialization of a certain type of sociability and social capital in civil society. We have indicated broader social and historical circumstances in the genesis and development of third places as well as their contribution in the processes of developing a new type of sociability and public reasoning. The rise of coffee houses through history is contextualized: within the framework of a new type of critical public as opposed to the representative public; within the process of division between the private and public domain; as a kind of undifferentiated space/discontinuity/heterotopia that, in the social geography of the civil society, stands vis-à-vis the existing social stratums and the future spatial and class division. In conclusion we claim that, although the third places were privileged social spaces, they were not the only or fundamental places important for the genesis of rational discourse. However, third places were of key importance in the processes of forming urban institutes, development of public spaces, public speech, civil liberties and legitimacy of rationality in the societies of Western Europe.

CYRILLIC IN THE CONSTITUTION OF SERBIA: A REVIEW OF MAJOR SOURCES (1974–2014)

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In spite of introducing Cyrillic as an official script in the Serbian language, its use shows a declining tendency. A review of relevant legal and language sources show that the question of the status of Cyrillic is one of the manifestations of ideological struggle of two opposed groups: the Euro-regional one whose standpoint arises from the language policy from 1972, the 1974 Constitution and the Opinion given by the Venice Committee, and the other one of a nationalistic/centralistic tone grounded in the comparative law of the EU member states. The balance of power in this struggle is also reflected in the decision of the Constitutional Court, which has imposed its authority in the matters of the Cyrillic script, as paramount language use authority.

PREDICTORS OF INTENTIONS AND BEHAVIOR: CAN MUSEUMS’ FESTIVALS INCREASE THE POPULARITY OF MUSEUMS?

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Research results reveal that visiting a museum is one of the least popular leisure activities. However, museums attract many visitors during festivals: there are people who visit museums exclusively during festivals (potential visitors of museums’ regular programs), and those who come to museums both before and during festivals (visitors). This research was conducted during the festival Museums of Serbia ten days from 10am to 10pm (N = 2472). Following the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and previous results on the research of the audience of the Museum Night festival, when it was found that the visitors compared to potential visitors have more positive subjective norms, perceived control, and attitudes toward visiting museums – the first goal of this study was to examine whether those results replicate in the context of new museum festival. The second goal was to examine the possibility of further differentiation of potential visitors: whether attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control predict their intentions to visit museums after the festival. Results showed that visitors had more positive attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control than potential visitors, while regular museum visitors (who visited museums at least ten times during the previous year) had the most positive ones. Additionally, attitudes and perceived control differentiate subcategories of potential visitors with and without intention to visit museums after the festival. The results are discussed within the framework of TPB. In particular, the role that TBP variables have in explaining past behavior has been considered, with respect to identified predictors of the intentions to visit museums after the festival. Applicability of TBP model for the purpose of museum audience development has been discussed, as well as further implications on the concept of potential museum audience in a festival context.