Call for papers to the special issue of Slovak Ethnology/Slovenský národopis, volume 74, number 2, on the topic New Challenges for Qualitative Research Methods on Transnational Families in a Changing World

Guest editors:

Esra Demirkol Colosio (ORCID: 0000-0003-2349-2389), Sociology Department at Çankırı Karatekin University, Turkey

Jelena Predojević-Despić (ORCID: 0000-0002-3947-9974), Institute of Social Sciences, Serbia

Martina Wilsch (ORCID: 0000-0002-6502-5503), Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia

The complexities of contemporary social fabrics and their rapid transformations challenge researchers and academics to continuously reflect on methods, research topics, and ethical considerations in new and evolving ways. Research methodologies must adapt to shifting social realities, shaped not only by the needs of research subjects but also by researchers’ own lives and their diverse professional and personal commitments (Günel et al., 2020). A key challenge lies in positioning researchers and social scientists in an era characterized by multiple crises (Das, 2015, 2016). In the post-pandemic world, the intersection of personal and professional experiences underscores the necessity of reflexivity—particularly regarding how researchers’ biographies, experiences of crises, and the disruptions they encounter influence their methodological choices and engagement with interlocutors.

Research on transnational families—typically defined in migration studies as families whose members are physically dispersed across two or more countries yet maintain a sense of familyhood (Bryceson & Vuorela, 2020; Cienfuegos-Illanes & Brandhorst, 2023)—presents a distinct set of methodological challenges. These include engaging with research subjects who may be (im)mobile, geographically distant, or socially vulnerable, as well as those who are familiar or even experts in their own right. While these challenges are complex, they also provide a dynamic and enriching research landscape. As a result, scholars must continually reflect on and refine methodologies such as ethnography, participant observation, multi-sited fieldwork, autoethnography, and other qualitative approaches. Furthermore, academic inquiry rooted in empirical research—whose core purpose is to deepen understanding—demands ongoing methodological and epistemological reflection.

This special issue of Slovak Ethnology critically examines the challenges of conducting qualitative research on transnational families and invites authors to methodologically contribute to the topic by addressing various aspects of this relationship, including the needs of research subjects, researchers’ subjectivities, research ethics, the positionality of researchers, and the specific research contexts surrounding transnational families, while also calling for innovative methodological contributions.

The special issue is collectively organized by COST Action CA21143 Transnational Family Dynamics in Europe (TraFaDy) and also supported by the APVV project VV-MVP-24-0203 Family on the Edge: Current Contexts of Vulnerability and Transnational Family Transformations.

Contributors are kindly requested to submit their abstracts and keywords directly through the editorial system of Slovak Ethnology (https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/slovenskynarodopis/about/submission) no later than June 30, 2025.

The final manuscripts will be expected no later than January 31, 2026 through the same editorial system.

They should not exceed 6,250 words or 45,000 characters, including spaces, notes, and references, and should follow the journal’s guidelines for authors accessible (HERE).

Slovenský národopis/Slovak Ethnology vyzýva na zaslanie príspevkov do pripravovaného čísla 1/2026, ročník 74, zameraného na tému Ľudová zbožnosť: Duchovný svet vidieckeho obyvateľstva

Hosťujúce editorky:

Barbora Turčanová (ORCID: 0000-0001-9970-8946), Ponitrianske múzeum v Nitre

Markéta Holubová (ORCID: 0000-0001-8904-1738), Etnologický ústav Akademie věd ČR, v. v. i.

Z pohľadu etnológie výskum ľudovej religiozity a jej hmotných i nehmotných prejavov nemá v našich podmienkach vo všeobecnosti príliš bohatú históriu. Zostáva tak nepopísaná kultúrnohistorická hodnota mnohých objektov, do nenávratna odchádza poznanie prejavov ľudovej viery v podobe prvkov ústnej tradície, ľudovej slovesnosti, hudobných či výtvarných prejavov, z ktorých mnohé sa pod vplyvom doby menia i vytrácajú.

Koncom roka 2024 Ponitrianske múzeum v Nitre sprístupnilo verejnosti dlhodobú výstavu s názvom Oroduj za nás. Inštalácia nadväzuje na akvizičnú a výskumnú činnosť múzea. Autori výstavy mali zámer predstaviť návštevníkom duchovný svet vidieckeho človeka rímskokatolíckeho vierovyznania z konca 19. storočia s presahmi do toho nasledujúceho, a jeho prejavy ako vo verejnom, tak aj v súkromnom kulte.

Vo všeobecnosti sa náboženský, umelecký i kultúrny fenomén v tradíciách obyvateľov strednej Európy stal mostom medzi historickými obdobiami a spájal ľudí naprieč rôznymi krajinami či regiónmi. S témou ľudovej zbožnosti sú späté hmotné i nehmotné kultúrne prejavy, reprezentujúc mestské i vidiecke prostredie a mnohé z nich sú dodnes nadčasovým odkazom minulých spoločenstiev. Vyznávanie konkrétneho náboženstva v sebe nesie vzorce správania sa v určitých situáciách, ktoré spoločne s vyššie uvedeným predstavujú atraktívny predmet bádania, a to zvlášť na území Slovenska, kde historicky boli a sú i dnes živé viaceré konfesie.  

Redakcia časopisu Slovenský národopis na podnet a v spolupráci s Ponitrianskym múzeom v Nitre iniciuje úsilie prispieť k širšiemu poznaniu uvedenej témy, k výmene a popularizácii vedeckých poznatkov a informácií z danej oblasti, a preto sa rozhodla venovať pozornosť tejto problematike v samostatnom čísle časopisu 1/2026.

Privítame štúdie alebo eseje etnológov, antropológov, historikov, historikov umenia, odborníkov z oblasti pamiatkovej starostlivosti, ako i z iných spoločenskovedných disciplín, ktorí sa v rámci svojho výskumu zaoberajú:

• osobnými a kolektívnymi (verejnými) náboženskými úkonmi a praktikami,
• sakrálnymi stavbami, sakrálnymi priestormi a sakrálnymi pamiatkami v krajine,
• púťami, pútnickými miestami, sviatkami a rituálmi,
• slovesnými, hudobnými, výtvarnými prejavmi spätými s náboženskými praktikami.

Príspevky budú uverejnené v slovenskom/českom jazyku.

Termín zaslania abstraktov: 31. máj 2025

Prosíme prispievateľov, aby abstrakty v slovenčine a v češtine posielali priamo do redakčného systému Slovenského národopisu na adresu:

https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/slovenskynarodopis/about/submissions

Termín dodania príspevkov: 30. november 2025

Prosíme prispievateľov, aby príspevky posielali priamo do redakčného systému Slovenského národopisu na adresu:

https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/slovenskynarodopis/about/submissions

Informácie pre autorov: text príspevku by nemal presiahnuť 6,250 slov alebo 45,000 znakov s medzerami, vrátane poznámok a zoznamu literatúry a mal by rešpektovať Pokyny pre prispievateľov. Podrobnosti nájdete TU.

Call for Papers to the special issue of Slovenský národopis / Slovak Ethnology, volume 73, number 4/2025 – Marian Devotion in Europe: Historical Traces, Current Forms, Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Guest editors:

Tatiana Zachar Podolinská (ORCID: 0000-0001-6164-5740; Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia), tatiana.podolinska@savba.sk; 0

Agáta Šústová Drelová (ORCID: 0000-0003-3593-4228; Institute of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia), agata.sustova-drelova@savba.sk

Kinga Povedák (ORCID: 0000-0003-1182-5836; Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Szeged, Hungary) povedak.kinga@szte.hu

The editorial board of Slovenský národopis / Slovak Ethnology invites submissions for a forthcoming thematic issue 4/2025 dedicated to exploring Marian devotion in Europe from ethnographic, anthropological, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Scope and Focus

Marian devotion has played a pivotal role in shaping religious practices, cultural identities, and social movements throughout European history. This thematic issue seeks to bring together research on historical and contemporary aspects of Marian devotion, particularly focusing on its intersections with nationalism, cultural heritage, and religious practices connected to the Virgin Mary in diverse European and religious, spiritual and non-religious (secular) contexts.

We are particularly interested in contributions addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Historical Aspects of Marian Devotion: evolution of Marian cults, pilgrimage traditions, and religious iconography;
• Nationalism and Marian Devotion: the role of Marian devotion in national identity formation, political mobilisation, and cultural memory;
• Morphology of Miracles and Sacred Narratives: comparative studies of Marian apparitions, miracles, and their cultural interpretations;
• Contemporary Forms of Marian Devotion: modern-day practices, digital religious expressions, and Marian festivals in a globalised world;
• Interdisciplinary Perspectives: theological, sociological, and psychological analyses of Marian devotion;
• Material Culture and Iconography: artistic representations, relics, and sacred spaces associated with the Virgin Mary;
• Virgin Mary in Pop-culture: depictions of the Virgin Mary in music, film, literature, and digital media, and their influence on societal perceptions;
• Spirituality, Conspirituality and Conspiracy Theories in Marian research: The intertwining of spirituality and conspiracy theories in Marian devotion, including the reinterpretation of Marian apparitions and symbols in the context of alternative spiritualities and conspiratorial thought;
• Non-religious and Secular “Virgin Mary”: cultural and contextual reinterpretation of the Virgin Mary beyond direct religious semantics.

Submission Guidelines

We welcome original research articles, case studies, and theoretical papers from scholars in ethnology, anthropology, history, religious studies, and related disciplines. Submissions should be based on well-documented research and follow the journal’s submission guidelines.

Key Dates:

• Abstract Submission Deadline: [28 February 2025]
• Notification of Acceptance: [7 March 2025]
• Full Paper Submission Deadline: [30 June 2025]
• Publication Date: [31 December 2025]

Submission Process:
Contributors are kindly requested to submit their abstracts and keywords (max. 200 words and 4 to 6 keywords) directly through the editorial system of the Journal Slovak Ethnology (https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/slovenskynarodopis/login) no later than  28 February, 2025.

The final manuscripts will be expected no later than 30 June 2025, through the same editorial system. They should not exceed 6,250 words or 45,000 characters, including spaces, notes, and references, and should follow the journal’s guidelines for authors accessible (HERE). 

For inquiries, please contact the guest editors: tatiana.podolinska@savba.sk and agata.sustova-drelova@savba.sk.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and engaging in a rich academic dialogue on Marian devotion in Europe.

Call for papers to the special issue of Slovak Ethnology/Slovenský národopis, volume 73, number 3/2025 – Suburbanisation: Community, identity and everydayness.

Guest editors:

Pavol Šuška (Institute of Geography, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava) pavel.suska@savba.sk

Marcela Káčerová (Department of Economic and Social Geography, Demography and Territorial Development, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava) marcela.kacerova@uniba.sk

Suburbanisation is an ongoing trend in developing post-socialist cities, expanding into their hinterlands. Research in this area has predominantly focused on quantitative analyses of fundamental processes such as migration, construction, and changes in landscape structures. These analyses have typically been approached from the perspective of the metropolitan area. However, significant social and cultural transformations occur within a dynamic environment influenced by intense migration. New identities are being negotiated and created, relationships to locality are being reassessed, and individual experiences of home are being redefined.

What remain insufficiently explored thus far are the specific place-making processes and relations that individuals and groups of different socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, religiosity, social status, etc.) engage in. These processes are further translated into preferences, ideas, or norms, which confront and change the socio-cultural and institutional environment of the suburbs.

We welcome papers that engage with the following themes:

• local communities in suburban space,
• old and new in a process of dynamic change,
• the future of suburban spaces,
• demographic transformations of the city versus the suburbs,
• processes of identification with place, the making and remaking of home,
• housing versus home,
• the growth of suburban space and the environment,
• identity of place and belonging.

Contributors are kindly requested to submit their abstracts and keywords directly through the editorial system of the Journal Slovak Ethnology (https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/slovenskynarodopis/login) no later than January 20, 2025. 

The final manuscripts will be expected no later than March, 31, 2025, through the same editorial system. Manuscripts should not exceed 6,250 words or 45,000 characters, including spaces, notes, and references, and should follow the journal’s guidelines for authors accessible HERE.