Performanz und Imagination in der Oralkultur Südosteuropas

This book is the third part of a trilogy, dedicated to a comparative, translingual and transnational survey of the traditional written and oral culture of Southeast Europe. The first part was dedicated to the literature until the early 20th century, the second to the lingual manifestations of traditional oral culture, and the third is focussed on performative and imaginative aspects of the folk culture of the Balkans. In this way the peculiarity of this historical region, as underlined already by historians and linguists, is further enhanced with new material. The cultural coherence of the region in the field of performative customs, masks and disguisings as well as in superstitions of demonology and empirical therapy is significant, although it could not be documented sufficiently by the mostly national research traditions in Southeast Europe itself. As in the two volumes on Southeast-European written and oral literature the extensive material includes the recent state territories of Hungary, Rumania, Turkey, Albania, the ex-Yugoslavian countries, Bulgaria, Greece as well as Cyprus. The comparative investigation is focussed in its first part on non verbal symbolic actions and gestures, with or without the belief in their magic effectivity, as mere entertainment etc., with or without masks and disguising, eventually with the creation of theatrical roles and real dialogue, creating first forms of amateur theatre or even professional performances (e. g. ambulant ensembles, puppet- and shadow theartre); performative aspects of ceremonies and festivities are analyzed too. In the second part forms of superstitions are documented like magic practices, oracles, prophecies, astrology etc. but also forms of popular devotion (veneration of icons, pilgrimage, feasts of saints and trade fairs, offerings and sacrifices) and special forms of pastoral practice, as well as demonology and the universal belief in Evil Eye. Great importance was given to bibliography, usually difficult to compile in a time-consuming process; a separate part at the end of the volume is dedicated to a bibliographie résonnée, arranged according to countries and thematic groups; this will facilitate further and more specific research in special fields of interest. This book offers for the first time a profound comparative survey of verbal and non- verbal performative customs and the relevant beliefs und superstitions in the oral cultures of Southeast Europa; on the one hand these performative actions can be seen as a development toward basic forms of folk theatre, on the other hand the forms of religious belief and superstitions as traced in magic practice can be documented in the Balkan area in all religious communities up to the present and shpe an essential part of the cultural peculiarity and mental identity of the population in these regions.