At the beginning of the 1330s on of the most important travelogues describing the road through the then Mongolian Asia to China was written. Its author was Odoric of Pordenone (or of Friuli, of Udine, etc.), a Franciscan friar born near Pordenone. A large part of the travelogue is taken up by a story about four Franciscan missionaries and the alleged transfer of their bones by Odoric from the Indian city of Thana to one of the Franciscan settlements in southern China. This story occurs in almost all versions of Odoric´s travelogue, but it is missing in a few (except for a brief mention of the martyrdom of the four Franciscans). It seems that this passage, which incidentally, also considerably differs from the rest of the travelogue style, is a later addition, resulting from the influence of the emerging hagiographic tradition. My article presents the historical circumstances of the events that occured just prior to the arival of Odoric in Thana and their representation in the frescos in Udine. A constituent part of the article is a translation of a substantial part of this passage from Odoric´s travelogue, based on the Latin text of the unpublished manuscript XVII.E.2., held by the National Museum Library in Prague., Vladimír Liščák., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The current text deals with the Japanese Seven Gods of Fortune, the shichifukujin, deities of combinatory nature that are believed to bring luck, prosperity and longevity to those who venerate them. The primary emphasis of this article is to introduce the seven lucky gods as part of a New Year ritual in the mountain village of Shimofukuzawa in rural Japan, addressing, therefore, the issue of contemporary Japanese folk religion. I tis based upon an anthropological documentary recorded in a village where local traditions are being perpetuated by the performance of community rituals, during which all members of the village take part. The article is intended to provide an introductory text to the delineation of the ritual proper, which will be introduced under the name Fertility Rituals in Japan and their Symbolism: Fertility rituals under the protection of Dōsojin., Zuzana Kubovčáková., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The main objective of the article is to analyze the Sino-Vietnamese conflict over the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea as they still represent an unhealed wound in the relations of both countries. Apart from assessing the rising importance of the archipelago, the article aims to present the history of the conflicting claims as well as predict possible consequences of the dispute., Petra Andělová a Mária Strašáková., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Two years after the beginning of the Bahraini uprising, the time has come to look back and review the aftermath of the events of Spring 2011. This article places the failure of the Bahraini uprising into its wider geopolitical context. By reviewing the aftermath of the revolution, this article also seeks to review some of the paradoxes and stereotypical narratives about the "Arab Spring" such as the notion of a "Facebook & Twitter revolution". The author comes to the conclusion that the government´s hunt for an Iranian security threat migght actually have helped to strenghten the position of the domestic radicals., Zbyněk Tarant., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The creation of the Portuguese overseas empire began after 1415 in the Atlantic area and gradually transformed itself into a multi-continental phenomenon. Around 1500, there was a period of particular expansion into Asia and Morocco, with a further consolidation of their position in Africa and Brazi. Although the king had tried to isolate the state from contemporary European events and had been engaged exclusively in activities on the world stage, the rather small and sparsely populated country began to run out of steam. The result was the enforced renunciation of her interests in North Africa (1542-1550), which had previously attracted more of the Crown's interest that the Orient. However, thereafter, the privileged position of the East in the Portuguese empire was never questioned, at least not at the ideological level., Karel Staněk., and Obsahuje bibliografii