The article deals with the topic of migration from cities to villages in the Czech Republic and Austria and the opportunities for the social integration of newcomers. It relates partly to the problems of suburbanisation but is not limited to just migration to suburban villages. The analysis is based on a qualitative study conducted in 2003-2004 using grounded theory, and it examines the subjective viewpoints of the incomers and their assessments of their situation. The author reveals two different patterns of motivation for migration, presents a typology of relationships between the incomers and the village community, and distinguishes three basic 'orientations' among the incomers: a village orientation, a city orientation, and an orientation towards self-sufficiency. These specific orientations emerge in the process of mutual interaction between the preferences of the incomers and the integration opportunities offered by particular villages; they are not exclusive and can change over time. The author closes with a summary of the differences between the situation in the Czech Republic and Austria, which may be a result of different structural conditions and different historical backgrounds.
This article looks at the marginalization of the Roma from the perspective of socio-psychological dynamics of society. The author takes the specific case of Roma settlements in Slovakia, where he has conducted anthropological research, to illustrate how the mechanism of marginalisation functions. Drawing on the work of Tzvetan Todorov and Peter L. Berger, he argues that at the heart of human sociability - the ability and necessity to live among others - is the constant human need for attention and recognition from others. This basic human need affects the socio-psychological dynamics of society, including the marginalisation as well as integration of some of its groups. This need for attention and recognition leads to the emergence of complex 'counterworlds' or 'counter-societies', with their alternative value systems. The Roma settlements and urban ghettoes represent such counter-worlds that provide their inhabitants with attention, recognition, positive self-interpretation, and confirmation of their values. If the inhabitants of these counter-worlds are unable to fulfil this need anywhere else, then their integration into wider society cannot be achieved.