1. Conspiracy beliefs in post-communist Europe : the role of religiosity, political ideology, and media trust among unvaccinated individualsKatarzyna Bałandynowicz-Panfil, Malgorzata Łosiewicz, Ana Slavec, Janez Štebe, Șerban Olah, Győző Pék, Adrienn Kaszás-Nagy, Mojca Šoštarič, Magdalena Iwanowska, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This study explores the sociocultural and psycho ‑ logical determinants of conspiracy theory beliefs (CTBs) among unvaccinated individuals in three post-communist countries: Poland, Romania, and Slovenia. The goal is to understand how religiosity, political orientation, media trust, and fear of COVID-19 shape conspiratorial thinking in societies with legacies of institutional distrust and ideological polarization. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The central research problem concerns the contextual drivers of CTBs in post-communist Eu ‑ rope, where transitional experiences challenge universal explanatory models. The study draws on data from an online survey of 1,641 unvaccinated individuals collected in 2021. Key constructs-including conspiracy beliefs, trust in institutions and media, religiosity, and political orientation-were measured using validated scales and analyzed through multiple regression models. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The argument integrates histori ‑ cal and structural factors with individual-level predictors of CTBs. It distinguishes between private religiosity and religious practice, analyzes media trust in frag ‑ mented information environments, and contextualizes political ideology within the region’s post-authoritarian trajectories. The analysis emphasizes how fear, belief, and epistemic orientation intersect in shaping vaccine-related conspiracies. RESEARCH RESULTS: Findings indicate that higher private religiosity, left-wing political orientation, low fear of COVID-19, and reliance on digital or informal information sources are positively associated with CTBs. In contrast, trust in traditional media, trust in medical professionals, and participation in organized religious practices predict lower endorsement of conspiracies. Slovenia and Poland show the highest CTB levels. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: CTBs in post-communist societies reflect both historical legacies and current epistemic vulnerabilities. Addressing them requires context-sensitive strategies that rebuild institutional trust, support civic engagement, and recognize the social functions of structured belief systems. The study contributes to a better understanding of misinformation dynamics in transitional democracies.
Keywords: conspiracy theories, religiosity, political ideology, media trust, post-communist Europe
Published in RUP: 05.05.2026; Views: 143; Downloads: 7
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2. Prosthetic memory and film-induced dark tourism in the specific post-conflict context : a divergent young adults’ perspectiveMetod Šuligoj, Jasna Hartman, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: The present postmodernist study explores how widely accessible films depicting tragic historical sites/events influence prosthetic memories and film-induced dark tourism among Western Balkan (the ‘region of memory’) young adult new-age platform users with no personal war experience. A heterogeneous list of ten internation - ally known historical films, compiled with the help of informants, was the basis for discussion in three nationally diverse focus groups (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian- Herzegovinian) and then compared with a comparison group from a less stressed environment. The results of the content analysis with triangulation are discussed, and explaining the missing prosthetic memory, factual knowledge and film-induced dark tourism nexus among young adults in a peculiarly toxic post-conflict atmosphere. The study thus identifies historical film and dark tourism abstainers and explains deviations not pre - viously reported in studies of the above concepts, taking into account the specific social environment and age group.
Keywords: prosthetic memory, learning history, dark tourism, film-induced tourism, post-conflict society, young adults
Published in RUP: 02.04.2026; Views: 342; Downloads: 5
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3. Adaptation Strategies of Small Farms in Short Food Supply Chains during the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Crisis : A Case Study from the Czech RepublicEliška Svobodová, Kristina Somerlíková, Ivo Zdráhal, Libor Grega, 2015, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) strategy offers an alternative to conventional (long) food supply chains. It can be an effective strategy for small farmers to establish closer connections with consumers. This closer proximity to consumers allows for faster strategic decision-making and actions on consumer needs. SFSCs are also praised for their contribution to sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. The policies of the European Union also endorse the SFSC model. Small farms constitute a significant share of the total number of farms in the Czech Republic and play important social roles in rural areas. In 2020, the Czech Republic had a total of 28,910 farms, comprising 16,000 farms (55.3%) with an area of less than 20 hectares. The pandemic and subsequent postpandemic crisis affected the entire Czech economy and firms in all sectors. Farmers in SFSCs had to find ways to deal with such a disruptive event. The article aims to evaluate farmers' perceptions of the impact of the pandemic and post-pandemic crisis on the functioning of SFSCs and their impact on farming operations, as well as to discuss the adaptation strategies of small farms in SFSCs in the Czech Republic during the recent crisis period. The article answers two questions: 1) How did the pandemic and post-pandemic crisis affect the functioning of SFSCs and farming operations in the Czech Republic? and 2) What adaptation strategies did small farms in SFSCs in the Czech Republic use during the pandemic and post-pandemic crisis? The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 73 small farmers involved in SFSCs in the Czech Republic during the years 2024 and 2025 and were analysed using statistical methods. Results indicate that, despite farmers’ perception of the impact of the crisis on their farming operations, their perception was rather negative. In the case of the functioning of SFSCs during the crisis period, their perception was slightly more positive than negative. The reason is that farmers in SFSC often implemented strategies to cope with the situation, e.g. by improving their online sales, e-shops, and social media presence. We argue that changes in marketing practices during the crisis period will enable farmers to improve their SFSC operations in the future.
Keywords: agriculture, pandemic and post-pandemic crisis, short food supply chain, Czech Republic
Published in RUP: 04.03.2026; Views: 254; Downloads: 8
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4. The Critical Position of Soviet Parliament Buildings Today : A Visual Analysis of the Crowds in the Built Environmentİlknur Erdoğan, Giuseppe Resta, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Nationalist discourses build societal unity by shaping rituals, historical narratives, and collective memory to construct the myth of a nation. Post-Soviet countries offer a unique context for examining the production of nationalism as a transition from a multinational past to a national identity. This process of decommunisation unfolds through the Soviet traces in the built environment. As a physical representation of the state narrative, we focus on the architectural memory and architectonic transformations of Soviet parliament buildings, analysed via large-scale axonometric drawings. Architectural landmarks such as parliament areas have evolved into focal points for confronting the traumatic memory of the second half of the twentieth century. The text focuses on the White House in Moscow, the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, the Government House in Baku, the National Assembly Building of Armenia in Yerevan, and the Government House in Minsk. How have communities reacted to the parliament buildings as tangible reminders of their problematic past? Following the methodologies the forensic aesthetic paradigm opened up, we traced the protest’s morphology, its form, and the transformations made in the built environment. By analysing videos, photos, and newspaper articles, we mapped out the protests to discuss architecture’s role in conveying state narratives.
Keywords: parliament buildings, post-Soviet countries, nationalist architecture, spaces of protest, anatomy of crowds
Published in RUP: 21.01.2026; Views: 371; Downloads: 3
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5. Assessment of marine litter interaction in cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline and the Adriatic SeaGuido Pietroluongo, Matteo Baini, Cristina Casalone, Giorgia Corazzola, Martina Đuras, Stefano Gavaudan, Federica Giorda, Tilen Genov, Silva Rubini, Sandro Mazzariol, 2025, original scientific article Keywords: marine litter, plastic ingestion, cetaceans, post-mortem, Italy, Adriatic sea, marine strategy framework directive, conservation
Published in RUP: 23.11.2025; Views: 582; Downloads: 2
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7. Our great depression of post-capitalism and not of capitalism (New Deal as the managerial revolution and understanding of our times)Tonči Kuzmanić, 2019, original scientific article Keywords: post-capitalism, capitalism, death of capitalism, language games, depression, economy, managerial revolution, Big Society
Published in RUP: 22.12.2021; Views: 2535; Downloads: 26
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8. Postna ponudba kot novi program Term Palace : diplomska nalogaDoris Krajnc, 2007, undergraduate thesis Keywords: turizem, wellness, prehranjevalne navade, zdrava prehrana, diete, post, postenje, programi, Terme Palace, ankete, diplomske naloge
Published in RUP: 26.02.2021; Views: 3776; Downloads: 37
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9. Evaluating post-release survival of loggerhead sea turtles bycaught in bottom trawls : assessing the effectiveness of a low-cost conservation methodBojan Lazar, Tilen Genov, Paolo Casale, Jure Miočić-Stošić, Grga Pleslić, Draško Holcer, 2018, published scientific conference contribution abstract Keywords: post-release survival, Caretta caretta, Adriatic sea
Published in RUP: 09.08.2019; Views: 3269; Downloads: 170
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10. Čas in prostor v umetniškem delu Fione Tan : doktorska disertacijaMirjana Batinić, 2018, doctoral dissertation Keywords: čas, prostor, post-gibljiva slika, film, video, kino, podoba-čas, sodobna umetnost, doktorske disertacije
Published in RUP: 01.08.2019; Views: 4469; Downloads: 112
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