Papers by Gyongyi Pasztor
Using qualitative research methods, the author explores the ways the inhabitants of the largest d... more Using qualitative research methods, the author explores the ways the inhabitants of the largest district of Cluj-Mănăștur-relate to their own dwelling place, investigating the mental schemes along which they structure their living space. inTrodUcTion Urban space is never merely a physical space where individuals live and move around, but also a culturally constructed social space. People attribute different meanings to the same physical space, in other words they particularise it, and attach emotions, meanings to it. The same space, or physical environment can therefore generate an extremely varied mental and emotional palette, and system of relations. Living in (social) space redraws the physical features, boundaries, and the "real" image of the given place. Roads used every day "become shorter" and often "improve in appearance", while the less used ones may seem "more remote" and "strange". Every individual possesses a cognitive map, on which the spaces of his/her everyday activities are engraved; images that depending on their elaborateness can contain very detailed (familiar) and more obscure (grey, unfamiliar) places. All these provide a meaning to our environment and help us in everyday orientation.
Erdélyi társadalom. Szociológiai szakfolyóirat, 2003
The study of poverty and its urban manifestations gains more and more importance in the transitio... more The study of poverty and its urban manifestations gains more and more importance in the transition period. Due to the official constraints regarding the choice of the workplace and the residence during state-socialism, phenomena of residential segregation were much seldom in Romania than in Western societies. After 1989, a considerable proportion of the houses stock became suddenly private poverty; consequently, the housing market started to function as a real market, after the rules of demand and offer. In the same time, the social and economic changes led to a general decay of the living standards and to an increase of the number of those living under the poverty line. The joint effects of the impoverishment of the population, the precarious social protection, and the liberalization of the housing market became manifest in the accentuation of residential segregation. Poverty cannot be treated any longer only as a statistically circumscribed category, it ought to be analyzed in rel...
The Reinvention of Architectural Tradition: The Case of a Transylvanian Saxon Community
The average Transylvanian Saxon village is a forgotten one. Having lost their Saxon populations, ... more The average Transylvanian Saxon village is a forgotten one. Having lost their Saxon populations, most of them have disappeared from the tourist map. However, there are a few successful cases where specific local features and German identity have been rediscovered, and the architectural heritage is well-marketed as a backbone for new, post-modern forms of tourism. An iconic case is that of Viscri (Weisskirch/Szaszfeheregyhaza), a globally famous site, due to the efforts of the Prince of Wales. The village is proud to have a UNESCO-listed fortified church built in the 13th century, along with dozens of local Saxon peasant houses and guild mansions (some of which now belong to Prince Charles of Wales). All these and the history built around the heritage of stone combined with the natural environment makes Viscri a very attractive rural tourist venue. This study focuses on the role of architectural heritage in the development of local tourism, based on the practice of reinventing traditions. Thanks to tourism, not only have several guesthouses been started, old types of craftsmanship have reappeared, and the social ties between the Roma and ethnic Romanian populations have even been tightened, but some abandoned – otherwise valuable – houses have been renovated and connected to the branded housing stock.
Erdélyi Társadalom, 2006
The authors try to describe the direction of changes taking place both in the physical and the so... more The authors try to describe the direction of changes taking place both in the physical and the social space of Kolozsvár, their hypothesis being that these features are the characteristics of the future postmodern Kolozsvár. The authors argue that the conscious development of a typical image of the city shows a process that aims to develop a Kolozsvár-brand that can be used for marketing purposes, and this process is shaped by global processes, by the pressures to be integrated in the global urban planning processes
Romanian Housing Problems: Past and Present
SOCIOLOGIA
... Slovenia 338 0.95 1.33 19.0 Romania 341 0.95 1.19 17.4 Latvia 370 1.13 1.21 20.9 Hungary 385 ... more ... Slovenia 338 0.95 1.33 19.0 Romania 341 0.95 1.19 17.4 Latvia 370 1.13 1.21 20.9 Hungary 385 0.99 0.92 32.1 Czech Republic 397 1.01 1.04 25.5 Bulgaria 405 0.88 1.00 16.7 Estonia 410 1.03 1.18 32.0 Source: Hegedüs et al.(1996). Page 87. GYÖNGYI PÁSZTOR, LÁSZLÓ ...
Belvedere Meridionale, 2016
Th is paper deals with spatial processes linked to social inequalities in the city of Cluj, Roman... more Th is paper deals with spatial processes linked to social inequalities in the city of Cluj, Romania during the past twenty-fi ve years from the collapse of communism. Th e article is based on diff erent methods (statistical data analysis for segregation indexes, qualitative data for interpretation) and argues that the forced urbanization process specifi c to the socialist period "made the foundation" for the spatial and social segregation developed during transition and economic restructuration aft er the post-Fordist turn reached the Transylvanian major city, Cluj. Th e author presents the spatial patterns of segregation through social variables like education, ethnicity, type of residence and district in tables and illustrative visual maps.
European Journal of Social Sciences Education and Research, 2017
The subject of the present study is Transylvania as a tourist destination, more precisely the ana... more The subject of the present study is Transylvania as a tourist destination, more precisely the analysis of what Transylvania means for the foreign tourists visiting here, and what meaning they attach to it. The timeliness of the issue is given by two factors. On the one hand the number of events with a touristic appeal has grown in the past years in Transylvania, and similarly the number of tourists has risen. On the other hand, writings that recommend Transylvania as an outstanding destination are more and more frequent in the international public sphere, in other words, it increasingly appears on the map of international tourism.
Co-authors: Csata Zsombor, Kiss Dénes, Pásztor Gyöngyi, Péter László
2. 2. Intenţia de deveni antreprenor / 18 2.2.1. Descrierea socio-demografică a potenţialilor ant... more 2. 2. Intenţia de deveni antreprenor / 18 2.2.1. Descrierea socio-demografică a potenţialilor antreprenori / 18 2.2.2. Tipurile de potenţiali antreprenori rezultate în baza interviurilor de tip focus-grup / 21 2.2.3. Motivaţiile intenţiei de a demara o afacere / 23 2.2.4. Planurile celor care doresc să pornească o afacere proprie, obstacolele demarării unei afaceri / 27 2.2.5. Obstacolele înfiinţării unei afaceri proprii -ce spun foştii antreprenori? / 30 2.2.6. Obstacolele înfiinţării unei afaceri proprii -ce spun cei care nu doresc să pornească o afacere? / 30 2.2.7. Motivaţii posibile de stimulare a antreprenoriatului în rândul celor care nu doresc să demareze o afacere / 33 3. Condiţiile sociale ale potenţialului antreprenorial / 35 3.1. Efectele mediului microsocial şi instituţional asupra potenţialului antreprenorial / 35 3.2. Mediul cultural. Atitudini faţă de antreprenori şi antreprenoriat / 39 3.2.1. Încrederea generală / 39 3.2.2. Modele de gestionare a banilor / 40 3.2.3. Condiţiile succesului antreprenorial / 40 3.2.4. Atitudini faţă de antreprenori / 41 3.3. Trăsăturile de caracter asociate cu intenţia antreprenorială / 42 4. Necesităţile de formare şi servicii profesionale în domeniul antreprenoriatului / 45 4.1. Cererea faţă de cursurile de formare antreprenorială şi de servicii profesionale pe baza rezultatelor de anchetă / 45 4.2. Cererea de cursuri de formare antreprenorială şi de servicii profesionale pe baza interviurilor focus-grup / 51
The subject of the present study is Transylvania as a tourist destination, more precisely the ana... more The subject of the present study is Transylvania as a tourist destination, more precisely the analysis of what Transylvania means for the foreign tourists visiting here, and what meaning they attach to it. The timeliness of the issue is given by two factors. On the one hand the number of events with a touristic appeal has grown in the past years in Transylvania, and similarly the number of tourists has risen. On the other hand, writings that recommend Transylvania as an outstanding destination are more and more frequent in the international public sphere, in other words, it increasingly appears on the map of international tourism.
Kivonat A feltáró jellegű tanulmány az észak-erdélyi kreatív iparágak és IT-szektorban vállalkozó... more Kivonat A feltáró jellegű tanulmány az észak-erdélyi kreatív iparágak és IT-szektorban vállalkozók szociodemográfiai profiljának megrajzolására törekszik. Empirikus alapját a régióban végzett kérdő-íves kutatás és negyven vállalkozás és vállalkozó elemzése képezi. Az eredmények alapján a dinami-kusan fejlődő ágazatban működtetői elsősorban ilyen speciális tudások és készségek birtokosai, ame-lyek eladhatók, és amire a gyorsan változó gazdaság körülményei között megjelent újszerű mikropiacok és sajátos niche-ek felfedezése és kiaknázása ad lehetőséget. Abstract. Profile of Entrepreneurs in the Creative Industries and IT Sector The text deals with the creative industries and IT sector in the NorthWestern part of Transylvania, Romania in order to describe the social-demographic profile of entrepreneurs. The empirical base is represented by a questionnaire-based survey carried out in the region and the in-depth analysis of fourteen enterprises and their owners. The results show that the entrepreneurs engaged in local creative industries and IT possess marketable special knowledge and skills employed in special market niches. Bevezető A helyi gazdaságok kontextusában, amelyek egyre inkább kötődnek a korporatív globális gaz-dasághoz és gyors ütemben tudásalapúvá válnak, a materiális tőke szerepe egyre inkább másod-lagos lesz, a kreatív iparágak problematikája pedig stratégiai fontosságúvá válik. Hosszú távon ezek a gazdasági tevékenységek jelentik a fenntartható gazdaság motorját; regionális szinten az innovatív startupok fejlesztése hatékony eszközzé válhat a regionális és/vagy nemzeti " játéko-sok " számára, a globális gazdasági verseny feltételeihez való alkalmazkodásban. Ekképpen tevő-dik fel a megfelelő szakképzettséggel rendelkező személyek kérdése, vagy másképpen szólva, kik azok, akik tudnak/kiknek kellene vállalkozni az IT-és kreatív iparágakban. Empirikus tanulmányunk elsősorban leíró jellegű, megérteni szeretnénk annak a sajátos társadalmi csoportnak a legfontosabb jellemzőit, akiket a szakirodalom kreatív iparágakban vállalkozóknak/foglalkoztatottaknak nevez. A szöveg szerkezete a következő: a cikk első részé-ben bemutatjuk a fő fogalmakat és terminusokat, amelyeket a szakirodalom elemzési eszközök-ként használ a tárgyalt problémakör megragadására és leírására. Az alapvető definíciók felvázo-1 A szöveget román nyelvről Vita Emese fordította.
A szerző minőségi módszereket alkalmazva azt tárja fel, hogy Kolozsvár legnagyobb lakótelepének –... more A szerző minőségi módszereket alkalmazva azt tárja fel, hogy Kolozsvár legnagyobb lakótelepének – Monostor – lakói ho-gyan viszonyulnak saját lakóhelyükhöz és milyen mentális sé-mák mentén strukturálják a teret.
Milyen forrásokból és milyen gyakorisággal tájékozódnak a közéleti eseményekről a diákok? Hogyan ... more Milyen forrásokból és milyen gyakorisággal tájékozódnak a közéleti eseményekről a diákok? Hogyan modellezhető médiafogyasztásuk motivációs és szelekciós rendszere? A szerzők ezekre a kérdésekre a kolozsvári " Babes-Bolyai " Tudományegyetemen tanuló magyar nemzetiségű diákok médiafogyasztási szokásainak vizsgálatával keresik a választ. Korábban hasonló jellegű és témájú empirikus vizsgálat Erdélyben és Kolozsváron nem készült.
The present study is focusing on the major theories of urban sociology related to the phenomenon ... more The present study is focusing on the major theories of urban sociology related to the phenomenon of suburbanization from the conventional perspective of human ecology to the critical theories. In the first part of the study there are presented the dilemmas regarding the possible definitins of the suburbanization, followed by the historical process of suburbanization and its various stages from incipient forms to the problem of urban sprawl. The second part of the study discusses the main theoretical approaches of the causes and effects of suburbanization, all exemplified with some typical situations encountered in our society. The last part of the study deals with the possibilities and limitations of new approaches of modern urbanism formulated in the spirit of sustainable development, such as New Urbanism (in USA) or CircUse (Europe).
Th is paper deals with spatial processes linked to social inequalities in the city of Cluj, Roman... more Th is paper deals with spatial processes linked to social inequalities in the city of Cluj, Romania during the past twenty-fi ve years from the collapse of communism. Th e article is based on diff erent methods (statistical data analysis for segregation indexes, qualitative data for interpretation) and argues that the forced urbanization process specifi c to the socialist period " made the foundation " for the spatial and social segregation developed during transition and economic restructuration aft er the post-Fordist turn reached the Transylvanian major city, Cluj. Th e author presents the spatial patterns of segregation through social variables like education, ethnicity, type of residence and district in tables and illustrative visual maps.
The Romanian housing question is different from other East Central Euro-pean reality (see Enyedi,... more The Romanian housing question is different from other East Central Euro-pean reality (see Enyedi, 1988; Szelényi, 1996). Due to the specific urbanization and modernization process (Ronas, 1984) that took place in the socialist era and the rapid privatisation of the housing stock after the turn of the regime (Tosics-Hegedüs, 2003), Romania faces an interesting situation. More than 70 percent of the urban population lives in so called block of flats, in large and sometimes overcrowded neighbourhoods. 95 percent of these blocks of flat are privately owned (Pásztor, 2003), while the possibility to ac-quire one is low due to the high prices. In these circumstances the housing is-sue is one of the most disturbing structural and functional social problem, with certain cultural aspects – the social pressure upon the young generation to acquire their own houses is very powerful while renting is a strong social stigma (Zamfir, 2001). The present article not only brings out the Romanian general process on the early post-socialist practices (as structural causes and larger social context) but also describes the housing issue along the following aspects: the socialist legacy, the appearance of housing market after 1989, as a regulatory institution; the lack of available and/or affordable housing. Briefly, the social problem (Macionis, 2004; Castells, 2000) of housing is described and presented with empirical examples in conflictual perspective embedded in the larger process of the Romanian transition; the narrative is based on statistics. All these could be an instrument not only for social scientists but also for social policy makers and real estate developers.
Jelen írásban a szerzők arra vállalkoznak, hogy a turizmus régiófejlesztésben betöltött eszközsz... more Jelen írásban a szerzők arra vállalkoznak, hogy a turizmus régiófejlesztésben betöltött eszközszerepét vázolják. A Bihar megyei Körösrév kistérség turisztikai marketingtervének példáján egy lehetséges elméleti és analitikus modelljét is megadják, az empirikus adatszerzés/elemzés – diagnózis – turista-profi lok – igények – objektív lehetőségek és erőforrások tengelyen. Kulcsszavak: kistérség, régiófejlesztés, turizmus, turista profilok, lehetőségek és erőforrások.
The average Transylvanian Saxon village is a forgotten one. Having lost their Saxon populations, ... more The average Transylvanian Saxon village is a forgotten one. Having lost their Saxon populations, most of them have disappeared from the tourist map. However, there are a few successful cases where specific local features and German identity have been rediscovered, and the architectural heritage is well-marketed as a backbone for new, post-modern forms of tourism. An iconic case is that of Viscri (Weisskirch/Szászfehéregyháza), a globally famous site, due to the efforts of the Prince of Wales. The village is proud to have a UNESCO-listed fortified church built in the 13th century, along with dozens of local Saxon peasant houses and guild mansions (some of which now belong to Prince Charles of Wales). All these and the history built around the heritage of stone combined with the natural environment makes Viscri a very attractive rural tourist venue. This study focuses on the role of architectural heritage in the development of local tourism, based on the practice of reinventing traditions. Thanks to tourism, not only have several guesthouses been started, old types of craftsmanship have reappeared, and the social ties between the Roma and ethnic Romanian populations have even been tightened, but some abandoned - otherwise valuable - houses have been renovated and connected to the branded housing stock.
Kivonat. A szerző a 2012-es londoni olimpiai játékok társadalmi hatásait taglalja, kiemelten a vá... more Kivonat. A szerző a 2012-es londoni olimpiai játékok társadalmi hatásait taglalja, kiemelten a városi térben végbement folyamatokat és a jövőben várható következményeket a városszociológia fo-galomtárát használva. Arra a következtetésre jut, hogy a 2012-es kiadású nyári játékok pozitív ha-tásai az előzetes tervezés, valamint a tudatos városépítészeti terveknek köszönhetőek, ugyanakkor valós kockázatokat is jelent Kelet-London szegényebb népessége számára, akik a rehabilitációs pro-jektek nyomán létrejövő ingatlanpiaci változások és dzsentrifikáció miatt nyomás alá kerülhetnek. Abstract. Autorul tratează efectele sociale ale olimpiadei de vară din 2012 găzduite de Londra cu accent pe consecințele din spațiul urban utilizând terminologia specifică sociologiei urbane. Drept concluzie se afirmă următoarele: consecințele pozitive semnificative ale demersului sunt rezultatul unei planificării economice, sociale, teritoriale, dar pot fi trasate și unele efecte negative, în special în cazul populației sărace din East London. Aceste categorii sunt puse sub presiune datorită schim-bării structurii pieței imobiliare din zonă și a procesului de gentrificare. Abstract. What Remains after Olympics? The Social and Spacial Effects of Queen Elisabeth Olympic Park, London The author focuses on the social and spatial effects of the 2012 London Olympics. She argues that the resulting positive effects are the outcome of the planning policy with some possible negative consequences. For example the poor population of East London now become highly exposed to risk due to the structural changes of the real estate market and the rapid gentrification process.
Korunk 2014 Szeptember, Október, Sep 2014
Jelen elméleti jellegû tanulmány célja, hogy a városról szóló szociológiai tudásokat rendszerezze... more Jelen elméleti jellegû tanulmány célja, hogy a városról szóló szociológiai tudásokat rendszerezze, a fontosabb megközelítéseket szemlézze, elméleti támpontokat és fogódzókat adjon ahhoz, hogy ne csupán "lássuk", hanem "meg is értsük" a várost mint szociológiai entitást.
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Papers by Gyongyi Pasztor