How Race And Ethnicity Is Socially Constructed, Rather...

Humans have created the need to categorize people based on their perceived differences beginning back in the 17th century with the European expansion. We can see the beginning of racial stratification with the Europeans placing themselves as the top social class. In all societies people receive different shares of what is valued and it is this unequal division of resources that creates stratification by the higher social class receives more than the lower classes. Unfortunately, the lower classes are usually the ones who are involved with the most crime. The reason why people stepped in when the African American was trying to steal the bike is because they have been stereotyped as being associated with the most criminal behavior, such as theft and being involved with drugs. I do not think that stratification happens at random, because social institutions such as government, education and religion all operate to ensure the positions of the various social groups in the hierarchy. Why it is important to understand that race/ethnicity is socially constructed, rather than biological? Race is not determined by biological factors, but it is a socially constructed idea. It is a way of differentiating people, because race is one of the first features that a person notice about one another. In the United States, we still see race as skin color to judge everyone to as what group they belong to. By knowing that racism is socially constructed we would be able to educateShow MoreRelatedRacism: An Essentialist Category1728 Words   |  7 PagesAt one time and still today to many people, race is an essentialist category meaning that the race of a person is a category innate in them that sets them apart from others and makes them act in a certain way. Reb, for instance, one of the main characters of the story The Bread Givers , thinks it axiomatic that a woman cannot learn Torah, nor be educated but is fit only to work in the house. All of Rebs dealings with his daughters and the way that he perceives other women including his wivesRead MoreRace and Ethicity within Sociology959 Words   |  4 Pagessubtopic of race, several areas including our current culture, social psychology and the current format of our social institutions allow for the production and often the reproduction of racial discrimination in our day and age. Throughout this course, the various readings and class lectures have been very beneficial when examining the impact that racial discrimination and inequality has on our society. In this paper, I will delve into the subtopic of race and ethnicity and expound on how it is greatlyRead MoreGender, Race, And Ethnicity And Power Essay1507 Words   |  7 Pagescomplex sociological concepts. The following paragraphs w ill explain the struggle of my life experiences being influenced by using the concepts of gender, race and ethnicity and power. My journey began the moment I entered the world on May 25, 1996. I was born and raised in a small developed country called New Zealand. At birth, my biological sex was quickly determine as I was category as a baby girl. My parents, both immigrant from Hong Kong, China in the 1980’s. As a result, I automaticallyRead MoreThe Persuasive Account Of Race Through A Social Constructionist Lens1195 Words   |  5 PagesThe Persuasive Account of Race Through a Social Constructionist Lens During the late twenty-first century the academic focus recognised as the ‘critical philosophy of race’ was developed with the purpose of analysing the metaphysics of race. Scholars began to conceptualise ‘race’ with frameworks other than biological determinism due to scientific findings that proposed that race, as conceptualised as a biological fact, does not exist. To ground the social reality of race, theories of social constructionismRead More‚Äà ºGender‚Äà ¹ and the Importance of ‚Äà ºthe Social Construction of Gender.‚Äà ¹835 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Gender† and the Importance of â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender.† Gender is an individual s natural sense of themselves existing as a male or female, which may hold opposing views from their biological sex. I believe sex and gender are two terms used interchangeably. Sex implies the biological characteristics among females and males. Whereas gender implies the social qualities connected with being a female or male. As Lorber states, â€Å"I am arguing that bodies differ physiologically, but theyRead MoreRace And Ethnicity Are Integral Parts Of America905 Words   |  4 PagesRace and Ethnicity are integral parts of America. They are often used interchangeably. Race is associated with biology. It is a socially and politically constructed category of individuals who are assumed to share common inborn biological traits, such as bone structure, hair type, skin, or eye color. These distinctions have been used to the detriment or advantage of American groups over time. Whereas ethnicity is associated with culture factors. It is often tied to nationali ty of origin and characterizedRead MoreRace And Ethnicity Are Affected By Stratification938 Words   |  4 PagesBefore one might explain how race and ethnicity are affected by stratification. You first have to understand race and ethnicity in its self. Many people including me before I took this class thought they were the same thing. Racial groups are a group that is socially set apart because of obvious physical differences. An example of this is I come from Somalia but in the United States my race would be defined as black or African American. Ethnicity or ethnic groups are groups set apart from othersRead MoreThe Conflict Between Genders And The Implications927 Words   |  4 Pagesgender identities, how they are produced, or whether they should be reinforced, modified, or abolished, even among feminists, who by no means have a monopoly on gender theory† (p.2). In this context, gender is often referred to as â€Å"socially learned behaviors, repeated performances, an d idealized expectations that are associated with and distinguish between the proscribed gender roles of masculinity and femininity† (Runyan Peterson, 2014, p.2). Cultural variation such as race, ethnicity, class and sexualityRead MoreWelfare Fraud : A Black Woman1289 Words   |  6 Pagesher scams. The Chicago Tribune was the first to refer to Taylor as being a â€Å"welfare queen.† Media and politics stereotyped the â€Å"welfare queen† as a black woman who takes advantages of taxpayers and the system. This negative stereotype is socially constructed term that wrongly describes people, specifically women, who are blamed for collecting an unfair amount of welfare payments through fraud or scamming. During the early 1960s, welfare fraud became increasingly popular and was featured in numerousRead MoreAnalysis on Rebeca Keegans Article on Racial Inequality in Media860 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the semester, race is a big part of the lectures. In class, we talk about how race is distinguishing physical characteristics used to place people in different racial categories (Jensen). The biggest concern with race is racial inequality. Racial inequality is the inadequate or unfair treatment of minorities in areas like income, education, employment, health, the criminal justice system, and media. The article written by Rebecca Keegan from the Los Angeles Times newspaper discusses the inequality

Global Water Pollution Causes, Impacts, and Solutions Essay

Water pollution has become a huge problem in many countries all over the world. It is known that water is a very significant factor in life, but if this water becomes contaminated, it will be very dangerous for the humanity and wildlife. Pollution is defined as to make fetid or unclear and dirty (American College Dictionary). So, water pollution means the change in the water composition to be dirty or unclear. This essay will examine the causes of water pollution, the effect of that issue in life and how to overcome this problem. Pollution of water in the world can be caused by several reasons. Firstly, direct reasons which impact immediately in the composition of water. For example, discharging the sewage water into the sea has†¦show more content†¦As a result of all these causes of water pollution, there are some unwanted effects. First of all, this type of pollution definitely impacts the health of humanity, because many use large quantities of water for drinking or cooking. Thus, it is crucial to have pure water. Moreover, contaminated water can damage wildlife. The second effect of water pollution is the environmental influence such as the odour of water and the terrible sights on beaches or rivers. Finally, there are economical consequences which can occur when the government starts to cleanup this contamination as it might spend an enormous amount of time and money. Furthermore, wasting fresh water is an intractable problem that may be faced when they minimize the volume of dirty water. There fore, the prevention is much better and cheaper than the cleanup (Miller, G. T. 2007). Everyone in society can do some helpful things to deal with the water pollution issue. Governments can control oil transfer in the sea and put more laws and severe penalties on defaulting companies. Also, they can find another solution for sewage rather than dispose of it in the sea. In addition, traders should not throw industrial waste and chemical products in the sea. Moreover, human beings have a considerable part by not disposing plastic items down the toilet, and never throw oil products down the drain either (Australian Marine Conservation Society. 2004). Such solutions willShow MoreRelatedHealth Effects Of Air And Water Pollutants1269 Words   |  6 PagesHealth effects of air and water pollutants are major environmental issues that need to be better understood and controlled in the United States and globally. This issue is so important for many reasons, but for this discussion it is being identified to give a voice to the urgency to the world to pay attention to how our environment is failing into a catastrophic level of decline because of these types of pollutants. In order to overcome the pollutants there needs to be a call to action. We needRead MoreFossil Fuels And Their Impact On The Environment862 Words   |  4 PagesFossil Fuels and Their Impact on the Environment The amount of fossil fuels being deposited into the air should be controlled. Not only do fossil fuels pose a threat to the environment, but also to human health. The problem is not only noticeable in the depletion of human health, but also in the air, water, and land. Emissions are a concerning contribution to other problems such as global warming and greenhouse gases as well. One of the major factors of fossil fuels are vehicles. VehiclesRead MoreIn 1789 Thomas Malthus, English Cleric And Scholar, Studied1008 Words   |  5 Pagesof food production and thus it would lead to global starvation. According to the most recent United Nations estimate elaborated by Worldometers, the current world population is 7.5 billion. Overpopulation is an objectionable condition which the number of human population expands faster than the Earth’s capacity. Overpopulation is a result of various factors such as improvements in medical facilities. Moreover, overpopulation also has a critical impact on the environment and is a salient issue inRead MoreThe Environmental Problems Of Global Warming1486 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Human population rise, industrilisation and the increased requirement for natural resources has led to many environmental problems, beside global warming. With reference to specific examples, discuss those environmental problems and their possible solutions.† â€Å"Modern humans deeply influence the form and function of the ecosphere† (Hugget et al: 2004). During the twentieth century alone the world’s population increased from 1.65 billion to 6 billion and just now the worlds population stands atRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On Our Lives1304 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the recent years, air pollution has been the main cause of health problems in this society. Air pollution has caused so many health related sickness to the life we live in now. Air pollution has brought in high increases of poisonous gases that impact the weather by global warming, and the air we breathe. As we breathe this toxic air we get in the same chemicals that are mostly found in cigarettes. Some people could get many diseases breathing this kind of air today, because the cigarettesRead MorePollution And Its Effects On Society1670 Words   |  7 Pages Pollution Whenever you walk outside, what is one thing you always see, but may not notice? This issue you overlook constantly is pollution, but you are not the only one that does not notice, it is everyone that takes part in this major issue. In my opinion, the government does not take enough part in stopping or lessening this major issue. Across the globe, pollution exists in all communities and continues to worsen, therefore leaders must make environmental issue priorities and commit moneyRead MoreEffects Of Air Pollution Essay1282 Words   |  6 Pagesmany kinds of pollution, but one that has the most impact on humans would be air pollution. In order to live, we must breathe air and surprisingly some things that we breathe takes a toll on our health. Air pollution occurs when pollutants are released into the atmosphere. It has both chronic and acute effects on human health which effects a number of different systems and organsFossil fuel combustion such as diesel fuel, coal, gasoline and natural gas is the main source of air pollution. Most of thisRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Impact On Our Earth1676 Words   |  7 Pagesof our Earth. These issues include air, water, and environmental problems that we, as a global society, contribute to everyday. These concerns create major impacts that pertains to much of the globe and the world in which we inhabit today, compared to the world we lived in 50 years ago. Frequent statements that contribute to the overall thought of global warming include the following: how the community supplies detrimental factors to the Earth to cause global warming, and how can the community contributeRead MoreEnvironment Issues Are Destructive Effect From Human Activity On The Nature1288 Words   |  6 Pagesenvironment to protect ourselves. Global warming, shortage resources and ocean pollution are major environment issues and pressure around the world. The number of reasons and influence of these environment problems and pressures will be g iven. Global warming is a severe challenge to human survival and development. Angell (1999) describe that there are four approach show no signs of global warming in the past 1000 years. However, according to Gray (2009) the most reliable global temperature measurementsRead MoreMeat Production And Environmental Health1437 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Global meat production rose to a new peak of 308.5 million tons in 2013, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a more than fourfold increase over the last five decades. Even more startlingly, meat production has grown 25-fold since 1800 (Horrigan, Lawerence Walker, 2002). Globally, agriculture utilizes nearly 70 per cent of the world s available freshwater. One-third of that percentage is used to grow grains to feed to livestock (ECOS, 2014). While the global meat industry

Transformational Change Free Essays

At each moment of every day, someone, of eminent importance or the subordinate drifting around the park is embarking on a transformational change of some specific nature. What does that suggest to us? It indicates that at some point in our life we will experience this transformation as well. A transformational change is a modification to your life, as you know it; the learning cycle begins by recognizing that there is a substantial problem with your life in its current state. We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Change or any similar topic only for you Order Now Once this breakthrough has been exposed, you must establish a way to suppress the predicament in order to resolve it. From this point on it may be a brief or time-consuming journey to your new life; but the expedition can be excruciating nevertheless. â€Å"Transformation, though desirable, rarely comes easily. † (Alexander, M. Clugston, W, Tice, E. , 2009, Ch 5, p7) One conclusion that you can count on is that the ordeal that you have been through was meaningful and advantageous to your growth and development. Personally, I have been through a significant amount of transformational learning experiences. A select few come to mind, such as: graduating high school and beginning college for the first time, getting married, having a child, getting a divorce, going to real estate and tax school, and the death of my grandmother. Each of these circumstances have taken a toll on me; but when it came to selecting the transformational change that I am presently engaged, I believe that my decision recedes back into position in my renewal experiential cycle. I have ineffectively accomplished my original educational goals; so instead of establishing a new target, I will be â€Å"embracing the opportunity† to attempt once more. I am certain that ninety percent of our class, at the slightest, is going through the same transition as I am; working tediously to get a college degree taking into account a cumbersome work schedule and a family. Those were the strongest decisive factors this time around. At this point in my life I sense it is now or never; I faithfully believe that God has a plan for all of us, and it is now my time to thrive. When change is openly engaged, growth inevitably results—allowing boundaries to be broken and a new sense of freedom to be experienced. † (Alexander, M. Clugston, W, Tice, E. , 2009, Ch 5, p3) According to Jack Mezirow’s research, identifying the seven phases occurring in the learning process, I have fulfilled up to this moment the first six phases: * â€Å"Experiencing a disorienting dilemma† I have faced the reality that it is time to buy my own home to raise my daughter in, despite the issue that I will not be getting married. In order to do this I must be financially secure with a career and a college degree on the wall. * â€Å"Self-Examination† Am I ready? Can I handle the stress? Is it worth the trouble? Will I have the time? Am I going to have to give up something in order to accomplish my goals? Will my financial aid and all of my credits transfer I have already received? Yes to all, and it will be worth it as the result. * â€Å"Critical assessment of assumptions† Will there actually be a job or an innovative career opportunity available to me when I essentially receive my college degree? I assume there will be, but all I can do is complete school through graduation and explore then. * â€Å"Recognizing that others have gone through a similar process† My mother is my hero. She went back to school in her early thirty’s, the same age I am now, and she has three degrees on the wall. She actually started her doctorate degree, but decided to wait until the school relocated near us in a year and a half in order for her to go to classes on campus rather than online. Therefore, when she does get the doctorate she will have four college degrees and be a doctor. I cannot help but admire her. * â€Å"Exploring a process† Going to college online at Ashford University until I complete my Bachelor’s Degree is my plan. Then from there you cannot speculate what may happen. I may continue school until I am fifty years old. I genuinely love learning and education universally. * â€Å"Formulating a plan of action† This time in school I am majoring in a degree that will actually benefit me obtaining employment immediately when graduating. In addition, I have approximately twenty years experience in all aspects of business and management. My previous degree program at the last school I attended was Interior Design. I am highly interested, but the market is obsolete, just as Real Estate in which I hold a license. * â€Å"Reintegration† I am not certain that I have accomplished this phase at the present time. (Alexander, M. Clugston, W, Tice, E. , 2009, Ch 5, p7) For me personally, the reintegration phase can be experiential in two different aspects; attending school and being acclimated by the end of my first class, which is undoubtedly fulfilled. On the other hand, it could indicate graduating and facing the world as a newfound pristine college graduate. If the later is the case, then I have ample time to set new short-term goals for my next class, and continue adhering to them until my ultimate goal of graduating categorically occurs. I have had numerous blessings in my lifetime; however, the day that I graduate from college will be the second most ecstatic day of my life, second to childbirth. How to cite Transformational Change, Essay examples

International Journal Research Methodology -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: Tell Me The One Criterion About Our Company That You Like? Why Would You Select This Organisation And Not Some Other Companies? Where Would You Be In Five Years From Now? Answers: Introduction: In this unit of my assignment, I can prepare myself for an interview. This preparation will further help me to get a job in future. As I am a graduate and trying to start my career as a HR manager, some basic things are important know. Firstly, I want to know the job description and why I want to do this job. Secondly a proper cover letter and appropriate resume are also important as it will provide a glimpse of my skills and ability. Hence, at the end, I will show my reflection of experiencing interview questions and what I will ultimately learn from this unit. Desired job description: International Business Machines Corporations or IBM is a multinational company of technology, based on America. However, the company has its branches almost all over the world. The company operations under the service sector. It makes hardware, middleware and software of market computers. The company is offering an internship for one-year duration. This job is offered for citizens and permanent resident of the country. IBM is offering this full-time internship in various locations of Australia. These are Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and Perth. This job description is suitable for me as it offers job on Human Resource (HR). Moreover, the company operates under a service sector. I would like to work in a service sector as it contributes a huge portion of income to a countrys national income, especially in Australia. Hence, this sector is very important for the modern economic condition of a country. This sector offers more than 50% employment of Australia (Cascio 2018). Moreover, there will be more job opportunity in near future. Hence, this job position is very demanding. On the other hand, human resource is the most interesting position for me as it gives the opportunity to directly contact with people. Analysis of career path and goal: As I want to do a job as the HR for any industry of service sector, this job opportunity is very important for me. After analysing myself, I think that I have some criteria that match with a HR (Cascio 2018). To work as a HR manager, I want to develop my personal skills and technical knowledge. The chief criteria to become a HR manager are good communication skills, teamwork, good networking skills and proper time management. Moreover, good customer service, bookkeeping and event management. I think I have some criteria to get this position. For rest of criteria, I can develop myself. I have some learning styles, resilience and temperament to become a good employee. After analysing the strength, weakness, opportunities and threat (SWOT) of mine, an outcome is obtained related to this job. I can do this job properly and efficiently (Cottrell 2015). As I can interact with people efficiently, it will help me to maintain a good relation between employees and me. I have good problem solvi ng skills. Hence, I can solve various problems related to employees. On the other side, knowledge on digital technology will help to maintain database of everyone. Hence, after analysing all those factors, I think that I am suitable for this HR position. Moreover, it will fulfil my goal as I want to work under a service sector. Trend of HR employment in Australia: The trend of human resource jobs has increased steadily in Australia for the last few years. According to the government of Australia, this type of job is giving a growing professional opportunity. Hence, the number of HR recruitment has increased by 3% in 2016. However, not all portions within the HR sector increased simultaneously for the last few years. The job opportunity for recruiters and management has decreased by 22% (Cascio 2018). However, the overall value of HR recruitment and professionals has increased. The HR job market in Australia has influenced by various political disturbance, low business confidence and changing technological pattern. The HR professionals are facing mixed implications by changing job pattern in this country (Kavanagh and Johnson 2017). Mining and manufacturing sectors are decreasing continuously. On the other side, steel industries, IT and health sectors are growing rapidly. Employability criteria of HR: At present, a person needs three criteria to become an efficient HR. These are perfect personal knowledge, proper skills and abilities. The person should possess a bachelors degree and for some companies, master degree is required. The degree should be on human resource management, business administration or related field of management (Cottrell 2015). The key skills of a HR are decision-making, organisational leadership, good speaking skills and ability to use software related to human resource management. Hence, a certificate course on chosen sector is needed (Guest 2017). This will help the candidate to recruit new employees, maintain industrial relations and performance management. However, the most important criteria of a candidate to become the HR manager is good understanding on English language. As service sector operates internationally and IBM is an international company, English language is very important. According to those criteria, I should know computer knowledge to manage big data set of a large company like IBM. Moreover, to improve my communication skill, I must learn English language properly. As the demand for HR job is increasing rapidly in IT sector, it will be helpful for me to huge amount of employment opportunities (Guest 2017). On the other hand, I almost have all employable criteria as a fresher. Hence, this will also be helpful for me. Impact of technology on interview technology: Previously, interview process indicated a face-to-face conversation between interviewers and candidate. However, at present, this interview process has changed due to technological improvement. Video interview is one of those new interview processes that are used hugely currently. By this method, a candidate can give interview from other state or from other country. Various software tools are used for video calling like Skype (Weller 2017). On the other side, recruiters use application-tracking systems to manage all resumes and to find out proper matches. Skill testing is also important for various specialised positions, especially for software engineers. By using Hackerrank, Codepen.io and other software tools, employers can measure the candidate skills through online (Sun, Lei and Li 2017). Moreover, e-mail and mobile chatting are also very important concepts to contact with employees. This technology helps a HR for operating his or her work. Technology helps a HR to shorting job positions, faster response before time, review of job experience and finding references (Cottrell 2015). Moreover, technology makes perfect match and maintain more data for recruitment. I have seen your internship program for graduate students in au.gradconnection.com. I am excited to do my internship under a well-known internship company like you. This opportunity will help me to implement my course work practically. As Human Resource is my major subject at graduation level, I am very passionate about talent development and employee relations. Moreover, my communication skills, academic background and leadership experience will help me to prepare me appropriately for this position. Academic coursework: I have finished my business management courses on strategic human resource management and I have obtained good score. Leadership experience: I played leadership role in my school days. I have performed as the leader when my school performed various events. Communication skills: I have developed my communication skill to interact with international people. I am very excited to contribute my theoretical knowledge to your organisation. I pursue professional development intentionally. I also value non-stop growth by the internship description. I am enclosing my resume. It will describe my academic coursework, leadership experience and communication skills. As I eagerly want to start my career as a HR, this internship will help me to earn detailed understanding on this field. Career Objectives: My career objective is to start a career as a HR in a reputed company. Hence, I would like to obtain this internship of HR with IBM. Here I can implement my HR knowledge, which I have obtained from my educational degree. I also want to gather practical skills by operating under the supervision of experienced HR managers and seniors. Moreover, I want to apply my technical knowledge on data base management and improve my skills on event management. This internship will help me to develop my career in future as I am fresher and I do not have any work experience. Education: Bachelors Degree in Business Education Deakin University, VIC- 3220 Major: Human Resources management Extracurricular activities and volunteer work: Participated in annual sports in school School leadership in various cultural activities Volunteered for raising awareness about homelessness in Australian community Personal and Technological skills: Interact with the external world Good problem-solving skills Good networking skills and effective communication with others Ability to do multitask Knowledge on database management Interests: Playing football and cricket, doing social work and internet surfing Personal Information: Date of birth: 88/88/8888 Address: 123, ABC Road, Australia- 12345 Language known: English, Japanese, French Description on Internship Position: I want to join IBM and do my internship in Human Resource management under this company. The company is one of the largest companies in the world that deal with technology and consulting services. As I would like to work within a service sector, this company is suitable for me. IBM is offering internship for 12 months duration. I can gather practical knowledge and experience a good working environment. As I want to start my career as a HR manager, this internship opportunity will give me huge opportunities to explore my career further. Moreover, the company is giving this opportunity to Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents. Selection Criteria: Situation: In my school days, I worked as a leader in various activities. I represented my schools in inter cultural activities for consecutive 6 years and in most of the cases I successfully led my team and they won the competition. However, those competitions were very difficult. The entire school and teachers were depending on me and they had faith that I can take this challenge. Task: Leading an entire group is quite difficult. However, I did it when I was only 14 years old. As there were many participate from different schools, it was challenging me to control entire team. To overcome that challenge, I needed to select an appropriate strategy with logic. Action: To control entire team, proper strategic development was very essential. Moreover, it was important to win the competition. Hence, I choose individual student for individual activities. Each student, who will represent those different activities, were trained. They trained their group for competition. There were some students, who acted as co-ordinator. I was the supervisor and controlled every activities of each student. As I took every step logically and my only motive was to win the competition, I dedicated my all potentiality to win the competition. This dedication helped me and my school to win the game. I select those three questions as these will focus on the candidates intension and dedication about the job. These three questions are applicable for any job. The first question will show that whether the candidate knows anything about the company, where he or she is applying for job. It will show the dedication level of the candidate. The second question will indicate the positivity of the candidate for the post and company as well. By asking this question, the employer can understand that whether the candidate actually wants to work under the organisation or not. The third question will state the self confidence of the candidate. If the candidate will have self-confidence then he or she can answer it properly. Otherwise, the candidate will fail to answer this (Cottrell 2015). This last question is very common but tricky. This question will also help the employer to understand but the sense of humour of the candidate. Hence, I choose these three questions as it will help me to under stand as an interviewer about the candidates knowledge, intension and dedication level. The mock test was good enough as it was my first interview. However, I was quit tensed as I was sitting in front of the interviewer for the first time. It affected me and I could not make any eye contract with my interviewer. That attitude was not correct for a candidate. However, I could manage myself to answer each question properly. At the time of interview, I remained polite. The interviewer asked me some basic questions. They told me to describe myself, asked to explain myself with my strengths and weakness. There were some basic but tricky questions, which I could not understand first time. Hence, I asked to repeat those questions again and I took some times to give proper answers. As it was my first interview, I faced various difficulties. Hence, I should prepare myself before attempting my next interview. I need to evaluate myself and also need to evaluate basic interview questions for preparing myself. Those questions are available on internet. As a fresher, basic and tricky questions are more important. Hence, I should chiefly focus on those questions. Those questions will help interviewers to understand my personality, ability and skills. Therefore, I should prepare myself to give better interview for the next time. This unit help m a lot to understand my capability and prepare myself for interview. I have learnt many things from this unit to start my career in future. At first, I choose the career option and sector under which I want to operate. Secondly, I write cover letter and resume for applying in various companies. Moreover, I analyse myself to explore my strengths and weakness for this post. This will help me to prepare myself for any interview. After this unit, I have prepared a well resume that will describe my ability for a job. On the other side, tricky questions also help me to prepare myself for the interview. As those questions are very important for a fresher, proper answer is very important. Interviewers can understand my personal skills, abilities and potentialities from those questions. Moreover, I can understand my personal abilities by giving learning styles, personal resilience and temperament tests. I can overcome those criteria, where I have weakness. Hence, this unit is very important for me and for all fresher candidates. As it will be very difficult and promising for me to give interview in front an interviewer, getting a new job will be very difficult for me. With the help of this unit, I can easily crack an interview in future. References: Cascio, W., 2018.Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill Education. Cottrell, S., 2015.Skills for success: Personal development and employability. Palgrave Macmillan. Guest, D.E., 2017. Human resource management and employee well?being: towards a new analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal,27(1), pp.22-38. Kavanagh, M.J. and Johnson, R.D. eds., 2017.Human resource information systems: Basics, applications, and future directions. Sage Publications. Sun, J., Lei, H. and Li, Y., 2017. Research on Staff Recruitment Management of Modern Enterprise.DEStech Transactions on Social Science, Education and Human Science, (eemt). Weller, S., 2017. Using internet video calls in qualitative (longitudinal) interviews: Some implications for rapport.International Journal of Social Research Methodology,20(6), pp.613-625.

Ojt Template free essay sample

We will help our customers find a way to save on travel fares, accommodations and transfers to be able to enjoy the most exciting tours they have in mind. The company is run by the most dynamic mind of young entrepreneurs headed by its Owner and General Manager, Ms. Catherine A. Santos who loves travelling and knows how to find ways, the cheaper way. She is assisted by courteous and hardworking staff and a group of talented marketing people. Our office is strategically located in the heart of Quezon City to help our customers find our place easily and without hassle. Visit us so we may be able to provide you with alternative solutions to all your travel needs. Mission and Vision Our mission is simply to help our customers EXPLORE THE WORLD and ENJOY LIFE. A â€Å"round trip† satisfaction at its best that we believe is the kind of service which our customers deserve. We will write a custom essay sample on Ojt Template or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We will surpass their expectations to be able to build a lasting relationship. Our vision is to be at par with the top players in the travel agency. We will make a difference and change the lives of people that we will meet on the way to our success. III. Summary of the OJT Experience Training is a way of living and is also learning. Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body. Thru training and discipline comes to us the confidence. More than any learning thought in school, I learned to be with others, to work with people. Every day is a challenge for me on how to start and end the day with a big smile on my face. Before I have started my On-the-Job Training to agency, I first enrolled to a Management Training Center in Seamarj. I completed the days of my training there though its quiet boring at some times. I and my classmates couldn’t relate at the topics because almost all the lessons they are teaching are for the hotel and restaurant set-up. But then I just take it in positive and am lucky to learn them. I was deployed in Sans Travel and Tours. It was fun there but I realize that I wouldn’t able to learn some things because I have 8 simultaneity trainees there. After 3 days, I decided to relocate and went to Jetpro Travel and Tours. I am happy to have just two conjunctions and one upervisor. I know that I will learn easier because we’re just a few for her to teach. I and my other co-trainee decided to start by that time when our supervisor accepted us already. On the very first day of my On-the-Job Training, my superior lent me her manual on how to build a business in Travel Agency. I have learned a lot of acronyms regarding in the Hospitality Industry. I have studied some of the top ics written in her manual a year ago which I am very thankful to my professor because she had already teaches it to me. After reading my superior’s manual, she ordered me to find hotels in different provinces such as in Cebu, Ilocos, Bicol and many more. My first day in the office is such a wonderful day and I’m glad that I am easily concordant to other trainee that comes to other school. The very next day is not that busy. I just find hotels again from different provinces. There are just a few customers to take care of so the work is easily completed. And since its Friday, we go home early. Every Saturday is half day. Since I am already close to my co-trainee, it is easy for me to tell them to hang out somewhere after work just for us to bond and get to know each other as well. They will immediately answer me a â€Å"Yes† with a big smile. We go to mall, eat together, and buy some stuff needed everyday like face powder, lipsticks, and so on. We’re so â€Å"Kikay† at that time. After a long weekend, here’s work again. I’m on my way with my co-trainee to work when we met our supervisor and went to the office right away. While we’re walking, I asked them how everybody was during the long weekend. Some says that it was tiring because they travel somewhere and the other says that it was happy because she reunited with her friends, and mine was a long rest day. After a minute, my supervisor ordered me to go to Makati and deliver the tickets to one of our client. At first I was kind of afraid because I haven’t been there and I’m also afraid to mislead somewhere. I am also a kind of excited because at that time she will be ordering me, I will now know the real set-up at that place. Unluckily, we mislead somewhere because of the conductor of the bus. But at that time, it strengthens me to ask people where was the building we are finding located and quickly went. After giving the tickets, we go back to the office and take our lunch late. Though this day was tiring, I am still happy. The next day, my supervisor teaches us the differences between the Contracted rate and Publishing rate and the Booking order and Purchase order. She also teaches us on how does it. At first, she makes some samples for us to follow. Later on we easily obtained what she had teaches because we’re fast learners and it’s just simple. I learned to prepare a Statement of Account or what they call SOA on the next day. My supervisor ordered me to make a Statement of Account to one of our customer and emailed it to her. She was amazed that I was easily learned how to do it. My supervisor also teaches us on how to prepare a Booking order and Purchase order. She also ordered me to do some of our clients’ booking and purchase order and directly emailed it to her so she can check if what I have made was right. I was also trained to prepare a Promo Packages in different hotels. Computing was my favorite part in making promo package because at that time my brain works. But since I was ordered to compute it in excel and use formulas it’s not my favorite anymore. I learned a lot from my experiences as an On-the-Job Trainee of JetPro Travel and Tours. The everyday experiences I had in this company are really most treasured. The knowledge I obtain here are beyond compare than any other experiences I acquired from school and supplementary learning from books. What I had here will always be with me and rest assured I will apply what I’ve in every circumstances. What my favorite lesson learned from my supervisor is to accept criticism and be apologetic for my mistakes. She particularly imparts in me what I must know in making use of corporate resources and corporate values. I’m very much gratified for the support and understanding of my superior especially on times when I committed mistakes and just laugh about it after a second. I am so happy to be one her trainee in her own company. Furthermore, I’m very grateful that they expose me so much on what I must know regarding the work which suits my course. I’m very thankful that she treats me like her and she trusts me with my work. I appreciate so much the working environment I had within the company because it helps me absorbed what I need to know. IV. Assessment of the OJT/Practicum Program A. New knowledge, attitudes, and skills acquired ?Publishing Rate ?Contracted Rate ?Booking Order ?Purchase Order ?Toilet and Bath ?Statement of Account ?Promo Package ?Acceptance ?Excel for formulas B. Theories actually seen in practice ? C. Feedback that can be given to the company or institution ?I have no one else wanted to say but beautiful operation of the company and wish to work here after I graduated in college. D. Benefits gained ? Sometimes our supervisor treats us our meal for lunch and also during snack time. ?Our supervisor also let us joins her in some gatherings. ?Our supervisor let us handle her clients sometimes. E. Problem encountered ?Sometimes I dislike the behavior of one of my co-trainee especially when we are eating. V. Appendices A. Company brochure and/or pamphlet B. Copy of the Endorsement Letter C. Copy of the Training Plan D. Copy of the signed Waiver Form E. Daily Time Record F. Quarterly Performance Appraisal Forms G. Certificate of Completion

Future Tense Definition and Examples in English Grammar

Future Tense Definition and Examples in English Grammar In English grammar, the future is a verb tense (or form) indicating action that has not yet begun. There is no separate inflection (or ending) for the future in English. The simple future is usually expressed by placing the auxiliary will or shall in front of the base form of a verb (I will leave tonight). Other ways to express the future include (but are not limited to) the use of: a present form of ​be plus going to: We are going to leave.the present progressive: They are leaving tomorrow.the simple present: The children leave on Wednesday. Examples and Observations Never believe any war will be smooth and easy.(Winston Churchill)Nothing will work unless you do.(Maya Angelou)I will not charge admission to the bathroom.(Bart Simpson, The Simpsons)Ill be back.(Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator)Scully: Homer, were going to ask you a few simple yes or no questions. Do you understand?Homer: Yes. (Lie detector blows up.)(The Simpsons)You will find happiness, he told her. They were at lunch. The winter held days of sunshine, noons of infinite calm. He broke a piece of bread to cover his confusion, dismayed at the tense of his verb.(James Salter, Light Years. Random House, 1975)And from the sun we are going to find more and more uses for that energy whose power we are so conscious of today.(President John Kennedy, remarks at the Hanford Electric Generating Plant in Hanford, Washington, September 26, 1963)I am about to- or I am going to- die: either expression is used.(Last words of Dominique Bouhours, a 17-century French grammarian) The Status of the Future Tense in English Some languages have three tenses: past, present, and future... English does not have a future tense, at least not as an inflectional category.(Barry J. Blake, All About Language. Oxford University Press, 2008)[T]he future tense has a different status from the other tenses. Rather than being a form of the verb, it is expressed by the modal auxiliary will. Its no accident that the future shares its syntax with words for necessity (must), possibility (can, may, might), and moral obligation (should, ought to), because what will happen is conceptually related to what must happen, what can happen, what should happen, and what we intend to happen. The word will itself is ambiguous between future tense and an expression of determination (as in Sharks or no sharks, I will swim to Alcatraz), and its homonyms show up in free will, strong-willed, and to will something to happen. The same ambiguity between the future and the intended can be found in another marker for the future tense, going to o r gonna. Its as if the language is affirming the ethos that people have the power to make their own futures.(Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought. Viking, 2007) Many recent grammarians do not accept future as a tense because it is expressed periphrastically with auxiliaries and because its meaning is partly modal.(Matti Rissanen, Syntax, Cambridge History of the English Language, Vol. 3, ed. by Roger Lass. Cambridge University Press, 2000) The Difference Between Shall and Will The difference between the two verbs is that shall is rather formal-sounding, and a little old-fashioned. Whats more, it is mostly used in British English, and normally only with first-person singular or plural subjects. Recent research has shown that the use of shall is declining rapidly both in the UK and in the US.(Bas Aarts, Oxford Modern English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 2011) Evolving Future Constructions [T]he original job description of these two verbs [shall and will] was not to mark future either- shall meant to owe... and will meant to desire, want... Both verbs were pressed into grammatical service just as (be) going to is currently. Shall is the oldest future marker. It has become rather rare in Australian English, having been pushed out by will. Now gonna is ousting will in exactly the same way. Just as ordinary words wear out over time, so too do grammatical ones. We are always in the business of seeking new future constructions and there are plenty of fresh recruits on the market. Wanna and halfta are both potential future auxiliaries. But their take-over will never happen in our lifetime- youll be relieved about this, Im sure.(Kate Burridge, Gift of the Gob: Morsels of English Language History. HarperCollins Australia, 2011)

Pasific Blue and House of Fraser Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pasific Blue and House of Fraser - Essay Example Internal forces are called Strengths if they add to the prowess and ability of a firm, and Weaknesses if they dilute its power and capacity. In this paper, we will be analyzing the cases of Pacific Blue in New Zealand’s airline industry and the House of Fraser in the context of the UK’s department store industry, looking at their problems and recommending solutions. Porter’s Five Forces Model Michael Porter in his book ‘Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Competitors (1980) points out that there are five forces acting upon all firms in an industry that determine its chances of entry, exit and survival. Industrialists and producers set up barriers to entry or exit that can prevent or delay the entry of competition- so that they in the meantime reap the profits and revenues available from the interested consumers. These forces are the (1) likelihood of new entrants; (2) power of buyers; (3) power of suppliers; (4) degree of rivalry and (5) threat o f substitutes. Thus any one and all of these forces can impact a firm’s chances of success or failure in a particular industry at any given time. Porter maintains that an industry is a group of firms that market products which are close substitutes for each other. Thus we have the airline industry, the retail industry, the automobile industry etc. which deal in products and services that are close substitutes for each other. Porter also uses the concept of industrial groups according to whether the degree of segmentation of products or services is wide or narrow i.e. they are loosely or tightly segmented (Porter, 1980). The Pacific Blue Case Study Coming to the case of Pacific Blue, it seems that it is stuck between a rock and a hard place. At the one end it has Air New Zealand, the dominant competitor and national airline of New Zealand, for which locals have affinities mainly due to the reason that most industries are foreign operated and dominated. However since the entry of Qantas and Pacific Blue, the degree of competition has intensified. Both Qantas and Pacific Blue are foreign owned, one being Australia’s national carrier and the other a joint ownership between UK’s Virgin Group and Toll Holdings of Australia. With Air New Zealand having the major market share and most of the routes, the newer entrants are struggling to compete. Air New Zealand’s response to Qantas’s entry was to cut down on its costs and offer no frills basic flights that enabled passengers to travel very easily and inexpensively. Qantas has been constrained to operate with just four airplanes on New Zealand routes. It had also to build its own terminals since Air New Zealand got the best preferences here as well. Pacific Blue entered the arena in 2007 and chose to operate on a small scale only, choosing two or three main routes on which it can serve the most passengers i.e. Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland. It focuses on low cost but high servi ce. Meanwhile the entry of Pacific Blue has also forced Air New Zealand and Qantas to reconsider their strategies. While there has been an increase in the number of flights on the most travelled routes- a price war has also been triggered, with seats priced as low as $1 and $9 if booked well in advance. Air New Zealand has planned to attack at both ends, looking at the low price segment on no frills flights

Slavery Like A Social Vice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Slavery Like A Social Vice - Essay Example The victimization that included inhumane treatments and subjection to intense maltreatments were the abject manifestation of disregard to the fundamental rights of the people. The groups did not enjoy any liberty as the slave owners treated them as part of their property. They endured punitive jobs in callous conditions in order to sustain the profitability the white capitalists demanded from their investments. Slavery further led to the seclusion of the African Americans and the subsequent discrimination of the group. The cruel treatment of the African Americans influenced their mindset of the whites and cruelty the minority group expressed against the whites in retaliation. The post-slavery American society relied on the integration of all the races that make up the American society. The new American society required the participation and contribution of all the tribes since the government could not develop a mechanism of transferring the slaves back to their native lands. This imp lied that they would become Americans a feature that required their seamless incorporation into the society. This would however not happen easily owing to the negative attitude that the African Americans among other smaller populations that served as slaves developed against the whites. The African Americans did not feel the sense of belongingness for a long time even after the successful abolition of slavery owing to the negativity they accumulated over the slavery period and the cruelty they endured in the hands of the whites.

“In What Ways Does a Rising China Impact the World” Essay

â€Å"In What Ways Does a Rising China Impact the World† - Essay Example China’s rise on the world scene as a growing economic strong house has been received ambivalently. Her increased control on not only the Asian economy but abroad as well has brought a power shift with her neighbor Japan who has been the dominating force since the first world war, as well as abroad. But what exactly does china’s rise mean to the rest of the world? China has a history that makes it renowned for opting to use military force to gets its way. China still holds a lot of anger and resentment towards the treatment it has suffered at the hands of the international community over the past two centuries and there are bones of contention between her and Japan ( Mahbubani, 2005). Though china has held out the olive branch saying that its intentions are peaceful and their sole interest is in economic growth and development, most countries approach her with caution. The slightest show of claws leaves the international community in jitters. What has brought china into the spotlight is the global financial crisis. When Chinese leaders mulled over whether it was time a new currency was created because of the state of the dollar, every one was all ears and waiting to see what was the next step that china would take. It means that china’s intentions are still regarded as being highly suspicious (Gee, 2009). The most wary are the smaller Asian nations who china has been making attempts to do more business with over recent years. China has changed her tactic and has approached south east nations with a more open attitude to dialogue and treating them as equals. China even offered to sign a free trade agreement with Southeast Asian countries as well as recognizing the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Goh, 2006). It seems that china’s new approach is working with the Southeast Asian nations because these nations have been more welcoming of china’s participation in their economies. It has also helped that china has adopted a

Cultural Identity and Belonging in Muslims

Cultural Identity and Belonging in Muslims Religious conversion, cultural identity and national belonging: The world of Bulgarian Muslims (Pomaks). Introduction It is always interesting to immerse in the mysterious past and to discover how the sense of national identity is created and transformed over the years. Throughout olden times and until now, cultural margins have shrunk or expanded, established nations and minorities within these have interacted with and influenced each other, religious and cultural conversions have frequently taken place and in the melting pot of history new distinctive uniqueness has begun to exist. This is particularly valid when the case of Bulgarian Muslims is discussed. Moreover, it is important to recognise here that the world of Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks has been a subject of endless speculations and ethnic and political claims over the years and it is still very much unknown to the Western European ethnological and historical research literature. Much of the translated work that refers to the Pomaks is from Greek, Serbian, Turkish or Macedonian origin. Therefore it is, fair to say that the story of this Muslim enclave that inhibits mostly Bulgarian territories and speaks Bulgarian language, must be considered from a Bulgarian point of view and this is the main aim here. Consequently, this essay will examine the world of Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks, their religious conversion from Christianity to Islam and the formation and transformation of their cultural identity and sense of national belonging. To accomplish all this, the essay will firstly discuss the religious conversion of the Pomaks, its background, character, mode and outcomes and how it has laid the foundations of Bulgarian Muslims’ cultural identity. In addition, this paper will comment on the transformation of the cultural identity and sense of national belonging of Bulgarian Muslims. Finally, it will conclude with thoughts on self-perception, perception of others and future hopes. Definition of the term Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks Before elaborating further on all abovementioned points, there is a need to establish and define the term Bulgarian Muslims and describe it in Bulgarian context. In order to achieve this, two reliable sources will be cited. Commenting on the issue of cultural belonging and religious identity of Muslims in Bulgaria, Kemal Karpat, a Turkish historian and researcher, states that: The Muslim identity of these populations consisted outwardly of certain objective symbols and acts such as names and ritualsand at their place of origin they tended to identify themselves with Islam in terms of social behaviour, rather than in terms of a political systemand possessed a passive communal Muslim identity (1990, pp. 131-132). In his The hijra from Russia and the Balkans: the process of self-definition in the late Ottoman state, he argues that the largest population group â€Å"in the area that is now Bulgaria†, was the Muslim population group. In terms of spoken language, he endorses that â€Å"they spoke Slavic† (1990, pp.132-134). In his Turkish brutality in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula (2007, pp. 41-62), the well-known Bulgarian historian, researcher and writer Hristo Krasin, presents a different point of view to that of Kemal Karpat. He argues that all modern Bulgarian population has a strong Bulgarian ethnic origin and comprises of four groups. The first group consists of Bulgarians, who speak Bulgarian language and are Eastern Orthodox Christians. The second one consists of Bulgarians, who recognise themselves as Bulgarian speaking Muslims with Bulgarian or Turkish national identity. The third one consists of Bulgarian speaking Muslims, who recognise themselves as ethnic Turks because their Bulgarian national identity was partially erased over the centuries due to the aggressive assimilation politic of the Turkish Empire. The last group consists of Bulgarian individuals, who speak Bulgarian and Turkish languages. They recognise themselves as ethnic Turks, whose religions are Christianity and Islam and whose Bulgarian national identity was fully erased under centuries of Turkish Islamic brutality in Bulgaria. This classification of ethnic and religious groups only appears to be straightforward. In the context of the tricky ethic and religious relationships in Bulgaria and in the Balkans, nothing is ever simple. Hence, the purpose of this essay is not to involve the reader in a discussion of the suggested categorisation or its validity or reliability but to establish some clarity into the complicated issue of ethnicity and identity of the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims and their ethnic, cultural and national identity and self-perception. Subsequently, this paper will confine itself to the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims, further referred to as Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks. Religious conversion: Pomaks until 1878 As it already beginning to emerge, the case of the Pomaks is complicated and a number of debates around it, display very strong positions and conflicting opinions. In order to appreciate all points of view and in search for the truth, it is imperative to consider the historical background of the issue. The existence of closed Muslim societies in Bulgaria is the direct inheritance of five centuries long Turkish rule over the Balkan Peninsula (Todorova, 1998, p.3). Even though there is no reliable data or figures to inform of population characteristics or major population shifts, some research has been done and there are number of existing theories that explain the size and grouping of Muslim population on the Peninsula. In his Turkish brutality in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula (2007, p. 23), Hristo Krasin has attempted to assess the character and the effects of these movements. He claims that there were not any significant population transfers from Anatolia to the Balkans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries and that the military formation send to take the Peninsula over, comprised only of soldiers and there no women travelling with the army. In her Identity (Trans) Formation among Bulgarian Muslims, Maria Todorova, a researcher from The University of California (1998, p.4) argues that the â€Å"chief historiographical controversy centres on the explanations for the sizeable Muslim population in the Balkans: Colonisation versus Conversion theory†. Furthermore, she suggests that â€Å"by the sixteenth century the settler colonisation process had stopped and yet the percentage of Muslims in the region continued to grow. Thus, the hypothesis offered is that â€Å"there were a great number of personal conversions to Islam among the non-Muslim population of the Balkans, respectively Bulgaria† (Todorova, 1998, p.6). In addition, a whole range of reliable academic research and publications from Bulgarian and Turkish authors, such as Omer Barkan from Istanbul University, Elena Grozdanova from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Albanian historian Sami Pulaha (all cited in Todorova, 1998, pp. 2-5), refer to data to evidence rapid Muslim population growth in Bulgaria between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries due either colonisation or conversion. In an attempt to join this debate and in discussion of the concrete but complex case of the Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks, it must be suggested here that although there is evidence to support both theories, the majority of all available sources, also supported by official documents and survived the time registers of the Ottoman empire, shape the idea that religious conversion on a massive scale took place in Bulgaria and respectively in the Balkans (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1982, vol. 3-7). The question is how the conversion from Christianity to Islam was carried out and the answer to this question is directly connected with Pomaks’ self-identification as Muslims and consequently gives some light into their actions and behavioural characteristics as citizens of the Ottoman Empire until the nineteenth century and independent Bulgaria after that. To discuss the mode of the religious conversion of the Pomaks and emphasise its importance for the formation of their cultural identity and national belonging, it must be made clear here that â€Å"conversion may occur in one or more of three ways: through voluntary association, by pressure, and by assimilation. Syncretism and strong cultural resistance can also complicate the conversion process† (The Applied History Research group, 2000, pp.1-3). There is another raging debate in Bulgarian and Balkan historiographical research literature about the mode of Pomaks’ conversion to Islam and the co-existence of Bulgarian Christians and Bulgarian Muslims. On the one hand, there are these, who argue that the conversion was forced upon the Christian population of Bulgaria and over the centuries, and especially the seventeen century, there was a mass conversion to Islam in across the country and especially in the mountain Rodopi region. There is a huge amount of literature, both academic and journalistic, supported with reliable and substantial evidence that the alleged obligatory conversion took place. In his Genocide and Holocaust against Bulgarians (2006, p.63), Bulgarian academic historian and writer Georgi Voinov claims that the systematic and focused compulsory conversion to Islam was one of the favourite methods of control and ruling in the Ottoman Empire, well known for its strong assimilation aspirations in order to promote pan-Turkism. To sustain his assertions, Voinov cites numerous sources, based on authentic literature, written by survivors or witnesses from fourteenth to eighteenth centuries. He also claims that there are official registers of the Ottoman Empire that had also captured those events and give objective information and statistics of all the atrocities that took place in the name of Islam and in order to erase Bulgarian national identity among the Bulgarian population (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1982, vol. 3-7). All abovementioned sources affirm that Islam in Bulgaria was not accepted voluntary but under duress. In the History Reader: The Rodopi mountain through the centuries (1966, p. 78), Bulgarian historian Peter Petrov cites a source from the sixteenth century that talks of 325 thousand young Bulgarian youths forcefully converted to Islam and taken to Anatolia to commence military service in the Turkish army. Only the boy’s number was known, for the girls, no-one has ever known. It is claimed, that conversion took place in 1515 and under the command of Selim Pasha. There are also endless lists from administrative Ottoman registers reporting evidence that Islam was not accepted on voluntary basis. Mass conversions took place in 1620, 1633, 1669, 1705, 1720, 1803, all of those through fire and sword, drowning in blood any resistance from the local Christian population (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1982, vol. 3-7). On the other hand, there are those academic writers and journalists, who for one reason or another and in an attempt to politicise the issue of Bulgarian Muslims, are nowadays trying to reassess historical events. Special attention is given to the religious and cultural conversion in Bulgaria. In the recently published second edition of his book The Mohammedan Bulgarians (2007, pp. 5-12), Bulgarian researcher and writer Stojan Raichevski asserts that change to Islam was forced upon the Christian Bulgarians by the power of the sword to a minimal degree but there were many other, more important reasons and economic factors, that played a key role, such as preferential taxation and trading agreements for Muslims in the Empire, the greed of the Greek Orthodox clergy, the conflict between the Bogomils and the Orthodox Church, etc. In addition, Kemal Karpat comments that at the time when their land was conquered, the Slavic speaking Muslims were under the authority of their local feudal lords and accepted Islam as the new faith as it supposedly was close to their native faith of Bogomilism, a mixture of Christianity, paganism and Manichaeism. In doing so, they hoped to preserve their land holdings and ethnic identity. Furthermore, according to the Applied History Research group of the University of Calgary (2000, p.1), â€Å"although conversion by pressure cannot be termed voluntary, the degree of force and coercion varies greatly. Indeed, military conquest was typically followed by the application of subtler pressures, such as commercial or judicial sanctions, to enforce the requirement of the new rulers†. Economic pressure was just as effective as an unrestrained military subjugation. Thinking objectively and considering all points of view and available data, one does not doubt here that many factors acted as an incentive to mass Islamic conversions in Bulgaria. What is interesting to communicate through this piece of work is that the combination of the different modes of conversion: by voluntary association, by pressure, and by assimilation, was accompanied with syncretism that determined some degree of cultural adaptation. It did, in turn, also provoke fierce cultural resistance and martyrdom from a large part of the Christian population. Hence, here was the historical picture in Bulgaria. On the one hand, those Bulgarians, who surrendered their religion for one reason or another, became Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks. They continued speaking Bulgarian language and the local area dialect, build their houses in Bulgarian architectural traditions, saved some elements of their old dress code, continued to recognise themselves as Bulgarians but built mosques, celebrated Eid and enjoyed preferential treatment from the Ottoman rulers. However, over the centuries they were exposed to the influences of their adopted Islamic religion and the aggressive pan-Turkism promoted in the Ottoman Empire and through blending of various aspects of different cultural customs and religious rituals or syncretism, somewhat new cultural arrangements took place. Bulgarian Muslims adapted culturally to the life in the Empire and although preserving their Slavic language and some sense of Bulgarian national identity, their levels of cultural adaptation reached much greater heights than those among the Christian Bulgarian population. Due to this fact and over the centuries, the Pomaks have tried to self-define themselves in terms of national conciseness and have become vulnerable to influences and an object of hatred or even political struggle. On the other hand, while Bulgarian Muslims were going through the process of cultural assimilation, the larger part of the Bulgarian population withstood the pressure, continued to observe their faith and traditions, regularly rebelled against the Turkish rulers and took part in more than fifty military conquests against the Turks, led by different European rulers. All Bulgarian uprisings against the Ottoman Sultans, fourteen in total in Bulgaria itself (Voinov, 2006, p.26), were drowned in blood. What needs clarification here is one, not very well popularised fact: Bulgarian Muslims took active part in the suppression and crushing of many of the rebellions. This, in turn, raises many questions, with one most imperative. What were the reasons that in the same ethnic population group, some of its members took the way of conversion and cultural adaptation but the others chose cultural resistance, martyrdom and self-martyrdom? How could these two groups live in relative peace under Ottoman rule but when an uprising against the Turks took place, Bulgarian Muslims ferociously and viciously attacked their Christian neighbours and fought on the side of the Turks, committing acts of unheard of cruelty and brutality? Their participation in the crushing of the April uprising of 1876 is notorious and it was described by the American writer and journalist Janarius Aloysius McGahan, who was one of the greatest war correspondents in the nineteenth century. In his American witness (2002, 3rd Ed.), Bulgarian historian Teodor Dimitrov has published McGahan’s notes about the atrocities in Batak, Bulgaria, and they read: â€Å"We spoke with many women, who had been through all stages of torture without the last one, death. The procedure, as it seemed, was the following: the Turks would take a woman, undress her, putting aside her valuables, gang-rape her and the last one, who had her, would kill her or let her go, depending on his mood†. What McGahan does not note here is that the Turks were not alone in the slaughter of the rebels. They are aided by their helpers’, the local Pomak population, Greeks and other small ethnic groups. Thus, Christian Bulgarians fought for freedom, while Muslim Bulgarians took part in the massacre of their uprising. What could have possibly provoked someone to behave in such a way? According to Doinov et al. (2001, p.112), â€Å"the shown cruelty was an outburst of the deep national and religious hatred against the oppressed nationalities in the Ottoman Empire, that has been groomed and encouraged for centuries by the ruling powers†. However, something else was at work there too. Kemal Karpat (1990, p.136) explains that Balkan Muslims, although living in a hostile Christian European world, remained largely apolitical. However, their â€Å"passive cultural-religious consciousness was easily converted to a dynamic Muslim identity when the circumstances required†. Perhaps when Bulgarian Muslims were faced with an unconditional act of resistance in the â€Å"most dramatic form: suicide and self-martyrdom† (2000, p.3), those acted as catalyst and the Pomaks replied with repression and brutality. Ekaterina Peychinova, Director of the Museum of History in Batak describes what drove the oppressors mad: For three days and three nights the people inside the church held together, and the shooting outside did not stop for a minute. At the end of the third day they gave in and opened the gates of the church. But then they had only two options: either become Muslims or die. Every single one of them chose death. (cited in Ivanova, 2008, p.1) The horrific power of those events and the depth of feelings and emotions are overwhelming. Keeping in mind that Bulgarian Christians and Bulgarian Muslims are from the same ethnic origin and the same blood flows in their veins, have religious and cultural conversion, syncretism and assimilation have changed the latter so much that they could commit such acts and have identity switch over, allowing for full degradation of human values? This essay does not have the ambitious goal to answer all those questions. History gives the answers and it will do the same here too. Many years have gone since those ghastly days and Pomaks’ sense of cultural identity and national belonging has evolved and changed again as Bulgarian Muslims themselves were at the receiving end of numerous assimilation governmental campaigns and strategies from 1878 until now. Cultural identity and national belonging of Bulgarian Pomaks Due to the fact that the Bulgarian speaking Muslims took an active part in the suppressing the April uprising of 1876, they did not enjoy friendly treatment from their Christian neighbours. With the advancement of the Russian armies in 1878, retaliation began and a substantial part of the Pomaks immigrated to the Ottoman empire, refusing to live under the rule of the â€Å"giaurs† or infidels. Many others took part in the Rodopi mutiny and lived in the so-called Pomak republic for about eight years until 1886, when the participating villages were included in the Ottoman Empire but only until the Balkan wars (Todorva, 1998, p.9). Furthermore, in the Ottoman Population: 1830-1914 (1985, p.78), Kemal Karpat cites Ottoman statistics, indicating that the total population of the Empire rose by about 40% in the period 1860-1878 due to coercive measures by Russia and Bulgaria. He mentions that among the Balkan migrants there were large groups of Slavic-speaking Bosnians, Herzegovinians, Montenegrins and Pomaks with a negative sense of ethnic identity, as they considered themselves as Muslims but not Osmanlis (Turks). Thus, judging by the actions of the Pomaks, the question that must be asked here is: did the Pomaks have a Turkish or Bulgarian cultural and national identity at the end of the nineteen and beginning of twentieth century and is it possible to differentiate between religious and ethnic belonging? The Pomaks, who immigrated to the Ottoman Empire, had their cultural identity politicised and defined as Muslim and Turkish under the influence of the local political and ethnic culture (Karpat, 1990, p.137). Unfortunately, the Pomaks, who stayed in Bulgaria, did not have the opportunity to decide for themselves freely because during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, they were subjected to a number of keen campaigns to accept and recognise them as part of the Bulgarian nation or â€Å"narod†, starting from 1920-s and continuing until the mid-80-s. In 1942, the first ever mass attempt to change the names of the Bulgarian Muslims to Bulgarian names took place. It was a result of the work of the Pomaks’ own organisation, called â€Å"Rodina† or Motherland. Consisting mainly of teachers, â€Å"Rodina† strove to improve the position of the Pomaks in Bulgarian society and to save them from the growing resentment and marginalisation. In the context of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom (1878 – 1944) and its nationalistic ambitions and assimilative tendencies, it is important to acknowledge here that Motherlands’ actions were justified in terms of seeking a national, cultural and linguistic unity of the Bulgarian society and the difficulties that the Pomaks could have faced, if tried to fit in that society. What is questionable here is the Pomaks desire to fit in. Although the Pomaks have, at that point, lost the very close contact with their original cultural authority, the Ottoman Empire, they were still in favour of their religious affiliation and were not willing to adapt to the fresh, language-based identity actively promoted by the modern Bulgarian state at that time (Todorova, 1998, p. 11). Another problem here is the attitude of the Christian Bulgarians, whose national consciousness was determined by religious and linguistic boundaries. Were they ready to forget the Ottoman rule and April 1876 and to accept the Pomaks as part of the Bulgarian nation and allow assimilation? Could adaptation and adoption take place and the complex issue of national identity, belonging and unity be resolved peacefully and once and for all? What is better: common national identity and national unity or multi-cultural society? During communist rule in the 1960-s, 1970-s and 1980-s, various Bulgarian governments tried to resolve the issue through numerous heavy-handed assimilation campaigns, when all Muslim names were changed to Bulgarian names, an attempt was made to form a united Bulgarian nation in order to neutralise nationalistic ambitions and claims from neighbouring Turkey. After the democratic reforms from 1989, all ethnic and religious groups in Bulgaria gained the freedom to self-identify themselves and promote their national and religious distinctiveness. All Muslim names were restored and seemingly the great effort to create a united Bulgarian national identity had ended. Hence, the national identity and cultural belonging of the Pomaks are somewhat fluid and non-defined, and the coming generations will have the chance to accomplish the process of integration or affiliation as they choose. It is, however, ultimate to accept the lessons of history and to abolish all attempts to forcefully create a single identity with identical religious or national characteristics. Cultural conversion through co-operation and co-existence is frequently welcome by small or big population groups, whilst conversion by pressure, conflict and aggressive assimilation is rejected and leads to confusion, hatred and frequently violent resistance. Conclusion In conclusion, it must be recognised here that the case of Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks is of complex nature and the issue of defining their national identity and cultural belonging is still unresolved. There are many more questions to ask and answer and many more avenues to explore in order to establish which one of the national identity constituents is the most influential and possess the ultimate formative power. Consequently, it is the greatest regret of this work that it is impossible to analyse or develop fully all themes, ideas and debates in connection with the cultural identity, national belonging and self-perception of the Pomaks, when the number of words is restricted and there is lack of the research available. However, one humbly hopes to have offered here, merely an attempt of discussion on the important issues of cultural and religious identity and how they shape the very centre of the human concept of self. Finally, it must be emphasised here that the writing of this essay has been a vast learning experience for the author, an opportunity to study, investigate and explore the world of Bulgarian Muslims and be taught lessons that put historical and contemporary events into perspective. Bibliography Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1982). History of Bulgaria. Sofia: BAN Press, vol. 3-7. Dimitrov, T. (2002). American witness. 3rd Ed. Geneva: Geneva press. Doinov, D., Jechev, N. Kosev, K. (2001). The April uprising and the fate of the Bulgarian nation. Sofia: Academic Press â€Å"Professor Marin Drinov†. Ivanova, M. (2008). St. Nedelya church in Batak. Available from: http://www.pravoslavieto.com. (Accessed: 12 April 2008). Karpat, K. (1985). Ottoman Population: 1830-1914. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Karpat, K. (1990). The hijra from Russia and the Balkans: the process of self-definition in the late Ottoman state. In: Eickelman, D. Piscatori, J. (Ed.). Muslim Travellers: Pilgrimage, migration, and the religious imagination. Los Angeles: University of California Press, Chapter 7, pp. 131-152. Krasin, H. (2007). Turkish brutality in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula. (Turskite porazii v Bulgaria i na Balkanskia Poluostrov). Sofia: Svetovit Press. Petrov, P. (1966). History Reader: The Rodopi mountain through the centuries. Sofia: BKP Press. Rajcevski, S. (2004). The Mohammedan Bulgarians (Pomaks). (Balgarite Mohamedani). Sofia: Bulgarian Bestseller Press. The Applied History Research Group. (2000) Old World Contacts. Available from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history. (Accessed: 14 April 2008). Todorova, M. (1998). Identity (Trans) Formation among Bulgarian Muslims. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Voinov, G. (2006). Genocide and Holocaust against Bulgarians. (Genotsidad i Holokostat sreshtu Balgarite.) Sofia: Arateb Press. Cultural Identity and Belonging in Muslims Cultural Identity and Belonging in Muslims Religious conversion, cultural identity and national belonging: The world of Bulgarian Muslims (Pomaks). Introduction It is always interesting to immerse in the mysterious past and to discover how the sense of national identity is created and transformed over the years. Throughout olden times and until now, cultural margins have shrunk or expanded, established nations and minorities within these have interacted with and influenced each other, religious and cultural conversions have frequently taken place and in the melting pot of history new distinctive uniqueness has begun to exist. This is particularly valid when the case of Bulgarian Muslims is discussed. Moreover, it is important to recognise here that the world of Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks has been a subject of endless speculations and ethnic and political claims over the years and it is still very much unknown to the Western European ethnological and historical research literature. Much of the translated work that refers to the Pomaks is from Greek, Serbian, Turkish or Macedonian origin. Therefore it is, fair to say that the story of this Muslim enclave that inhibits mostly Bulgarian territories and speaks Bulgarian language, must be considered from a Bulgarian point of view and this is the main aim here. Consequently, this essay will examine the world of Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks, their religious conversion from Christianity to Islam and the formation and transformation of their cultural identity and sense of national belonging. To accomplish all this, the essay will firstly discuss the religious conversion of the Pomaks, its background, character, mode and outcomes and how it has laid the foundations of Bulgarian Muslims’ cultural identity. In addition, this paper will comment on the transformation of the cultural identity and sense of national belonging of Bulgarian Muslims. Finally, it will conclude with thoughts on self-perception, perception of others and future hopes. Definition of the term Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks Before elaborating further on all abovementioned points, there is a need to establish and define the term Bulgarian Muslims and describe it in Bulgarian context. In order to achieve this, two reliable sources will be cited. Commenting on the issue of cultural belonging and religious identity of Muslims in Bulgaria, Kemal Karpat, a Turkish historian and researcher, states that: The Muslim identity of these populations consisted outwardly of certain objective symbols and acts such as names and ritualsand at their place of origin they tended to identify themselves with Islam in terms of social behaviour, rather than in terms of a political systemand possessed a passive communal Muslim identity (1990, pp. 131-132). In his The hijra from Russia and the Balkans: the process of self-definition in the late Ottoman state, he argues that the largest population group â€Å"in the area that is now Bulgaria†, was the Muslim population group. In terms of spoken language, he endorses that â€Å"they spoke Slavic† (1990, pp.132-134). In his Turkish brutality in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula (2007, pp. 41-62), the well-known Bulgarian historian, researcher and writer Hristo Krasin, presents a different point of view to that of Kemal Karpat. He argues that all modern Bulgarian population has a strong Bulgarian ethnic origin and comprises of four groups. The first group consists of Bulgarians, who speak Bulgarian language and are Eastern Orthodox Christians. The second one consists of Bulgarians, who recognise themselves as Bulgarian speaking Muslims with Bulgarian or Turkish national identity. The third one consists of Bulgarian speaking Muslims, who recognise themselves as ethnic Turks because their Bulgarian national identity was partially erased over the centuries due to the aggressive assimilation politic of the Turkish Empire. The last group consists of Bulgarian individuals, who speak Bulgarian and Turkish languages. They recognise themselves as ethnic Turks, whose religions are Christianity and Islam and whose Bulgarian national identity was fully erased under centuries of Turkish Islamic brutality in Bulgaria. This classification of ethnic and religious groups only appears to be straightforward. In the context of the tricky ethic and religious relationships in Bulgaria and in the Balkans, nothing is ever simple. Hence, the purpose of this essay is not to involve the reader in a discussion of the suggested categorisation or its validity or reliability but to establish some clarity into the complicated issue of ethnicity and identity of the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims and their ethnic, cultural and national identity and self-perception. Subsequently, this paper will confine itself to the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims, further referred to as Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks. Religious conversion: Pomaks until 1878 As it already beginning to emerge, the case of the Pomaks is complicated and a number of debates around it, display very strong positions and conflicting opinions. In order to appreciate all points of view and in search for the truth, it is imperative to consider the historical background of the issue. The existence of closed Muslim societies in Bulgaria is the direct inheritance of five centuries long Turkish rule over the Balkan Peninsula (Todorova, 1998, p.3). Even though there is no reliable data or figures to inform of population characteristics or major population shifts, some research has been done and there are number of existing theories that explain the size and grouping of Muslim population on the Peninsula. In his Turkish brutality in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula (2007, p. 23), Hristo Krasin has attempted to assess the character and the effects of these movements. He claims that there were not any significant population transfers from Anatolia to the Balkans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries and that the military formation send to take the Peninsula over, comprised only of soldiers and there no women travelling with the army. In her Identity (Trans) Formation among Bulgarian Muslims, Maria Todorova, a researcher from The University of California (1998, p.4) argues that the â€Å"chief historiographical controversy centres on the explanations for the sizeable Muslim population in the Balkans: Colonisation versus Conversion theory†. Furthermore, she suggests that â€Å"by the sixteenth century the settler colonisation process had stopped and yet the percentage of Muslims in the region continued to grow. Thus, the hypothesis offered is that â€Å"there were a great number of personal conversions to Islam among the non-Muslim population of the Balkans, respectively Bulgaria† (Todorova, 1998, p.6). In addition, a whole range of reliable academic research and publications from Bulgarian and Turkish authors, such as Omer Barkan from Istanbul University, Elena Grozdanova from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Albanian historian Sami Pulaha (all cited in Todorova, 1998, pp. 2-5), refer to data to evidence rapid Muslim population growth in Bulgaria between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries due either colonisation or conversion. In an attempt to join this debate and in discussion of the concrete but complex case of the Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks, it must be suggested here that although there is evidence to support both theories, the majority of all available sources, also supported by official documents and survived the time registers of the Ottoman empire, shape the idea that religious conversion on a massive scale took place in Bulgaria and respectively in the Balkans (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1982, vol. 3-7). The question is how the conversion from Christianity to Islam was carried out and the answer to this question is directly connected with Pomaks’ self-identification as Muslims and consequently gives some light into their actions and behavioural characteristics as citizens of the Ottoman Empire until the nineteenth century and independent Bulgaria after that. To discuss the mode of the religious conversion of the Pomaks and emphasise its importance for the formation of their cultural identity and national belonging, it must be made clear here that â€Å"conversion may occur in one or more of three ways: through voluntary association, by pressure, and by assimilation. Syncretism and strong cultural resistance can also complicate the conversion process† (The Applied History Research group, 2000, pp.1-3). There is another raging debate in Bulgarian and Balkan historiographical research literature about the mode of Pomaks’ conversion to Islam and the co-existence of Bulgarian Christians and Bulgarian Muslims. On the one hand, there are these, who argue that the conversion was forced upon the Christian population of Bulgaria and over the centuries, and especially the seventeen century, there was a mass conversion to Islam in across the country and especially in the mountain Rodopi region. There is a huge amount of literature, both academic and journalistic, supported with reliable and substantial evidence that the alleged obligatory conversion took place. In his Genocide and Holocaust against Bulgarians (2006, p.63), Bulgarian academic historian and writer Georgi Voinov claims that the systematic and focused compulsory conversion to Islam was one of the favourite methods of control and ruling in the Ottoman Empire, well known for its strong assimilation aspirations in order to promote pan-Turkism. To sustain his assertions, Voinov cites numerous sources, based on authentic literature, written by survivors or witnesses from fourteenth to eighteenth centuries. He also claims that there are official registers of the Ottoman Empire that had also captured those events and give objective information and statistics of all the atrocities that took place in the name of Islam and in order to erase Bulgarian national identity among the Bulgarian population (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1982, vol. 3-7). All abovementioned sources affirm that Islam in Bulgaria was not accepted voluntary but under duress. In the History Reader: The Rodopi mountain through the centuries (1966, p. 78), Bulgarian historian Peter Petrov cites a source from the sixteenth century that talks of 325 thousand young Bulgarian youths forcefully converted to Islam and taken to Anatolia to commence military service in the Turkish army. Only the boy’s number was known, for the girls, no-one has ever known. It is claimed, that conversion took place in 1515 and under the command of Selim Pasha. There are also endless lists from administrative Ottoman registers reporting evidence that Islam was not accepted on voluntary basis. Mass conversions took place in 1620, 1633, 1669, 1705, 1720, 1803, all of those through fire and sword, drowning in blood any resistance from the local Christian population (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1982, vol. 3-7). On the other hand, there are those academic writers and journalists, who for one reason or another and in an attempt to politicise the issue of Bulgarian Muslims, are nowadays trying to reassess historical events. Special attention is given to the religious and cultural conversion in Bulgaria. In the recently published second edition of his book The Mohammedan Bulgarians (2007, pp. 5-12), Bulgarian researcher and writer Stojan Raichevski asserts that change to Islam was forced upon the Christian Bulgarians by the power of the sword to a minimal degree but there were many other, more important reasons and economic factors, that played a key role, such as preferential taxation and trading agreements for Muslims in the Empire, the greed of the Greek Orthodox clergy, the conflict between the Bogomils and the Orthodox Church, etc. In addition, Kemal Karpat comments that at the time when their land was conquered, the Slavic speaking Muslims were under the authority of their local feudal lords and accepted Islam as the new faith as it supposedly was close to their native faith of Bogomilism, a mixture of Christianity, paganism and Manichaeism. In doing so, they hoped to preserve their land holdings and ethnic identity. Furthermore, according to the Applied History Research group of the University of Calgary (2000, p.1), â€Å"although conversion by pressure cannot be termed voluntary, the degree of force and coercion varies greatly. Indeed, military conquest was typically followed by the application of subtler pressures, such as commercial or judicial sanctions, to enforce the requirement of the new rulers†. Economic pressure was just as effective as an unrestrained military subjugation. Thinking objectively and considering all points of view and available data, one does not doubt here that many factors acted as an incentive to mass Islamic conversions in Bulgaria. What is interesting to communicate through this piece of work is that the combination of the different modes of conversion: by voluntary association, by pressure, and by assimilation, was accompanied with syncretism that determined some degree of cultural adaptation. It did, in turn, also provoke fierce cultural resistance and martyrdom from a large part of the Christian population. Hence, here was the historical picture in Bulgaria. On the one hand, those Bulgarians, who surrendered their religion for one reason or another, became Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks. They continued speaking Bulgarian language and the local area dialect, build their houses in Bulgarian architectural traditions, saved some elements of their old dress code, continued to recognise themselves as Bulgarians but built mosques, celebrated Eid and enjoyed preferential treatment from the Ottoman rulers. However, over the centuries they were exposed to the influences of their adopted Islamic religion and the aggressive pan-Turkism promoted in the Ottoman Empire and through blending of various aspects of different cultural customs and religious rituals or syncretism, somewhat new cultural arrangements took place. Bulgarian Muslims adapted culturally to the life in the Empire and although preserving their Slavic language and some sense of Bulgarian national identity, their levels of cultural adaptation reached much greater heights than those among the Christian Bulgarian population. Due to this fact and over the centuries, the Pomaks have tried to self-define themselves in terms of national conciseness and have become vulnerable to influences and an object of hatred or even political struggle. On the other hand, while Bulgarian Muslims were going through the process of cultural assimilation, the larger part of the Bulgarian population withstood the pressure, continued to observe their faith and traditions, regularly rebelled against the Turkish rulers and took part in more than fifty military conquests against the Turks, led by different European rulers. All Bulgarian uprisings against the Ottoman Sultans, fourteen in total in Bulgaria itself (Voinov, 2006, p.26), were drowned in blood. What needs clarification here is one, not very well popularised fact: Bulgarian Muslims took active part in the suppression and crushing of many of the rebellions. This, in turn, raises many questions, with one most imperative. What were the reasons that in the same ethnic population group, some of its members took the way of conversion and cultural adaptation but the others chose cultural resistance, martyrdom and self-martyrdom? How could these two groups live in relative peace under Ottoman rule but when an uprising against the Turks took place, Bulgarian Muslims ferociously and viciously attacked their Christian neighbours and fought on the side of the Turks, committing acts of unheard of cruelty and brutality? Their participation in the crushing of the April uprising of 1876 is notorious and it was described by the American writer and journalist Janarius Aloysius McGahan, who was one of the greatest war correspondents in the nineteenth century. In his American witness (2002, 3rd Ed.), Bulgarian historian Teodor Dimitrov has published McGahan’s notes about the atrocities in Batak, Bulgaria, and they read: â€Å"We spoke with many women, who had been through all stages of torture without the last one, death. The procedure, as it seemed, was the following: the Turks would take a woman, undress her, putting aside her valuables, gang-rape her and the last one, who had her, would kill her or let her go, depending on his mood†. What McGahan does not note here is that the Turks were not alone in the slaughter of the rebels. They are aided by their helpers’, the local Pomak population, Greeks and other small ethnic groups. Thus, Christian Bulgarians fought for freedom, while Muslim Bulgarians took part in the massacre of their uprising. What could have possibly provoked someone to behave in such a way? According to Doinov et al. (2001, p.112), â€Å"the shown cruelty was an outburst of the deep national and religious hatred against the oppressed nationalities in the Ottoman Empire, that has been groomed and encouraged for centuries by the ruling powers†. However, something else was at work there too. Kemal Karpat (1990, p.136) explains that Balkan Muslims, although living in a hostile Christian European world, remained largely apolitical. However, their â€Å"passive cultural-religious consciousness was easily converted to a dynamic Muslim identity when the circumstances required†. Perhaps when Bulgarian Muslims were faced with an unconditional act of resistance in the â€Å"most dramatic form: suicide and self-martyrdom† (2000, p.3), those acted as catalyst and the Pomaks replied with repression and brutality. Ekaterina Peychinova, Director of the Museum of History in Batak describes what drove the oppressors mad: For three days and three nights the people inside the church held together, and the shooting outside did not stop for a minute. At the end of the third day they gave in and opened the gates of the church. But then they had only two options: either become Muslims or die. Every single one of them chose death. (cited in Ivanova, 2008, p.1) The horrific power of those events and the depth of feelings and emotions are overwhelming. Keeping in mind that Bulgarian Christians and Bulgarian Muslims are from the same ethnic origin and the same blood flows in their veins, have religious and cultural conversion, syncretism and assimilation have changed the latter so much that they could commit such acts and have identity switch over, allowing for full degradation of human values? This essay does not have the ambitious goal to answer all those questions. History gives the answers and it will do the same here too. Many years have gone since those ghastly days and Pomaks’ sense of cultural identity and national belonging has evolved and changed again as Bulgarian Muslims themselves were at the receiving end of numerous assimilation governmental campaigns and strategies from 1878 until now. Cultural identity and national belonging of Bulgarian Pomaks Due to the fact that the Bulgarian speaking Muslims took an active part in the suppressing the April uprising of 1876, they did not enjoy friendly treatment from their Christian neighbours. With the advancement of the Russian armies in 1878, retaliation began and a substantial part of the Pomaks immigrated to the Ottoman empire, refusing to live under the rule of the â€Å"giaurs† or infidels. Many others took part in the Rodopi mutiny and lived in the so-called Pomak republic for about eight years until 1886, when the participating villages were included in the Ottoman Empire but only until the Balkan wars (Todorva, 1998, p.9). Furthermore, in the Ottoman Population: 1830-1914 (1985, p.78), Kemal Karpat cites Ottoman statistics, indicating that the total population of the Empire rose by about 40% in the period 1860-1878 due to coercive measures by Russia and Bulgaria. He mentions that among the Balkan migrants there were large groups of Slavic-speaking Bosnians, Herzegovinians, Montenegrins and Pomaks with a negative sense of ethnic identity, as they considered themselves as Muslims but not Osmanlis (Turks). Thus, judging by the actions of the Pomaks, the question that must be asked here is: did the Pomaks have a Turkish or Bulgarian cultural and national identity at the end of the nineteen and beginning of twentieth century and is it possible to differentiate between religious and ethnic belonging? The Pomaks, who immigrated to the Ottoman Empire, had their cultural identity politicised and defined as Muslim and Turkish under the influence of the local political and ethnic culture (Karpat, 1990, p.137). Unfortunately, the Pomaks, who stayed in Bulgaria, did not have the opportunity to decide for themselves freely because during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, they were subjected to a number of keen campaigns to accept and recognise them as part of the Bulgarian nation or â€Å"narod†, starting from 1920-s and continuing until the mid-80-s. In 1942, the first ever mass attempt to change the names of the Bulgarian Muslims to Bulgarian names took place. It was a result of the work of the Pomaks’ own organisation, called â€Å"Rodina† or Motherland. Consisting mainly of teachers, â€Å"Rodina† strove to improve the position of the Pomaks in Bulgarian society and to save them from the growing resentment and marginalisation. In the context of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom (1878 – 1944) and its nationalistic ambitions and assimilative tendencies, it is important to acknowledge here that Motherlands’ actions were justified in terms of seeking a national, cultural and linguistic unity of the Bulgarian society and the difficulties that the Pomaks could have faced, if tried to fit in that society. What is questionable here is the Pomaks desire to fit in. Although the Pomaks have, at that point, lost the very close contact with their original cultural authority, the Ottoman Empire, they were still in favour of their religious affiliation and were not willing to adapt to the fresh, language-based identity actively promoted by the modern Bulgarian state at that time (Todorova, 1998, p. 11). Another problem here is the attitude of the Christian Bulgarians, whose national consciousness was determined by religious and linguistic boundaries. Were they ready to forget the Ottoman rule and April 1876 and to accept the Pomaks as part of the Bulgarian nation and allow assimilation? Could adaptation and adoption take place and the complex issue of national identity, belonging and unity be resolved peacefully and once and for all? What is better: common national identity and national unity or multi-cultural society? During communist rule in the 1960-s, 1970-s and 1980-s, various Bulgarian governments tried to resolve the issue through numerous heavy-handed assimilation campaigns, when all Muslim names were changed to Bulgarian names, an attempt was made to form a united Bulgarian nation in order to neutralise nationalistic ambitions and claims from neighbouring Turkey. After the democratic reforms from 1989, all ethnic and religious groups in Bulgaria gained the freedom to self-identify themselves and promote their national and religious distinctiveness. All Muslim names were restored and seemingly the great effort to create a united Bulgarian national identity had ended. Hence, the national identity and cultural belonging of the Pomaks are somewhat fluid and non-defined, and the coming generations will have the chance to accomplish the process of integration or affiliation as they choose. It is, however, ultimate to accept the lessons of history and to abolish all attempts to forcefully create a single identity with identical religious or national characteristics. Cultural conversion through co-operation and co-existence is frequently welcome by small or big population groups, whilst conversion by pressure, conflict and aggressive assimilation is rejected and leads to confusion, hatred and frequently violent resistance. Conclusion In conclusion, it must be recognised here that the case of Bulgarian Muslims or Pomaks is of complex nature and the issue of defining their national identity and cultural belonging is still unresolved. There are many more questions to ask and answer and many more avenues to explore in order to establish which one of the national identity constituents is the most influential and possess the ultimate formative power. Consequently, it is the greatest regret of this work that it is impossible to analyse or develop fully all themes, ideas and debates in connection with the cultural identity, national belonging and self-perception of the Pomaks, when the number of words is restricted and there is lack of the research available. However, one humbly hopes to have offered here, merely an attempt of discussion on the important issues of cultural and religious identity and how they shape the very centre of the human concept of self. Finally, it must be emphasised here that the writing of this essay has been a vast learning experience for the author, an opportunity to study, investigate and explore the world of Bulgarian Muslims and be taught lessons that put historical and contemporary events into perspective. Bibliography Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1982). History of Bulgaria. Sofia: BAN Press, vol. 3-7. Dimitrov, T. (2002). American witness. 3rd Ed. Geneva: Geneva press. Doinov, D., Jechev, N. Kosev, K. (2001). The April uprising and the fate of the Bulgarian nation. Sofia: Academic Press â€Å"Professor Marin Drinov†. Ivanova, M. (2008). St. Nedelya church in Batak. Available from: http://www.pravoslavieto.com. (Accessed: 12 April 2008). Karpat, K. (1985). Ottoman Population: 1830-1914. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Karpat, K. (1990). The hijra from Russia and the Balkans: the process of self-definition in the late Ottoman state. In: Eickelman, D. Piscatori, J. (Ed.). Muslim Travellers: Pilgrimage, migration, and the religious imagination. Los Angeles: University of California Press, Chapter 7, pp. 131-152. Krasin, H. (2007). Turkish brutality in Bulgaria and in the Balkan Peninsula. (Turskite porazii v Bulgaria i na Balkanskia Poluostrov). Sofia: Svetovit Press. Petrov, P. (1966). History Reader: The Rodopi mountain through the centuries. Sofia: BKP Press. Rajcevski, S. (2004). The Mohammedan Bulgarians (Pomaks). (Balgarite Mohamedani). Sofia: Bulgarian Bestseller Press. The Applied History Research Group. (2000) Old World Contacts. Available from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history. (Accessed: 14 April 2008). Todorova, M. (1998). Identity (Trans) Formation among Bulgarian Muslims. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Voinov, G. (2006). Genocide and Holocaust against Bulgarians. (Genotsidad i Holokostat sreshtu Balgarite.) Sofia: Arateb Press.