Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Interethnic spaces
A village on the ethnic periphery 131 This is obviously not a unique case; presumably in a large part of the region’s villages the situation is similar irrespective of the ethnic structure of the community. Indeed, the problem is not interesting as a phenomenon, but it is interesting for its inner structure. The principal aim of our survey was not to examine the inhabited and uninhabited houses. However, as we analysed the questionnaires, our attention was attracted by a peculiar phenomenon which we sought to interpret afterwards. The problem of the houses is related to the above-mentioned phenomenon of extensive ageing. In our analysis we had the possibility to demonstrate the proportion of grandparents and parents living alone and to compare these numbers with the number of inhabited houses. The results of our comparison are surprising: nearly 39% of the inhabited houses are populated by grandparents or parents living alone (i.e. without their descendants) and of these, 71% (27,7% in all) are grandparents (Table 6). This is a surprising result. A significant part of the village’s houses and building plots is today for sale and this tendency will become only stronger in the following years. Table 6: Proportion of persons living alone in the house Number% Inhabited houses 278100,00 Grandparents living alone „A”77 27,70 Parents living alone „B”31 11,15 Total „C” (C=A+B)108 38,85 Dlhá nad Váhom lies on the ethnic periphery, in the neighbourhood of a developing, rather rich small town (Šaľa) with a population that is primarily Slovak-speaking. The purchase of building plots is threatening the village, as the town is expanding in its direction. The proportion of empty houses and houses inhabited by lone grandparents and parents reaches 50%. Considering present market prices this could provoke an earthquake-like wave of incoming population into the village, which can be held back only by similar situations
