Obrazi izolacije / The Faces of Isolation – Traditiones 53 (3), 2024

In this thematic issue of Traditiones, the authors examine what it means to be isolated. Based on research in isolated communities and in abandoned, remote, and degraded areas, they explore how experiences of isolation are formed and how different types of isolation – from social and physical to digital, infrastructural, and ideological – frame experiences and values, shaping as well understandings of space and time.  Their contributions focus on analyzing the ambivalent natures of isolation, solitude, and loneliness. They depict how, on the one hand, isolation may negatively affect demographic and spatial changes, while on the other hand, some people may seek refuge in isolated locations in search of a better life. The contributions of this issue thus portray the diversity of isolation and identify the processes that lead to states of isolation in both positive and negative terms.