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Multicultural Language Education: From Research into Practice is a collection of essays which will appeal to teachers of modern languages, no matter the level of instruction. The contributions highlight the latest developments of Foreign Language Teaching in the Balkan countries. The field of Multicultural Language Education ensures that learners are engaged in the teaching and learning experiences. These experiences will allow learners to successfully participate in a rapidly changing world

Abstract
The article is devoted to a critical analysis of the legacy of Edmund Spencer – a nineteenth century British travel writer and author of numerous books and articles on Circassia and the Caucasus. The widespread use of Spencer's work by historians notwithstanding, until now there has been no published biography of the author, which led to a proliferation of claims about his background and the timing and circumstances of his visit to Circassia. This article contributes to the correction of this omission by presenting the results of the latest biographical research on Edmund Spencer, based on manuscript and printed primary sources. Despite doubts expressed by some historians about the existence of such a person, the article conclusively proves that Edmund Spencer was indeed a real historical personage. Furthermore, since until now no attempt has been made to evaluate the reliability of Spencer's works on Circassia as historical sources, the article examines references to Spencer in contemporaneous manuscript sources, such as the British, French and Russian diplomatic, military and intelligence correspondence and reports, finding that available documentary evidence refutes the author's claim of a visit to the interior of Circassia. The attitudes of Western scholars of the period and of foreign visitors to Circassia raise further serious doubts about the authenticity of Spencer's travelogues. The article calls into question Spencer's account of his travels in Circassia as a source of geographic, ethnographic and sociological knowledge, concluding that it was a nothing more than a fabrication.

Digital transformation in the public sector has been the focus of academic studies for the last two decades. According to the literature, countries' efforts towards digitalization vary both across countries and within regions of each country. Although the starting points may differ, this process has yet to be completed in any country. It is evident that various obstacles and problems are still being encountered. Along with major obstacles such as inadequate infrastructure and limited financial and human resources, the willingness of residents to adopt e-government services is also a significant factor to consider. In this context, the main purpose of this paper is to evaluate residents' perceptions towards e-government services in Kyrgyzstan. Primary data was collected by administering a structured questionnaire to 325 residents. The results indicate that perceived functional benefits, perceived service response, and availability of resources significantly impact (p<0.05) residents' adoption of e-government services. Significant differences have been observed in residents' perceptions towards the dependent and independent variables of the study, based on demographic characteristics such as marital status, income, experience using e-government services, and area of residence. This study can provide valuable insights for public policy related to digital transformation. A deeper understanding of users' behavior can provide a reliable foundation for making managerial and marketing decisions that can help overcome this problem as a barrier to digital transformation.

The article discusses the role of a consultant in developing small and medium-sized businesses in the context of economic sanctions. The introduction of sanctions at the beginning of 2022 makes us take a fresh look at many processes in the economy of our country. Among them are investment opportunities in small and mediumsized businesses. In the context of significant reduction in foreign investments, the question arises of domestic mechanisms for effective investment in new projects of small and medium-sized businesses. In the process of investing, information support and consulting become an important element. In order for a domestic investor to find projects characterized by acceptable risks and acceptable returns, and for small and medium-sized businesses to find their investor, a stable and developed system of consulting is required. At the same time, both investors and project initiators receive consulting assistance. For the project initiator, the consultant helps to properly "package" the project in order to be of interest to the investor. With the help of a consultant, the client can obtain information about the investor's preferences for the project, about the procedure and conditions for investing in the project. Based on the professional experience in the consulting business, as well as studying the practice of the "Business Angels of Russia" community, the author summarized the experience of holding so-called mini-forums, analyzed the results of a survey of project initiators and investors, and identified the gaps in their informational preparation. The author considers the network effects of interaction between investors, consultants, project initiators and their new participants.

Political, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation between different peoples is growing all over the world, and these ties are inconceivable without translation. Translation is seen as a link between nations, a means of developing and enriching science and culture, and a bridge to mutual cooperation and solidarity. The first theoretical ideas about translation originated in ancient Rome. Aristotle, Cicero, and Goratz, who were fluent in Greek and Latin, argued that words should not be followed in the translation process, and that their expressions should be weighed first and then translated. Later, Bartholomew and Manetti in Italy, du Belle and Malerb in France, Bacon and Dryden in England, Goethe and Humboldt in Germany, and Lomonosov and Sumarokov in Russia expressed their theoretical views on translation.

A puzzling aspect of the Syrian war has been the seemingly endless infusion of foreign fighters who have fueled and sustained the conflict. Unique among these are the militants from former Soviet regions such as Northern Caucasus in Russia and republics of Central Asia. In the evolving complexity of a layered and multifaceted conflict, it is easy to overlook the incongruousness of their presence in the conflict. Unlike most other foreign fighters, including those joining from Western Europe and North America, the post-Soviet militants lack the ethno-linguistic ties to the region. Rather, they hail from areas steeped in comparatively secular traditions and largely detached from the central tenants of the Syrian war. This makes their presence among extremist groups, such as the Islamic State, somewhat intriguing and anomalous. A key question, therefore, is why would these individuals join what to them in many ways is an alien war with extremely prohibitive costs? This articles proposes, as complementary to the dominant religious-ideological accounts, an explanation rooted in the enabling effect of marginalization processes in militants' domestic settings.

Leaders are often noted to be instrumental in transitional political processes. Yet, most studies in the field bypass them, focusing instead on such factors as institutional setup, level of political culture, geopolitical location, diffusion of ideas and other factors. Even when highlighted, leaders are thought to be acting under the constraint of these arguably more defining factors and therefore relegated to a secondary role. Part of the problem is thought to be difficult to treat individuals as a measurable variable other than being shaped by aforementioned institutional-structural factors. Through a methodological borrowing this study determines that the leadership patterns across the region do vary in a substantial way. More importantly, the variation is determined independent of the overarching institutional-structural factors. The profiling of leadership patterns is followed by discussion of implications such exogenously determined leadership patterns may have on the study of transitional processes.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to suggest to the conflict study scholars a new instrument – the "conflict volcano" that could be an effective and appropriate tool for conflict analysis.Design/methodology/approach– The "conflict volcano" model was designed as a qualitative method for conflict analysis with a focus on cause analysis. It was developed on the basis of "conflict tree" which underwent modifications.Findings– The benefit of the "conflict volcano" is that it covers all aspects of conflict starting from root cause to catalysts and can reveal a wide range of causes: material, immaterial, institutional. It clearly frames factors; this helps practitioners to determine what should be considered as causes and effects. Moreover, the "conflict volcano" reflects major theoretical representations of the conflict and its aspects. While the "conflict volcano" model can study conflict phases from latent until open violence, it cannot reflect the dynamic of conflict and cannot demonstrate its evolution to post-conflict phases.Practical implications– The "conflict volcano" can be used as a conflict analysis tool by practicing experts and scholars. Academicians can use it in order to understand conflict and especially to reveal its causes. Practicing experts can use it in order to design a conflict transformation strategy.Originality/value– This instrument does not pretend to be a new invention in the field of conflict studies, but rather a new conceptualization, schematization of old concepts and instruments.