Flying half a metre above the ground

Zoltan Nagy’s paper about the Vasyugan Khanty people is based on empirical data from the 1990s. It interprets the culture of the Vasyugan Khanty as an alcohol culture — a culture in which vodka and the consumption of vodka permeates and determines daily life. The paper is a micro-focus analysis from the Khanty viewpoint. Alcohol is interpreted as the force that constitutes society, and alcohol consumption as a social act. It has an important economic significance with a strong impact on Khanty customs, which it regulates and by which it is regulated, with remarkable moral implications that significantly influence their daily routines and way of life. The paper surveys the role of alcohol in customs, the ritualistic elements and rules of drinking, the drink types consumed, the relation between alcohol and mortality, as well as the Khanty’s concept of drunkenness and how it influences their interpretation of crime. In reviewing the relation between alcohol consumption and economy/work activities, the author...