scholarly journals The Ethnic Ecocritical Animal: Animal protagonists and ethnic environmentalism in contemporary Sino-Mongolian literature and art

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-49
Author(s):  
NIMROD BARANOVITCH
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Environmental Politics ◽  
Environmental Movement ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Nomadic Pastoralist ◽  
Mongolian Grassland ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Drawing on ideas from ecocriticism, literary animal studies, and post-colonial studies, as well as anthropology and cultural studies, this article examines the representations of animals in contemporary Sino-Mongolian literature and art, and the various connections between these representations and issues related to ethnic and environmental politics. I propose that the intensive engagement of Chinese-Mongolian writers and artists with animals is related first and foremost to the central role that animals, both wild and domesticated, have traditionally played in Mongolian nomadic pastoralist culture. However, I also argue that it is closely connected to two interrelated processes that are currently taking place in Inner Mongolia: the severe degradation of the Inner Mongolian grassland and the rapid sinicization of China's Mongols. I suggest that in the context of this environmental and cultural crisis, the engagement with animals reflects anxiety about the fate of the Inner Mongolian grassland, the fate of real animals, which, for centuries, have been closely associated with this landscape and Mongolian nomadic culture, and, most importantly, the fate of Mongolian culture itself. I also argue that Sino-Mongolian writers and artists use literary and artistic animals to construct and assert Mongolianness as part of their search for an ‘authentic’ ethnic identity, and to comment critically on the impact that Chinese domination has had on the Inner Mongolian grassland, its indigenous human and non-human inhabitants, and Mongolian culture and identity. Finally, I propose that through their ethnic environmentalism, Chinese-Mongolian artists and writers have made an important contribution to the development of China's environmental movement.

Critical Post-Colonial Studies: Opening Up the Post-Colonial to a Broader Geopolitical View

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Albrecht
Keyword(s):  
Academic Language ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Continuity Thesis ◽  
The One ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Impact

The new framework of critical post-colonial studies adds the innovative feature of a broader geopolitical view to an existing branch of critique that challenges the postcolonial regime of knowledge as a whole, simultaneously taking into account the impact of the “traveling concepts” of postcolonial theories on contemporary thought. A radical scrutiny of its core tenets questions postcolonial studies’ perception and representation of colonialism that are selectively confined to the areas of the West and the formerly colonized non-West. The new research field of critical post-colonial studies, by contrast, deploys a multidirectional framework that strives to unthink the quasi-Manichean reverse division of the world into a devalued West and an upgraded non-West characteristic of the postcolonial mainstream. Critical post-colonial studies is thus not intended to be yet another subdivision of the wide academic field of postcolonial studies but one that departs from a broadening of the geopolitical space and shows how this inevitably inflects conventional understanding of the postcolonial. Important steps for a critical dismantling of mainstream postcolonial studies are a conceptual disengagement of the mechanisms of “othering” and a disentanglement of the components of the specific postcolonial continuity thesis. Discarding these and other restrictions makes room for the urgently needed paradigm shift in postcolonial scholarship and for the fashioning of a new academic language of critical post-colonial studies that, on the one hand, meets the needs of the multidirectional conditions of imperialism and colonialism and their various semantics and is, on the other hand, able to grasp universal patterns in different geopolitical and historical conditions.

The Posthuman Turn to the Post(non)human

2020 ◽  
pp. 57-67
Author(s):  
Anastasia I. Kriman ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
First Century ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Postmodern Philosophy ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Basic Ideas

The article shows the retrospective of such modern philosophical movement as posthumanism, one of the basic ideas of which is the “posthuman”. The posthu­man in posthumanism is understood not as a being who has overcome his biol­ogy (as in transhumanism), but as a point of assembly of mythical, chimerical, technological, social, biological; as a further deconstruction of humanistic “vitru­vian man”. This aspect reveals the exceptional features of the new anthropology of posthumanism, which makes it possible to show the difference between tran­shumanism and posthumanism. The evolution of humanism, through anti-hu­manism and transhumanism (which is understood as “hyperhumanism”) leads to posthumanism. Its main features, according to R. Braidotti and Fr. Ferrando, are post-anthropocentrism, post-dualism and post-humanism. The article analyses each of these concepts, which allows us to delve deeper into the contexts of con­temporary philosophical anthropology. The analysis of the posthuman turn to­wards non-human agents and, as a consequence, the general trend of tendency of contemporary philosophy to the de-anthropologization is being carried out. The genealogy of this phenomenon includes fatigue from the hierarchy of hu­manism ideals, which, as M. Foucault showed back in the middle of the twenti­eth century, were conditioned by historical prerequisites of cultural development. Inheriting ideas of postmodern philosophy, gender theory, post-colonial studies, animal studies, unable studies, actor-network theory, and even quantum physics, posthumanism opens up a space for being in terms of subjectivity for all others previously oppressed in the era of humanism (animals, women, and all those whom Aristotle, as opposed to bios, referred to zoe). To illustrate this thesis, the article introduces a new term “post(non)human”, which reveals the concept of posthumanist discourse. The use of this term allows us to express more compre­hensively the results and consequences of the posthumanist turn in the philo­sophical anthropology of the twenty-first century.

scholarly journals Post-Colonial Rome, and Beyond

2021 ◽  
pp. 309-320
Author(s):  
Andrew Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Roman Archaeology ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
The Impact

Roman archaeology is one of the major subfields of archaeology in which post-colonial theory has flourished, and not just in relation to the role of the past in the present, but also as a means to approach the interpretation of the Roman world itself. The region of North Africa was a major focal point for some of the earliest post-colonial studies on the Roman Empire, and has remained an arena of investigation for scholars influenced by the Anglophone debate on post-colonial theory, which emerged in the 1980s and flourished in the 1990s, often with a focus on Roman Britain. Religion is both a key source of evidence and an obviously important theme in understanding cultural change, interaction and power, and thus it has likewise been of interest to scholars from within and beyond the region. Here, I give an overview of the work of some of the influential Roman archaeologists working within the post-colonial tradition. I also consider the complex intersections of ancient and modern, and of Britain and North Africa, found in this body of work, and evaluate the impact this tradition of thought continues to have on Roman archaeology going forwards.

scholarly journals Tau mai e Kapiti te whare wananga o ia, o te nui, o te wehi, o te toa: Reclaiming early Raukawa-Toarangatira writing from Otaki

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Arini May Loader
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
World View ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Historical Texts ◽  
Written Word ◽  
National Significance ◽  
The Impact

<p>Maori writing in the nineteenth-century was prolific. Maori writers worked in multiple genres including, but not limited to biography, correspondence, historical narrative, political response, memoir and song composition. Much of this immense body of work is currently housed in libraries and other archival institutions around Aotearoa New Zealand. An indeterminate amount is held in private ownership. Of the small number of these manuscripts which have been published, many have gone on to become key texts for studying Maori language, customs, practices, beliefs, and history. Responding to the calls of Australian and American Indian literary studies for researchers to engage both critically and creatively with Indigenous literatures, this thesis will focus on specific nineteenth-century Maori literary works in order to explore the nature and stakes of early Maori writing. The impact of European contact which informed many nineteenth-century Indigenous experiences will be interrogated as will the substantial manuscript and archival records that assist us, the descendants of these writers, in reclaiming our written heritage.  Specifically, this thesis will explore a small selection of the written legacies of Tamihana Te Rauparaha, Matene Te Whiwhi and Rakapa Kahoki. These tupuna wrote letters, petitions and historical texts, acted as scribes and composed waiata. As well as sharing close Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toarangatira whakapapa and moving in similar social and political circles, these tupuna were based in Otaki where they were actively involved in issues of local, tribal and national significance. Focusing this thesis on the specific place of Otaki provides an opportunity to reflect on the nature and significance of Maori writing more broadly and also anchors this thesis in ancestral space. An academic revisioning of these ancestors‘ written work is long overdue and is especially timely while Indigenous peoples continue to be engaged in projects of intellectual recovery and reclamation.  This thesis presents readings of several manuscripts that were produced by Tamihana Te Rauparaha and Matene Te Whiwhi as well as two waiata texts composed by Rakapa Kahoki relatively early on in our encounters with tauiwi and the written word. Where many historically based studies have made use of these manuscripts as source documents, this research instead offers a literary exploration of the manuscripts which sees the manuscripts themselves as the main point of reference. This thesis essentially draws attention to the ‗written-ness‘ of the texts. It is a literary study which highlights the literary skills that our ancestors employed in their written work and which have tended to be overlooked in the scholarship. This study is also influenced by developments in a number of academic fields including but not limited to history, linguistics, Pacific studies, comparative studies and post-colonial studies. It is moreover, a Maori studies thesis which centres a Maori world view and the concerns of Maori people and communities.  Ultimately, it is anticipated that this thesis will forge new pathways into the study of Maori literatures, and that these pathways will clear some much needed intellectual space in which a deeper analysis of the writing of tupuna Maori can be articulated. Furthermore, beyond its focus on the literature of Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toarangatira, this thesis extends the scholarship on Maori writing and literatures, Maori historical studies and Maori intellectual history and in this way speaks to a contemporary Indigenous intellectual agenda.</p>

scholarly journals Tau mai e Kapiti te whare wananga o ia, o te nui, o te wehi, o te toa: Reclaiming early Raukawa-Toarangatira writing from Otaki

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Arini May Loader
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
World View ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Historical Texts ◽  
Written Word ◽  
National Significance ◽  
The Impact

<p>Maori writing in the nineteenth-century was prolific. Maori writers worked in multiple genres including, but not limited to biography, correspondence, historical narrative, political response, memoir and song composition. Much of this immense body of work is currently housed in libraries and other archival institutions around Aotearoa New Zealand. An indeterminate amount is held in private ownership. Of the small number of these manuscripts which have been published, many have gone on to become key texts for studying Maori language, customs, practices, beliefs, and history. Responding to the calls of Australian and American Indian literary studies for researchers to engage both critically and creatively with Indigenous literatures, this thesis will focus on specific nineteenth-century Maori literary works in order to explore the nature and stakes of early Maori writing. The impact of European contact which informed many nineteenth-century Indigenous experiences will be interrogated as will the substantial manuscript and archival records that assist us, the descendants of these writers, in reclaiming our written heritage.  Specifically, this thesis will explore a small selection of the written legacies of Tamihana Te Rauparaha, Matene Te Whiwhi and Rakapa Kahoki. These tupuna wrote letters, petitions and historical texts, acted as scribes and composed waiata. As well as sharing close Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toarangatira whakapapa and moving in similar social and political circles, these tupuna were based in Otaki where they were actively involved in issues of local, tribal and national significance. Focusing this thesis on the specific place of Otaki provides an opportunity to reflect on the nature and significance of Maori writing more broadly and also anchors this thesis in ancestral space. An academic revisioning of these ancestors‘ written work is long overdue and is especially timely while Indigenous peoples continue to be engaged in projects of intellectual recovery and reclamation.  This thesis presents readings of several manuscripts that were produced by Tamihana Te Rauparaha and Matene Te Whiwhi as well as two waiata texts composed by Rakapa Kahoki relatively early on in our encounters with tauiwi and the written word. Where many historically based studies have made use of these manuscripts as source documents, this research instead offers a literary exploration of the manuscripts which sees the manuscripts themselves as the main point of reference. This thesis essentially draws attention to the ‗written-ness‘ of the texts. It is a literary study which highlights the literary skills that our ancestors employed in their written work and which have tended to be overlooked in the scholarship. This study is also influenced by developments in a number of academic fields including but not limited to history, linguistics, Pacific studies, comparative studies and post-colonial studies. It is moreover, a Maori studies thesis which centres a Maori world view and the concerns of Maori people and communities.  Ultimately, it is anticipated that this thesis will forge new pathways into the study of Maori literatures, and that these pathways will clear some much needed intellectual space in which a deeper analysis of the writing of tupuna Maori can be articulated. Furthermore, beyond its focus on the literature of Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toarangatira, this thesis extends the scholarship on Maori writing and literatures, Maori historical studies and Maori intellectual history and in this way speaks to a contemporary Indigenous intellectual agenda.</p>

11. Global Politics in the Anthropocene

2021 ◽  
pp. 251-273
Author(s):  
Stephanie Lawson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Politics ◽  
Environmental Movement ◽  
Global Politics ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Global Environmental Politics ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
The Impact

This chapter studies how the scope of global politics has been extended over the last half century or so to include the impact of human industrial activity on the environment. The environmental movement and ‘green theory’ have grown out of concerns with the deleterious impact of this activity and the capacity of the planet to carry the burden of ‘business as usual’ in a world driven by the imperatives of endless growth. Many now believe that the impact on the earth’s systems is so significant that the present geological period should be recognized as the ‘Anthropocene’. Climate change is probably the most prominent issue associated with the Anthropocene at present, but it is not the only one. The chapter examines a range of issues in global environment politics, starting with the reconceptualization of the present period. It then moves on to an account of the environmental movement, the emergence of various ‘green’ ideologies and theories, and the politics of science. This is essential background for considering the role of the state and its sovereign powers in the context of global environmental politics.

Nationhood and Statehood: The Impact of a Conflated Discourse on African Polities and their Non-Dominant Ethnic Groups

Utafiti ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-66
Author(s):  
Reginald M.J. Oduor
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Economic Opportunities ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Impact

It is now conventional to refer to post-colonial African polities as ‘nations’ or ‘nation-states’. However, in this article I argue that the conflation of nationhood and statehood has led to the violation of the rights of non-dominant ethnic groups to meaningful political participation, equitable economic opportunities, ethnic identity, and secession. Thus this conflation leads to an on-going lack of legitimacy in postcolonial African states, thereby exposing them to perpetual neocolonial domination.

The Impact of In-group/Out-group Stereotypes: The Image of Foreign Cultures in Flemish Youth Literature in the Nineteenth Century

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-44
Author(s):  
Coillie Jan Van
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Pedagogical Discourse ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Studies ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Youth Literature

Which image of other cultures did Flemish youth literature in the nineteenth century disseminate? Which linguistic features supported and communicated this image in the texts? And what was the relationship between this image and the (social) context? To answer these questions, a text corpus is screened for linguistic expressions influencing the image of foreign cultures. The theoretical framework is inspired by recent insights from imagology and post-colonial studies. The linguistic analysis is based on models taken from critical linguistics and discourse analysis. In order to interpret the results of the analysis, I explore how the image of other cultures in youth literature materialized in close interaction with the colonial and pedagogical discourse. A major finding is that the image transferred Western bourgeois norms and values as part of education. Furthermore, this image is characterized by input-output stereotypes, whose effect is to indirectly glorify one's own culture by rejecting foreign mores. The bourgeois values that resulted in these stereotypes were aspects of the Western conception of civilization, which was constantly set off against the uncivilized ways of ‘savage’ peoples. This ethnocentric stance, which was never questioned, served as primary justification for colonization and exploitation of foreign peoples.

Conflicts in Biafra, Katanga and Cabinda as a result of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10-3) ◽  
pp. 238-246
Author(s):  
Olga Dzhenchakova
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Economic Factor ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

The article considers the impact of the colonial past of some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its effect on their development during the post-colonial period. The negative consequences of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism are shown on the example of three countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Angola, expressed in the emergence of conflicts in these countries based on ethno-cultural, religious and socio-economic contradictions. At the same time, the focus is made on the economic factor and the consequences of the consumer policy of the former metropolises pursuing their mercantile interests were mixed.

Problems with the Interpretation of the “Slovak Reformation”

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-318
Author(s):  
Eva Kowalská
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
Vernacular Language ◽  
Cultural Implications ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Reformation Movement ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The Impact

AbstractStructural problems of communities affected by the “Slovak Reformation,” issues with accepting the situation or simply the relationships among various cultural phenomena, like literacy or language policies, are key aspects in studying the impact of the Reformation in Hungary, especially with respect to Slovaks. Information gathered from the Reformation had a direct and long-lasting impact on the formation of vernacular language, as well as on the search for and the construction of an ethnic identity. Searching for evidence left by the Slovak presence in the Reformation movement thus presents challenging though notable problems for Slovak historiography. The confessional division and its political as well as cultural implications have evoked long-lasting discussions among historians as well as politicians. This study focuses on the most relevant issues within these processes.

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