Sacred pasts, profane performances: A reply

1999 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannis Hamilakis ◽  
Eleana Yalouri
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Public Rhetoric ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Political Rituals ◽  
Second Chance

We would like to thank all commentators for their engaging responses and their useful and constructive remarks. Their commentaries offer us a second chance to clarify some of the issues which, in the interest of brevity and due to the broad nature of our analysis, we were not able to develop in the paper. At the same time they point to some of the methodological, ethical, and political problems that this kind of analysis faces. Our article was deliberately broad ranging, both in terms of time-scale and categories of evidence. This breadth has allowed us to trace a phenomenon from its genesis to its subsequent development and persistence, despite variations, up to the present-day. It also allowed us to demonstrate that the phenomenon is encountered in both official and unofficial discourses. It is expressed in a number of media, from public rhetoric to archaeological discourse, the mass media, social practices, and political rituals involving antiquities. Furthermore, in our attempt to demonstrate the interrelationships of the phenomenon with a whole range of other parameters, we have touched upon a number of issues without further exploration. Some of these issues, which have been explored by others in length, were omitted from our analysis. This is the case for example with ‘disemia’ (Herzfeld 1987,95–122); the differentiation between the Greek self-presentation and the representation of Greek identity to (non-Greek) outsiders. This issue has been commented upon by some (Sutton, Alexandri) and, given its complexity, we would prefer not to discuss it within the limits of this commentary. We should note, however, that the phenomenon of the sacralisation of the past seems to be associated with both strategies. Given that the commentaries have largely focused on different issues, we have decided to treat them separately, making the links where appropriate.

How Berlusconi will be remembered: notoriety, collective memory and the mediatisation of posterity

Modern Italy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gundle
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Collective Consciousness ◽  
The Past ◽  
Personality Cult ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Silvio Berlusconi ◽  
The Way

This article explores the ways in which Silvio Berlusconi might figure in collective memory. It approaches this from a number of angles. First, consideration is given to the way political figures of the past have resonated culturally and the role of institutions including the mass media in this. Second, Berlusconi's own efforts to situate himself in relation to a shared past are explored, with reference to the place of three nostalgic appeals that figured with varying intensity at different points in his career. Third, Berlusconian aesthetics are investigated to explore the relative roles of kitsch and glamour. It is shown that kitsch gained the upper hand and that this also manifested itself in the monarchical aspects that his personality cult took on. Finally, Berlusconi is considered as a possible subject for a biopic and a discussion is offered of the way his life and career might be presented in different variants of this genre. Overall, it is suggested that expectations that he will be damned by history fail to take account both of the way he imposed himself on the collective consciousness and of the generic requirements of the mass media.

scholarly journals Wagner & Hayes Repressive Moralism 10

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Wagner ◽  
Nicky Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
General Public ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Social Discourse ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Hearts And Minds ◽  
Psychological Dimensions ◽  
The Way

The past decade has seen a shift in the way that minorities exert their influence in society. Where in previous decades the emphasis was on winning the hearts and minds of the population at large, a recent strategy has been to ignore general public discourse and only to target specific influential bodies, along with an emphasis on victimhood. In this paper we use the example of transgender issues to analyse the socio-psychological dimensions of this approach. We show that where possible, those promoting these issues eschew a wider social discourse and debate in the mass media, and how their strategy rests on a self-construction as victims of the hetero-normative society, with a concomitant appeal to moral rather than factual argumentation. This is combined with a programme of aggressive challenge to opponents through social media, which effectively closes discussion on the topic. We conclude that these methods have much in common with the oppressive politics of undemocratic rule.

scholarly journals And Action!: Reinterpretation and Simulation of History Through Film in DeLillo’s Americana and Libra

2019 ◽  
pp. 149-164
Author(s):  
Slađana Stamenković
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Textual Evidence ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Rewriting History ◽  
Modern Mass ◽  
Everyday Reality ◽  
Insight Into

Linda Hutcheon claimed that the only way to access the past is to use texts and textual recordings of it. Today, we can interpret the mass media as textual evidence of the past which is at the same time an artifact and a means of rewriting history. Modern mass media seem to shape and reshape history and even our whole reality. Therefore, one can argue that history may be interpreted as what Baudrillard defined as a simulacrum. In Don DeLillo’s novels, media are frequently used to give access to or retell past events. In both Americana and Libra, DeLillo introduces the film as a piece of evidence which offers insight into history. In Americana, David Bell sets to make a documentary on one Native American tribe, yet he decides to overtake the film and shoot the story of his life. In Libra, it is the media, and specifically the Zapruder film, which helps Nicholas Branch track the story of Kennedy’s assassination. In both novels, history is revealed to be a simulation, but also a basis upon which our everyday reality exists.

Teaching a Course in International Terrorism

1982 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 6-7
Author(s):  
Stephen Sloan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
International Terrorism ◽  
Individual Subject ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Revolution

While the resort to terror is as old as recorded history, the start of the age of modern terrorism may be exemplified by the horrors of the Munich Massacre in 1972. During that tragedy a small dedicated group of terrorists were able through the mass media to seize the world's headlines and spread a message of fear and intimidation to a global audience. The revolution in communications coupled with the introduction of commercial jet aircraft enabled the modern practitioners of terrorism to strike at targets of opportunity on an international basis. This capacity was not shared by even the most committed terrorist of the past.Within the discipline of political science, terrorism until the 70's was largely studied under the areas of war and revolution along with the growing field of comparative political violence, international terrorism was not studied as an individual subject until Munich, when the countless skyjackings, bombings and assassinations served to underscore that contemporary terrorism had indeed become “A New Mode of Conflict.“

scholarly journals CHUKWUMA ANYANWU: DRAMATIC REFLECTIONS ON THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aghogho Lucky Imiti
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Class ◽  
Stunted Growth ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Historical Antecedents

Drama performs various roles in the society. One of such roles is the re-presentation of past events. These past events are historical antecedents which a given society is meant to be abreast of in order to cut a proper walking path for the future, either to avoid pitfalls of the past or uphold a certain standard. Likening drama to a mirror, this paper discussed the reflective nature of drama in the Nigerian society. Through the use of the literary method, Chukwuma Anyanwu’s dramatic texts, Stunted Growth, The Battle, Another Weekend, Gone! and Broken Image, were analysed to ascertain how well the playwright was able to project the Nigerian society through these works. It was discovered that the plays were well crafted by the author and that they mirrored the Nigerian milieu. It was therefore concluded that members of the society, especially the political class, should learn from these plays and build a society that is devoid of intimidation, corruption, oppression of the masses and the mass media, in order for democracy to thrive.

scholarly journals Televangelism: A study of the ‘Pentecost Hour’ of the Church of Pentecost

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter White ◽  
Abraham Anim Assimeng
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Missio Dei ◽  
Great Commission ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pentecostal Churches ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Church

The liberalisation of the Ghanaian media since the 1990s has drastically changed the media landscape of Ghana and given rise to the use of the mass media for evangelism purposes. The advent of the mass media offered churches and televangelists a unique opportunity to fulfil the Great Commission, and it is the Pentecostals who continue to use it effectively. Many Ghanaian Pentecostal Churches in the past 20 years have made good use of the mass media (radio and television) for the propagation of the gospel. In this article the televangelism ministry of the Church of Pentecost, named ‘Pentecost Hour’, and how it has influenced the mission and discipleship agenda of the Church of Pentecost in their endeavour to participate in the missio Dei are discussed.

Journalists and archaeologists: Notes on dealing constructively with the mass media

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 185-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Scherzler
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Media Relations ◽  
News Stories ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Scientific Results

Over the past few decades the mass media have increasingly shaped public awareness. For many people, television, the radio, or the press are the only sources for archaeological topics and it is essential, therefore, to be able to collaborate with the world of journalism. It is not only sensational news stories that have an opportunity of being covered by the media, but also serious issues – provided that they are well told. Communicating scientific results to an audience outside one's own specialist subject is, however, not only a question of good will, but also of skill. This article focuses on how to get the attention of the mass media, how to exert influence on the quality of a newspaper article, radio or film, and how to communicate what is really important. It provides an overview of public and media relations and tries to give some helpful suggestions.

Good for Society or Good for Business? Division I Sports Information Directors’ Attitudes Toward the Commercialization of Sports

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-491
Author(s):  
Erin Whiteside ◽  
Marie Hardin ◽  
Erin Ash
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Ncaa Division I ◽  
Division I ◽  
Athletic Departments ◽  
Collegiate Sports ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sports Information ◽  
Good For ◽  
The Mass Media

Through increased visibility in the mass media, collegiate sports have grown at an astounding rate over the past 50 years, leading critics to charge that they are often governed from a standpoint that does not protect academic priorities but instead emphasizes business interests. In light of this trend, the authors used a survey to examine the attitudes of sports information directors (SIDS)—the individuals who are charged with furthering institutional agendas in sport—at the NCAA Division I level. The findings suggest that SIDs generally identify with the belief that sports are inherently good for society but are mixed in their attitudes toward college sport’s biggest revenue generator, football. The results are considered in context with research on SIDs and on media produced by athletic departments.

scholarly journals Media as a Patriotic Idea Guide in the Theory of Generations Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-131
Author(s):  
Maria A. Talysheva ◽  
Natalia V. Poplavskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
The Past ◽  
Future State ◽  
The World ◽  
Patriotic Education ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Scientific Results ◽  
State Programs

The article provides an analysis of the Russian citizens patriotic education taking into consideration the generation characteristics. The state patriotic education programs have been aimed at these audiences for the past twenty years and included special patriotic mass media activities. The authors apply to the theory of generations and identify the features of the Russian various age citizens' patriotic ideology and its correlation with state instruments and measures for patriotic education through the media for four periods (2001-2005, 2006-2010, 2011-2015, 2016-2020). The study addresses the mass media role and functions in public opinion forming; the research also comprises the exploring interaction between general state patriotic education and media as a patriotic idea guide for different generations groups. Generalizing their scientific results, authors conclude that it is necessary to revise the mass media role in patriotic education and formation of young patriots in future state programs, based on the peculiarities of the new generations vision of the world. The article includes the proposals and recommendations for the special mass media events promoting patriotic idea in new media to secure the most effective results of such programs implementation in the future.

scholarly journals Editorial

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Collective Memories ◽  
Dynamic Memory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Contemporary Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Many ◽  
Memory Practices ◽  
The Way

The medium television has been accused of being amnesiac or a producer of forgetfulness. However, researchers have discovered the many ways the mass media, including television, transform memories and affect not only the way societies remember, but also the way memories must be studied and conceptualized. Collective memories are often seen as institutionalized memories, which we can analyse through official manifestations such as ceremonies, monuments, or even major television programmes. While the texts presented in this issue do not deal with the theory of collective memory, they will suggest various ways of conceptualizing memories, not at the stable, “hard” level of institutions, museums, monuments, but rather at the level of more dynamic memory practices that take place in the contemporary media landscape as an ongoing, active and performative engagement with the past.

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