Myth, Memento, and Memory: Avebury (Wiltshire, England)

Author(s):  
David Wheatley

In Christopher Nolan’s film Memento (Nolan 2000), Leonard Shelby— played by Guy Pearce—suffers from anterograde amnesia, which prevents him from generating any new memories. To deal with this, he creates material traces such as Polaroid photographs and notes and he tattoos the most significant facts onto his body. Each time he awakes, he encounters these mementos (notes, images, and tattoos) and must interpret them in order to decide what to do next. He sometimes leaves messages for himself, intended to constrain his future behaviour, but while these messages effect his actions, some of the notes or photos may be lost or destroyed, or he may fail to realize that they have been manipulated or altered. Further, he may not interpret them correctly, so that his actions are not what he intended. Despite his amnesia, however, the past is always implicated in Leonard’s story and it is always changing his future. In some sense, the way that Leonard leaves mementos for himself is a more interesting model for the way that successive human communities encounter the remains of the past than the idea of biographies. Just as on Leonard’s tattooed body, traces of the past such as earthworks and monuments are inscribed onto the landscape, yet oral tradition cannot transmit the detailed meanings of those traces or the intentions of their creators through long sequences of time so that human communities encountering them later are, metaphorically, amnesiacs. Sometimes earthworks and monuments are built with the intention of projecting a particular world-view, constraining future generations to act in particular (‘correct’) ways. Over long periods, however, oral traditions distort, people move away and areas are occupied by new inhabitants with no cultural memory of those intentions or meanings. Just as with Leonard’s tattoos, monuments become mementos that have to be interpreted and situated within a contemporary understanding of the world before meaningful action is possible. If we think of both Leonard’s tattoos and the physical traces of the past as mementos, then it’s worth thinking how these differ from memories.

Author(s):  
Ashok G. Naikar ◽  
Ganapathi Rao ◽  
Panchal Vinayak J.

Indian medical heritage flows in two distinctive but mutually complimenting streams. The oral tradition being followed by millions of housewives and thousands of local health practitioners is the practical aspect of codified streams such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani. These oral traditions are head based and take care of the basic health needs of the people using immediately available local resources. Majority of these are plant based remedies, supplemented by animal and mineral products. Many of the practices followed by these local streams can be understood and evaluated by the codified stream such as Ayurveda. These streams are not static, historical scrutiny of their evolution shows the enriching phenomena at all times. Thus we have more than 7000 species of higher and lower plants and hundreds of minerals and animal product used in local health tradition to manage hundreds of disease conditions. A pertinent question that arises here is that in which basis these systems got enriched. Is it just trial error method over a point of time which gave rise to this rich tradition, is it an intuitive knowledge born out of close association with nature. One of the reasons for this attitude can be, that one is always made to believe that the science means that which can be explained by western models of logic and epistemology. The world view being developed and adopted by the dominant western scientific paradigm never fits in to the world view being followed and practiced by the indigenous traditions. This is well accepted by us due to the last 200 yrs of political and cultural domination by western and other alien forces.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-48
Author(s):  
Ewa Czczkowska

For Primate Stefan Wyszyński, the past of the nation was an important element creating the identity of the nation, on whose behaviour its future depended. Maintaining the memory of the history of the nation, which, in the primate’s thought, was constituted when Mieszko I was baptised in 966, was one of the priorities of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński’s teaching. For this reason, it was also a part of the world-view dispute between the Primate and the communist authorities of postwar Poland, whose aim was to erase many pages of history from national memory or to give them a different meaning as a condition for creating a „new” society based on the Soviet model. In the evaluation of the past, falsified in the People’s Republic of Poland, the Primate used „his own domestic and national sense” and „proper evaluation of the spirit”. The theological perspective allowed the Primate to look at the painful and tragic pages of history, including the lost national uprisings, as a sacrifice modelled on the sacrifice of Christ, necessary for the resurrection of Poland. According to Primate Wyszyński, the history of the nation was a reservoir of values, co-shaped by faith and the Church, from which future generations could draw in the struggle to regain independence in 1918 and regain sovereignty.


The Eye ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (128) ◽  
pp. 19-22
Author(s):  
Gregory DeNaeyer

The world-wide use of scleral contact lenses has dramatically increased over the past 10 year and has changed the way that we manage patients with corneal irregularity. Successfully fitting them can be challenging especially for eyes that have significant asymmetries of the cornea or sclera. The future of scleral lens fitting is utilizing corneo-scleral topography to accurately measure the anterior ocular surface and then using software to design lenses that identically match the scleral surface and evenly vault the cornea. This process allows the practitioner to efficiently fit a customized scleral lens that successfully provides the patient with comfortable wear and improved vision.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashim Yaqub ◽  
Martin Kemp

Over the past year the world has changed dramatically. With greater restrictions on accessibility, the need to provide innovative and distributable remote experiences is now more prominent than ever. BMT has partnered with the SS Freshspring Trust to create multi-generational STEM experiences. “Preserving the past to inspire knowledge for the future”. The SS Freshspring Trust have a vision to become a STEM hub by utilising cutting-edge technology. BMT have extensive experience in developing VR applications in the Maritime Domain. With skills shortfalls in many engineering disciplines, there is a need to inspire future generations into careers in STEM. Equally, many adults have a passion for technology and have valuable skills to offer to STEM projects. This paper uses the historic vessel SS Freshspring, a 1940s RFA Fresh Water Carrier currently being restored in North Devon, as the basis for exploring a range of initiatives and activities aimed at making engineering and technology interesting and accessible to all. The specific focus is on the development of an interactive 3D virtual tour, aiming to provide access to a wide audience by targeting a range of modalities including smartphones, internet browsers, and most consumer VR headsets.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Bruining

In this article, I aim to further thinking in the broadly ‘new materialist’ field by insisting it attends to some ubiquitous assumptions. More specifically, I critically interrogate what Sara Ahmed has termed ‘the founding gestures of the “new materialism”’. These founding rhetorical gestures revolve around a perceived neglect of the matter of materiality in ‘postmodernism’ and ‘poststructuralism’ and are meant to pave the way for new materialism’s own conception of matter-in/of-the-world. I argue in this article that an engagement with the postmodern critique of language as constitutive, as well as the poststructuralist critique of pure self-presence, does not warrant these founding gestures to be so uncritically rehearsed. Moreover, I demonstrate that texts which rely on these gestures, or at least the ones I discuss in this article, are not only founded on a misrepresentation of postmodern and poststructuralist thought, but are also guilty of repeating the perceived mistakes of which they are critical, such as upholding the language/matter dichotomy. I discuss a small selection of texts that make use of those popular rhetorical gestures to juxtapose the past that is invoked with a more nuanced reading of that past. My contention is that if ‘the founding gestures of the “new materialism”’ are not addressed, the complexity of the postmodern and poststructuralist positions continues to be obscured, with damaging consequences for the further development of the emerging field of new materialism, as well as our understanding of cultural theory’s past.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhil Subhash Madankar

All over the world, there are different students who acquired the different ways of preparation.  Every professional graduator having different mindsets or approach towards the examination. Due to this, some student will get good outcomes in minimum time and some will not get expected outcomes even when they were tried a lot. The examination methods have a large impact on how and when student study and what they learn. The examination should not only be used as a control that a student is qualified, but also as an educational tool to influence the learning process. Over a long period of time, students were thinking that exam would the way where we will express our knowledge. But according to some student will be not. Now a day, a number of students adopted different way of learning and attempting the examination. And getting good marks in an exam will not be an issue. Today, the world is practical oriented. They demand not only the base of knowledge but a group of knowledge along with skills. Also, the way of learning is different than the past decade. Now we have to change our mindset regarding exam and way which will be adopting for it.


Politeja ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2(65)) ◽  
pp. 189-204
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Marcol

The Role of Language in Releasing from Inherited Traumas. Negotiations of the Social Position of the Silesian Minority in Serbian Banat The aim of the paper is to show the dependence between language, collective memory (also post-memory) and sense of identity. This issue is analysed using the example of an ethnic minority living in the village of Ostojićevo (Banat, Serbia) called ‘Toutowie.’ Their ancestors came in the 19th century from Wisła (Silesian Cieszyn, Poland); they left their homes because of great hunger and were looking for jobs in Banat. Narratives about the past contain traumatic experiences of the past generations transmitted in the Silesian dialect and constituting communicative memory. At the same time, a new Polish national identity is being constructed, supported by institutions and authorities; it carries a new image of the world and creates a new cultural memory. This new identity – shaped on the basis of national categories – leads to changes of its self-identification and gives the opportunity to raise its social position in the multi-ethnic Banat community.


2006 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-114
Author(s):  
Sandra G. Shannon

Time, timing, and timelessness all converge in Harry J. Elam's The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson (2004), a major addition to Wilson studies at this profound juncture in the history of American theatre. First, Elam's study offers a sweeping retrospective of Wilson's blending of past and present time in his recently completed cycle of plays. Yet it is the timing of the book's release that affords it an added advantage. Though published in 2004, The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson can easily be regarded as a most fitting tribute to one of the great voices of the American stage. As the nation—indeed the world—mourns the sudden loss of August Wilson, current and future generations of scholars, students, educators, theatre practitioners, and lovers of theatre may find comfort in knowing that the foundation has already been laid for serious and sustained study of his phenomenal legacy and far-reaching influence. Elam's work adds a vital cornerstone to that foundation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-28
Author(s):  
Jerome de Groot

This study of the genealogy and biotech company Ancestry analyzes the ways in which the organization has evolved over the past few years. Ancestry is difficult to categorize as a corporate entity. The company trades in servicing both “traditional” types of history (genealogical records) and, more recently, biotech-based investigation through the use of DNA sequencing. Ancestry is highly influential in the way that millions of people around the world access the past. Given this, the company’s shifts in focus are of great interest. Through considering various new elements of the way that Ancestry functions, and illustrating that this complexity is foundational to its purpose, the article suggests the company is redefining what a public historian or public historical institution might be, adding a scientific dimension to historical data and also acting to present a particular model of the past through its advertising campaigns. The article suggests that public history’s models for considering such protean organizations are in need of attention, and the complexity of such a company demonstrates new challenges and opportunities for scholars in the field.


2009 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 127-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Henige

This is not a real old time myth but it is what they say now, and it must have been like that.This man from Ulimang was highly skilled in the art of warfare—like Eisenhower.A Tahitian businessman who provides ‘Polynesian’ entertainment for tourists in Hawaii with a young Marquesan man whom he took to Samoa to be tattooed by their artistsfollowing designs recorded by early European visitors.… as for oral Traditions, what certainty can there be in them? What foundation of truth can be laid upon the breath of man? How do we see the reports vary, of those things which our eyes have seen done? How do they multiply in their passage, and either grow, or die upon hazards?Writing about American Indian reactions to their discovery of large fossil remains, Adrienne Mayor observes in passing that “[f]olklore scholars now generally accept that oral traditions about historical events endure for about a thousand years, although some oral myths about geological and astronomical events can be reliably dated to about seven thousand years.” Mayor's chosen task is to demonstrate that American Indian legends suggest that they rightly regarded fossils as the remains of long extinct megafauna populations. In aid of this, Mayor accepts these arguments in her own work. While this claim might seem extravagantprima facie, and while most folklorists would disown Mayor's claim, she is not without support from the work of a relatively small, but not uninfluential (and possibly growing), cadre of anthropologists, mythographers, geologists, and historians, whose efforts on behalf of deep-time oral tradition I address here.Some interesting—even intriguing—things have been happening recently in discussions of the carrying capacity of oral tradition—its long-term historicity, in particular.À laMayor, the thrust of this is to credit tradition with being able to preserve “intact” various pieces of information for as long as tens of thousands of years. To the historian interested in the reality of the past in oral societies, this state of affairs is challenging, perplexing, and no doubt to some, highly promising. If, for instance, it can be demonstrated that certain information in oral data is thousands of years old and at the same time an accurate recollection, then reservations about much later (say, several centuries old) orally transmitted information might need to be reassessed, and with such rethinking would come new ways to approach great swaths of the past.


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