Orality, Textuality, and the Homeric Epics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. Ready
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Anthropology ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Medieval Studies ◽  
Written Texts ◽  
Classical Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Traditional Work ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
The Relationship

This book queries from three different angles what it means to speak of Homeric poetry together with the word “text.” Scholarship from outside the discipline of classical studies on the relationship between orality and textuality motivates and undergirds the project. Part I uses work in linguistic anthropology on oral texts and oral intertextuality to illuminate both the verbal and oratorical landscapes our Homeric poets fashion in their epics and what the poets were striving to do when they performed. Looking to folkloristics, Part II examines modern instances of the textualization of an oral traditional work in order to reconstruct the creation of written versions of the Homeric poems through a process that began with a poet dictating to a scribe. Combining research into scribal activity in other cultures, especially in the fields of religious studies and medieval studies, with research into performance in the field of linguistic anthropology, Part III investigates some of the earliest extant texts of the Homeric epics, the so-called wild papyri. Written texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey achieved an unprecedented degree of standardization after 150 BCE. By looking at oral texts, dictated texts, and wild texts, this book traces the intricate history of Homeric texts from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period, long before the emergence of standardized written texts. Researchers in a number of disciplines will benefit from this comparative and interdisciplinary study.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. Ready
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Anthropology ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Medieval Studies ◽  
Classical Studies

This chapter first situates this project in the context of current discussions about the definitions of the terms “orality” and “textuality,” both of which have medial and conceptional senses. It then lays out three lessons from work on orality and textuality from outside the field of classical studies—from linguistic anthropology to folkloristics to medieval studies to religious studies—and reviews how the subsequent chapters apply these lessons to the study of Homeric poetry. It concludes by positioning this study in relation to previous work in Homeric studies and by suggesting which parts of the book readers from outside classical studies will find most valuable.

The Courtroom as Theater and the Theater as Courtroom in Ancient Athens

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adi Parush
Keyword(s):  
Strict Liability ◽  
Greek Tragedy ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Democratic Regime ◽  
Critical Thought ◽  
Ancient Athens ◽  
Classical Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Ferment ◽  
The Relationship

To prevent any misunderstanding, I first would like to clarify that I am not a historian dealing with classical studies; my main disciplines are philosophy and law. However, following a seminar I gave dealing with several philosophical-legal aspects of Greek tragedy, and an article I wrote about the relationship between the concept of guilt in Oedipus Tyrannus and the principle of strict liability in modern criminal law, I have found myself in recent years becoming increasingly interested in the unique culture which emerged in Athens during the classical period, particularly in the 5th century BCE. In the course of that century, Athens was involved in many wars – against the Persians in the early decades, against Sparta (the Peloponnesian War) in the latter decades, and other “minor” wars. And yet despite these wars, during the 5th century BCE Athens was in a state of cultural-social-political ferment that left its mark on the whole history of western culture. In the course of that century, there was in Athens a burgeoning of independent-critical thought in the philosophical domain, nature and medicine were systematically studied, tragedies by the Athenians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were written and performed, and the democratic regime took shape.

Aristotle

Classics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Natali ◽  
Gaia Bagnati
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Main Part ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Formal Structure ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Basic Difference ◽  
History Of ◽  
Basic Ideas ◽  
The Relationship

Aristotle (384–322 bce) was a younger disciple and colleague of Plato. They are the two most famous and important ancient philosophers, and Aristotle is the only Platonic disciple whose works have been transmitted to us. The relationship between the two thinkers is complex: they share some basic ideas but the disciple is a strong critic of some aspects of his master’s thought, a fact not unusual in the relationships between master and disciple. He agrees with Plato on a rejection of materialism in favor of the idea that our world is the result of a formal structure that can be formulated in rational and scientific definitions. On the other hand, he thinks that sensible moving entities contain in themselves their forms and because of that they can be the object of scientific knowledge, i.e., a universal and deductible knowledge and not only of a true unstable opinion as Plato maintained. They also are the real substances. From this basic difference many oppositions between Aristotle and his master derive. In the history of philosophy Aristotle suffered a complex destiny, different from Plato’s continuous success. In some periods he was neglected, for instance in the Hellenistic period and from the 18th century until the main part of 19th century. In other periods he achieved great fame, for instance in later Antiquity, in the Middle Ages from the 13th century, and also in our own time. The authors would like to thank warmly Professor Iain MacPherson for revising their far-from-perfect English.

Political Geology

Geography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Bobbette
Keyword(s):  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Geological Material ◽  
Geological Process ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Geological Sciences ◽  
The Relationship

Political geology is concerned with the relationship between geological process, matter, and politics. It is a relatively recent neologism adopted by geographers and includes scholarship from a number of disciplines adjacent to geography, including anthropology, history of science, science and technology studies, and religious studies. The emergence of the Anthropocene no doubt played a role in raising geographers’ interest in the politicization of geology and geological knowledge. Much work in the field has begun to depart from the lens of Anthropocene studies and venture into new intellectual territory. Political geology seeks to understand geological knowledge as a tradition with histories and geographies. It studies the history of the geological sciences across world cultures and has an expanded conception of geological knowledge (and the sciences) beyond a focus on Euro-America. It is building a cosmopolitan understanding of the geological sciences. Geological knowledge is not taken for granted to speak for the earth system but is placed in its cultural, technological, and political context. At the same time, political geologists are concerned with the vibrant, lively materiality of geology. They are interested in Earth’s capacity to act upon politics and create political cultures. A renewed attention to the agency of geology has resulted in a number of papers that stress the ‘geo’ in geopolitics—the grounded, material dimension that situates all and any politics. There has therefore been an uptick in scholarship on verticality, depth, and resource extraction that foregrounds the material agency of geological process. This has been further brought together with consideration of the multiple knowledge traditions that claim to know and represent geological material. The conventional distinctions between geology and spirituality, geological sciences and religion, organic and inorganic, have been questioned. Alternative modes of writing about geology and the sciences are being explored through performance, fiction, sculpture, and poetry. Political geological scholarship thus brings together a number of discussions about the intersections among knowledge, Earth, power and governance. What follows is a broad introduction and survey of the key formative works of political geology, histories of geological knowledge, theoretical preoccupations, and sites of interest to political geologists. The theory and sites sections are ordered alphabetically.

Locating Religion in South Asia: Islamicate Definitions and Categories

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilyse R Morgenstein Fuerst
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

The category of Islam as a religion—as defined within religious studies discourses—informs Islamic studies across disciplines, even as it appears in fields that may not have methodological, theoretical, or topical overlaps with the study of religion. By locating Islamicate, South Asian definitions of religion as analogous, related, and, in some cases, influences to Euro American definitions of religion, this article troubles the relationship between the study of religion, definitions of religion, and non-European, non Christian actors. This essay contributes to the growing body of literature asking how and when native definitions of categories of (or like) religion have been incorporated or ignored within the broadest definitions and specifically how Islamicate texts contribute to the history of the study of religion.

Zen and Material Culture

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Art History ◽  
Zen Buddhism ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Multiple Audiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Tea Ceremony ◽  
Economic Considerations ◽  
Vast Range

The stereotype of Zen Buddhism as a primarily minimalistic or even immaterial meditative tradition persists in the Euro-American cultural imagination. By contrast, this volume calls attention to the vast range of “stuff” in Zen by highlighting the material abundance and iconic range of the Sōtō, Rinzai, and Ōbaku sects in Japan. Chapters on beads, bowls, buildings, staffs, statues, rags, robes, and even retail commodities in America all shed new light on overlooked items of lay and monastic practice in both historical and contemporary perspectives. Nine authors from the cognate fields of art history and religious studies as well as the history of material culture analyze these “Zen matters” in all four senses of the phrase: the interdisciplinary study of Zen matters (objects and images) ultimately speaks to larger Zen matters (ideas, ideals) that matter (in the predicate sense) to both male and female practitioners, often because such matters (economic considerations) help to ensure the cultural and institutional survival of the tradition. Zen and Material Culture expands the study of Zen Buddhism, art history, and Japanese material/visual culture by examining the objects and images of everyday Zen practice, not just its texts, institutions, or elite masterpieces. As a result, this volume is aimed at multiple audiences whose interests lie at the intersection of Zen art, architecture, history, ritual, tea ceremony, women’s studies, and the fine line between Buddhist materiality and materialism.

The First Domestication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Pierotti ◽  
Brandy R Fogg
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Best Friend ◽  
Cooperative Hunting ◽  
History Of ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Emotional Capacity

This book changes the narrative about how wolves became dogs and in turn, humanity's best friend. Rather than describe how people mastered and tamed an aggressive, dangerous species, the authors describe coevolution and mutualism. Wolves, particularly ones shunned by their packs, most likely initiated the relationship with Paleolithic humans, forming bonds built on mutually recognized skills and emotional capacity. This interdisciplinary study draws on sources from evolutionary biology as well as tribal and indigenous histories to produce an intelligent, insightful, and often unexpected story of cooperative hunting, wolves protecting camps, and wolf–human companionship. This fascinating assessment is a must-read for anyone interested in human evolution, ecology, animal behavior, anthropology, and the history of canine domestication.

A History of Theory and Method in the Study of Religion and Dance

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-116
Author(s):  
Kimerer L. LaMothe
Keyword(s):  
Religious Studies ◽  
Colonial Era ◽  
Dance Studies ◽  
Ongoing Work ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Conceptual Resources

AbstractThe relationship between religion and dance is as old as humankind. Contemporary methods for studying this relationship date back a century. The difference between these two time frames is significant: scholars are still developing theories and methods capable of illuminating this vast history that take account of their limited place within it. A History of Theory and Method in the Study of Religion and Dance takes on a primary challenge of doing so: overcoming a conceptual dichotomy between “religion” and “dance” forged in the colonial era that justified western Christian hostility towards dance traditions across six continents over six centuries. Beginning with its enlightenment roots, LaMothe narrates a selective history of this dichotomy, revealing its ongoing work in separating dance studies from religious studies. Turning to the Bushmen of the African Kalahari, LaMothe introduces an ecokinetic approach that provides scholars with conceptual resources for mapping the generative interdependence of phenomena that appear as “dance” and/or “religion.”

Contemporary Chaucer across the centuries

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Geoffrey Chaucer ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Literary Studies ◽  
Medieval Studies ◽  
History Of Emotions ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
History Of ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

For 700 years, Geoffrey Chaucer has spoken to scholars and amateurs alike. How does his work speak to us in the twenty-first century? This volume provides a unique vantage point for responding to this question, furnished by the pioneering scholar of medieval literary studies, Stephanie Trigg: the symptomatic long history. While Trigg's signature methodological framework acts as a springboard for the vibrant conversation that characterises this collection, each chapter offers an inspiring extension of her scholarly insights. The varied perspectives of the outstanding contributors attest to the vibrancy and the advancement of debates in Chaucer studies: thus, formerly rigid demarcations surrounding medieval literary studies, particularly those concerned with Chaucer, yield in these essays to a fluid interplay between Chaucer within his medieval context; medievalism and ‘reception’; the rigours of scholarly research and the recognition of amateur engagement with the past; the significance of the history of emotions; and the relationship of textuality with subjectivity according to their social and ecological context. Each chapter produces a distinctive and often startling interpretation of Chaucer that broadens our understanding of the dynamic relationship between the medieval past and its ongoing re-evaluation. The inventive strategies and methodologies employed in this volume by leading thinkers in medieval literary criticism will stimulate exciting and timely insights for researchers and students of Chaucer, medievalism, medieval studies, and the history of emotions, especially those interested in the relationship between medieval literature, the intervening centuries and contemporary cultural change.

scholarly journals Henrik Finály and Roman Dacia

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dávid Petruţ
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Medieval Studies ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Research History ◽  
The Social ◽  
Classical Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Critical Overview ◽  
Insight Into

By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathematics to classical studies, modern linguistics and literature, economics, medieval studies and archaeology. Although he was among the first Hungarian antiquarians to pursue systematic scholarly investigations of Roman Dacia, his contribution in this field has been unfairly downgraded in the intervening years, and his name almost erased from the research history of the province. The main goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into, and a critical overview of the early stages of Roman Dacia studies through the work of Henrik Finály in the social, political and cultural context of 19th century Transylvania.

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