Writing in Turbulent Times

Author(s):  
Carmen Bugan

This chapter investigates whether literature that engages with politics is, or indeed should be, political, and in precisely what sense. It discusses the difference between poetry that is profoundly political—dealing with fundamental moral issues—and simple verse propaganda. It also asks whether freedom is/should be a political concept or if it is something more personal, reaching much deeper into our nature. Looking at several effects of political realities on the artistic process, the chapter argues for the necessity to address the larger, and timeless issues such as suffering, hope, and love, rather than adopting a partisan politics in one’s literary work. In portraying the effects of turbulent politics on individual lives, literature has a unique opportunity to ponder and celebrate our humanity. It can counteract the manipulative language of propaganda, by drawing on the rich resources of a language that, through moments of political upheaval, is able to sustain, if those values which sustain can clearly be articulated.

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-97
Author(s):  
Moh. Ah. Subhan ZA

The main problem of social life in the community is about how to make the allocation and distribution of income well. Inequality and poverty basically arise not because of the difference of anyone’s strength and weakness in getting livelihood, but because of inappropriate distribution mechanism. With the result that wealth treasure just turns on the rich wealthy, which is in turn, results in the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.Therefore, a discussion on distribution becomes main focus of theory of Islamic economics. Moreover, the discussion of the distribution is not only related to economic issues, but also social and political aspects. On the other side, the economic vision of Islam gives priority to the guarantee of the fulfillment of a better life. Islam emphasizes distributive justice and encloses, in its system, a program for the redistribution of wealth and prosperity, so that each individual is guaranteed with a respectable and friendly standard of living. Islam recognizes private property rights, but the private property rights must be properly distributed. The personal property is used for self and family livelihood, for investment of the working capital, so that it can provide job opportunities for others, for help of the others through zakat, infaq, and shodaqoh. In this way, the wealth not only rotates on the rich, bringing on gap in social life.The problem of wealth distribution is closely related to the welfare of society. Therefore, the state has a duty to regulate the distribution of income in order that the distribution can be fair and reaches appropriate target. The state could at least attempt it by optimizing the role of BAZ (Badan Amil Zakat) and LAZ (Lembaga Amil Zakat) which has all this time been slack. If BAZ and LAZ can be optimized, author believes that inequality and poverty over time will vanish. This is because the majority of Indonesia's population is Muslim.


2020 ◽  
pp. 44-69
Author(s):  
E. E. Dmitrieva

The article is concerned with the difference in understanding of the term ‘cosmopolitan’ inRussiaandFrance. Often considered a predominantly negative phenomenon inRussia, cosmopolitanism fi st provoked a discussion at the time when the emphasis shifted from ideology to understanding of the historical-literary process. Since the late 18th c., the idea of the possible existence of a literary work within the global literary environment (the concept of world literature)   was adjusted by the ‘golden chain’ metaphor, which enabled implementation of the ‘universality’ concept as a unity principally separate from the French idée universelle. During this evolutionary period emerged a distinctive subject of literary history: fi st, ‘humanity’ as a general term (initially identifi    with universalism or cosmopolitanism), and then ‘a nation’. But it is the discovery of the national that the author believes is connected with particularism and provincialism,   the latter summoning the memory of the noble intention of universalism and cosmopolitanism. An interim summary of the process was produced by Joseph Texte, a professor of comparative literature inLyon, at the end of the 19th c.


Author(s):  
Admink Admink

Досліджуються закономірності розвитку театральної критики на тлі культурно-мистецького процесу та складних суспільно-політичних реалій 1920-х років. В Україні у першій пол. 1920-х рр. мав місце спонтанний вихід багатьох нових видань, для яких характерна несистематична поява, короткотривалість існування та нечітка редакційна політика. На відміну від політизованої преси ІІ пол. 1920-х рр. періодика І пол. 1920-х рр. не завжди відповідала ідеологічним настановам влади. Це обумовлено ситуацією у країні, невпорядкованою системою друку та, відповідно, відносною свободою слова. Зосереджено увагу на зміні мистецьких орієнтирів, вагомості та професійному стані театральної критики ІІ пол. 1920-х рр. у порівнянні з попереднім періодом. Адже саме тоді відбувається активізація представників різних поколінь театральних критиків. Ключові слова: театральна критика, 1920 роки, суспільно-політичні реалії, періодичні видання. The objectives of the article are to study the patterns of the theatrical criticism development against the turbulent cultural and artistic process and the complex of socio-political realities of the 1920 s. In Ukraine in the 1st half of the 1920 s there was a spontaneous output of many new publications, which are characterized by a non-systematic appearance, short-term existence and a rather fuzzy editorial policy in Ukraine in the first half of the 1920 s. Unlike the politicized press of the 2 nd half of 1920 s, periodicals of the 1st half of the 1920 s not always corresponded to the ideological attitudes of the authorities. This was due to the situation in the country, the disorderly system of the press and, accordingly, the relative freedom of speech. The article also focuses on the changing of artistic guidelines, the weight and professional status of theater criticism of the 2 nd half of 1920 s, compared with the previous period. It is at this time that the representatives of different generations of theater critics become more active. Key words: theater criticism, 1920-s, socio-political realities, periodicals.


Literator ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Viljoen

This article is an attempt to outline the difference between Breytenbach's poetic method and that of the Symbolists. Although it touches on aspects of the symbolist poetic method like the rich suggestiveness, the creation o f a meaningful alternative world (and the effort of doing this), it focuses mainly on Breytenbach’s use of metaphor to create an impossible alternative world in a poem, only to relativize and destroy it again in the end. This process is illustrated in an analysis of poem 8.1 from Lotus. This analysis also shows up five well-known cardinal traits of Breytenbach’s poetry, viz. its carnality, the universal analogy between body, cosmos and poetry and the great emphasis on journeys, discoveries and transformations by means of language. It is also claimed that the Zen-Buddhisi Void plays an analogous role in Breytenbach's poetry to the theory of correspondances in the Symbolists: it is a rich source of metaphor. Breytenbach's poetry shows a strong duality between the present world and a meaningful alternative sphere. Being in and of this alternative sphere only aggravates the poet’s isolation (a typically symbolist trait), making him literally and figuratively an exile, as exile poems like "tot siens, kaapstad" (see you again, cape town) and "Walvis in die berg" (Whale on the mountain) and, of course, his prison poetry, clearly show.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michala Iben Riis-Vestergaard ◽  
Johannes Haushofer

AbstractPepper & Nettle make an ambitious and compelling attempt to isolate a common cause of what they call the behavioral constellation of deprivation. We agree with the authors that limited control can indeed help explain part of the difference in observed present-oriented behavior between the poor and the rich. However, we suggest that mortality risk is not the primary mechanism leading to this apparent impatience.


Author(s):  
V. Vandаlovskyi

Nowadays the problem of improving the artistic and technical features of the lithographic manner of mixed technique has matured already. The author of this study expanded and supplemented the ways of combining a variety of manners of lithographic techniques through practical experiments to achieve positive results in this area. Mixed technique is one of the types of lithography, in which a certain combination of lithographic manners engraving on stone with pencil, blurring ink, root paper, color lithography is used on one stone depending on the intent of the author, his artistic taste and possession of a large number of techniques in lithography, such as shading, sketching, blurring ink, pen, prints of cloth and other textures and the like. Lithography got the greatest spread in France, the gifted artists on stone included T. Géricault, Antoine-Jean Gros, Claude Joseph Vernet, Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet, O. Raffet, Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Paul Gavarni, Henri Grévedon, A. Toulouse-Lautrec and many others. Famous Ukrainian artists, namely M. Deregus, M. Popov, S. Yakutovich, and others worked in lithographic mixed technique. In particular, N. Popov in the creation of graphic works used the author's manner of execution of lithographs – drawing with acid. In artistic creativity to the main lithographic technique artists add elements of other graphic techniques: combine with etching, woodcut, monotype and other techniques. The program of teaching lithography in National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in methodical terms is designed so that the student of the specialty "Free graphics, design and illustration of the book", mastering lithographic technique and getting acquainted with her manners, could be able to do on this basis a mixed lithographic technique. Mixed technique is the final task, in which the student is given the opportunity to choose and combine the manners of lithography. Senior students improve their knowledge in the field of technical and technological capabilities of lithography. Due to the rich, original technique lithography has unlimited visual possibilities. It met the requirements of different artists, despite the difference in styles, language and artistic techniques. Lithography makes it possible to solve the composition in black and white, dashed, tonal, color techniques through the use of different manners.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (Special-Issue-October) ◽  
pp. 37-47
Author(s):  
Ana Barros ◽  
Vitoria Bell ◽  
Jorge Ferrão ◽  
Vittorio Calabrese ◽  
Tito Fernandes

Mushrooms have attracted market attention because they are a potential source of bioactive compounds able to perform several functions in organisms with benefits for the health of the consumer. Cultivation processes vary according a) industrial fermentation - in large vats to produce extracted form of mushrooms or b) closed cultivation system - individually grown in jars on an aseptic “substrate” with controlled lighting and irrigation to produce a biomass form of mushrooms. Biomass is the mycelium with primordia (young fruiting body - before the mushroom blooms) containing all the nutrients and active compounds, including β-glucans, enzymes and secondary metabolites. The classification of mushroom biomass varies according to the presentation; the biomass can be classified as a “food” if in powder form or, classified as a “dietary supplement” in tablet form. While tablet mushroom biomass is considered a dietary supplement, mushroom extracts are designated pharmaceutical compounds, pharmanutrients or nutraceuticals. Here we illustrate the difference between mushrooms in the biomass and extract forms, the similarities and differences on its content on enzymes, secondary metabolites and on β-glucans, as a soluble and fermentable fibre. Of particular note is the rich enzyme activity in the biomass form of mushrooms. Such activity includes enzymes that prevent oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase), enzymes that prevent cellular growth (protease, glucoamylase) and enzymes that promote detoxification (cytochrome P-450, peroxidase, glucose-2-oxidase). β-glucans have been proposed to act as “biological response modifiers” based on their effects on the immune system, and its role in the prevention and treatment of various metabolic syndrome-linked diseases. This review focuses also on some described health-promoting potential of mushroom biomass, all through immunomodulation. The role of intestinal microbiota is enhanced.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Maria Knight ◽  
Dean Fido ◽  
Henry William Lennon ◽  
Craig A. Harper

Inconsistent political realities are associated with mental health issues such as hopelessness, anxiety, and depression. The psychological impact of Brexit is clearly an important and timely issue, but hitherto has been understudied. This study uses a critical realist approach to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of British Citizens living in Luxembourg during the Brexit era. The study carried out semi-structured interviews with 8 British nationals aged 18-65. An experientially-focused Thematic Analysis was conducted, exploring two main themes: Loss (with psychological and broader social implications) and Integration (contrasting the mover's community with the receiving community). This study demonstrates the psychological impact of Brexit and highlights the urgency for future researchers and mental health practitioners alike – both in the UK and overseas – to consider the human consequences associated with political upheaval. Open access materials for this project can be viewed here: https://osf.io/38rg7/?view_only=b8c04dfc3fe5474f9aff4897e370b3e6.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4528
Author(s):  
Xin Yang ◽  
Lei Hu ◽  
Yongmei Zhang ◽  
Yunqing Li

Remote sensing image change detection (CD) is an important task in remote sensing image analysis and is essential for an accurate understanding of changes in the Earth’s surface. The technology of deep learning (DL) is becoming increasingly popular in solving CD tasks for remote sensing images. Most existing CD methods based on DL tend to use ordinary convolutional blocks to extract and compare remote sensing image features, which cannot fully extract the rich features of high-resolution (HR) remote sensing images. In addition, most of the existing methods lack robustness to pseudochange information processing. To overcome the above problems, in this article, we propose a new method, namely MRA-SNet, for CD in remote sensing images. Utilizing the UNet network as the basic network, the method uses the Siamese network to extract the features of bitemporal images in the encoder separately and perform the difference connection to better generate difference maps. Meanwhile, we replace the ordinary convolution blocks with Multi-Res blocks to extract spatial and spectral features of different scales in remote sensing images. Residual connections are used to extract additional detailed features. To better highlight the change region features and suppress the irrelevant region features, we introduced the Attention Gates module before the skip connection between the encoder and the decoder. Experimental results on a public dataset of remote sensing image CD show that our proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art (SOTA) CD methods in terms of evaluation metrics and performance.


Author(s):  
Harvey Cox

This chapter illustrates the rich variety of the secularization process, looking at four cities representing four distinctive regions. These cities include New Delhi, Rome, Prague, and Boston. They represent the march of secularization and urbanization in, respectively, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the United States. Each of the four has felt the pressure of secularization differently, in part because of their diverse histories. The careers of these cities prove that the emergence of a world-wide urban civilization need not obliterate the distinctive coloration of particular cities or erase the uniqueness of their character. The chapter also demonstrates an important distinction made in an earlier chapter—the difference between secularization as a historical movement and secularism as ideology.


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