Beyond hegemony and sisterhood: transnational Tianhou-Mazu cult in East Asia

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Chi-cheung Choi
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Cultural Policy ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Popular Religion ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
First Century ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Imperial State

Purpose Studies of Tianhou-Mazu cult have been focused on three themes: studies in Taiwan emphasize hegemonic order; studies in Hong Kong reveal a relationship of “sisterhood” alliances; and studies in Singapore highlight the important role of ethnic groups. The rebuilding of the goddess’s ancestral temple in early 1980s and her acquiring a world intangible cultural heritage status in the early twenty-first century facilitate the redefinition of overseas Chinese’s religious affiliation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss this global development of the cult from the 1980s and its ritual implication in overseas Chinese communities. Design/methodology/approach This paper, by comparing the Tianhou-Mazu cult in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian Chinese settlements, argues that from sisters to descended replicas, or from local alliances to global hegemony, the cult of Tianhou-Mazu since the 1980s has not only replaced local culture with an emphasis on “high culture,” but also represents a religious strategy regarding local people’s interpretation of correctness and authority. Findings This paper argues that despite the imposition of hegemonic power from various authorities, popular religion is a matter of choice. This reflects how local religious practice is construed according to the interpretation of global cultural languages by the elite Chinese; their decision of when and how to reconnect with the goddess’s ancestral temple or the “imperial state,” or to form alliances with other local communities; and the implementation of the local government’s cultural policy. Originality/value This paper is one of the few attempts comparing development of a folk cult in various communities.

The Nonreader Citizen and the Nation in Rosa Beltrán’s Efectos secundarios (2011)

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-196
Author(s):  
Amber Workman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Policy ◽  
Publishing Industry ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Mexican Literature ◽  
First Century ◽  
Contemporary Mexican Literature ◽  
Bookstore Chain ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Voluntary Basis

Increasing literacy rates and engagement with reading as a cultural practice in Mexico has been the focus of many postrevolutionary programs, yet studies show that few Mexicans choose to read on a regular, voluntary basis. While the image of Mexicans as nonreaders is a common theme in contemporary Mexican literature and popular culture, few studies exist on the topic. This article analyzes representations of the nonreader in Rosa Beltrán’s novel Efectos secundarios (2011) and the relationship of these portrayals to citizenship, cultural policy and management, the cultural industry, and the effects of neoliberalism in twenty-first-century Mexico. While novels such as El último lector (Toscana 2004; The last reader) and advertising, such as that of the Gandhi bookstore chain, depict reading apathy as a personal failure on the part of Mexican citizens and a lack of volition to exercise what might be seen as a civic responsibility, Beltrán’s novel shows Mexican nonreaders as victims of a failed state marked by corruption, impunity, insecurity, and violence, which impede reading as a cultural practice. Because a reading public may be seen as vital for democracy, Beltrán’s novel invites critical engagement with key debates on reading and education policy, the politics of the Mexican publishing industry, and the effects of corruption and violence on the distribution of cultural goods.

A historical comparative analysis of the community transformation of Tin Hau temples in Sai Kung and Shaukiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung Fun Steven Hung
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Social History ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Transformation ◽  
Historical Comparison ◽  
Historical Comparative

PurposeThis article investigates social history in Hong Kong and compares their community transformation with two Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong, namely the Sai Kung Tin Hau and Hip Tin Temple and Shaukiwan Tin Hau Old Temple.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conducts a historical comparison to evaluate the vitality of traditional regions in Hong Kong with particular attention to the extent and intensity of its religious practice.FindingsThe paper fills a gap in the literature by comprehensively investigating Chinese temple related societies and communities. Most previous studies of Chinese temples and their rituals have treated them in isolation from their political contexts, emphasizing topics such as iconography over details of temple communities and their relationships with other elements of the social structure.Originality/valueThe research works from the point of view how the religious situation reflects important social characteristics and transformation of Shaukiwan and Sai Kung which were contemporary urban communities.

scholarly journals Personal digital archiving for journalists: a “private” solution to a public problem

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel King
Keyword(s):  
Primary Source ◽  
First Century ◽  
Digital Archiving ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Contractors ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Remote Workers ◽  
Freelance Work

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to encourage librarians to teach digital archiving practices to journalists as a way of giving journalists the skills they need to save their work for future use and to facilitate the preservation of journalism for posterity. Design/methodology/approach The author has reviewed the personal digital archiving literature and analyzed how it might be specifically tailored to the unique needs of journalists. Findings Daily journalism has traditionally been preserved by libraries in the form of newspapers and magazines housed in library periodicals departments. Now that nearly all journalism is published online and libraries generally only have access via temporary subscriptions, libraries are prevented from doing any kind of traditional preservation work (e.g. storing copies locally). In the future, this lack of local preservation may lead to a shortage of early twenty-first century primary source material for historians. Research limitations/implications The needs of journalists do vary greatly based on the nature and format of their work and its publication venue, making it difficult to offer a single set of standards or recommendations. Originality/value While personal digital archiving advocates have generally interpreted the word “personal” to be synonymous with “private,” this paper points to the need to expand the concept to include professional activities, particularly in light of the prevalence of telecommuting and freelance work arrangements, and the lack of support and training received by remote workers and independent contractors.

scholarly journals Compliment piropo in Spanish space

2016 ◽  
pp. 57-66
Author(s):  
Elena V. Astakhova
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Special Form ◽  
First Century ◽  
National Character ◽  
Spanish Society ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Language Communication ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Economy Policy

The article analyzes the Spanish compliment piropo as a special form of language communication which is directly connected to popular culture, covers different aspects of life and is related with studies of national character, saving or abandoning traditions and old values. The compliment piropo reflects particular features of historical, literal, social and physiological events experienced by Spanish society. The phenomenon of piropo shows global transformations in the economy, policy, social and gender relationship of Spanish society during the last third of the twentieth and early twenty-first century.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN ARCHITECTURE AND PSYCHOLOGY OF THE LATE TWENTIETH-EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Articult ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Evgenia I. Vinogradova ◽  
◽  
Evgeny V. Kilimnik ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Research ◽  
First Century ◽  
The West ◽  
The Past ◽  
Relevant Today ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The article analyzes the work of Western and Russian scientists, conducted in the past three decades, on the relationship of psychology and architecture. It is shown that in the West, the neuropsychological aspects of the relationship of psychology and architecture are studied thanks to modern neurobiological equipment, while in Russia there is a clear gap between the representatives of neuroscience, their technical support, and the architectural scientific community. As a result of the analysis conducted in the article, it is concluded that two research blocks can be distinguished. The first of them highlights the relationship between the psyche of the viewer and architecture. This may include research, both revealing the features of the perception of objects, and the influence of an architectural object on the viewer. Another block of research is connected with the psyche of the architect: and here the features of the design process itself are examined, as well as the influence of the personality of the architect on the features of the architectural object. It is concluded that the topic of reflecting the individual or individually-typological psychological characteristics of the personality of an architect in a specific architectural work remains undeveloped both in the West and in Russia, although it is extremely relevant today.

Women, Missions and Modernity: From Anti-Slavery to Missionary Zeal, 1780s to 1840s

Itinerario ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 53-66
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Dimock
Keyword(s):  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Early Period ◽  
First Century ◽  
Educational Work ◽  
Education Society ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Missionary Movement ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Christian Families ◽  
At Home

This paper focuses on women and the early period of the modern missionary movement from the late eighteenth century to the 1830s, considering links between the anti-slavery campaigns and the development of overseas missions within a framework of early twenty-first century understandings of modernity. There are three sections. The first discusses women's writing in relation to anti-slavery, the second examines the shift from women's anti-slavery activism at home to broader activities at home and overseas, while the third focuses on the London-based Female Education Society and its role as an organising body for women in educational work overseas. Connecting the three sections is an understanding of women's lives in a changing world, caught up in Britain's expanding empire. The women described here were mostly from Christian families in a time when religious affiliation was in a state of flux. This paper argues that women's interest in anti-slavery became enmeshed with a desire to bring education to those who would attain freedom and was encompassed in broader understandings of liberty and enlightenment. The desire to educate expanded to include the “heathen” in many parts of the world, and this paralleled the burgeoning of modern missions.

Democracy, Race, and the Socialist Project in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-48
Author(s):  
Robert C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
American People ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Lyndon Johnson ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Franklin Roosevelt ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Poll Data

This paper examines the relationship between race, socialism, and democracy in America. It is organized into five sections and a conclusion. The first section explores how socialism has been viewed by many black leaders and intellectuals as necessary, imperative perhaps, in the black struggle for material equality, and further investigates the relationship of this black perspective on socialism to white opposition. The second section uses the most recent historical work to identify the factors that have the stalled the development of socialism in America. I also assess how these factors have changed or not in terms of making the socialist project more likely. In the third section, I analyze available poll data on American opinion about socialism from the 1930s to the present. While the data show unambiguously increased support for socialism since the 1930s, socialism does not today command the support of a majority of the American people. In the fourth section I examine the paradigmatic Franklin Roosevelt presidency on how liberal Democratic presidents have avoided the socialist label while embracing socialist programs. The fifth section is a brief examination of what socialism—really existing socialism—means in the early twenty-first century, and the idea of “socialist smuggling” as manifested in the presidencies of FDR and Lyndon Johnson. The speculative conclusion asks what are the prospects for the socialist project, and whether the white liberal cosmopolitan bourgeoisie rather than the white working class might become a mass base for the socialist project.

Britannica on the eve of its 250th birthday: an Encyclopedia’s metamorphosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Erica Swenson Danowitz
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
First Century ◽  
Technological Changes ◽  
Business Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Source ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reference Tools

Purpose This paper aims to explore the recent history of the Encyclopedia Britannica: how its contents evolved over the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first century, how technological changes almost led to its demise and its transformation from a print to an online source. Design/methodology/approach This paper traces Britannica’s history during most of the twentieth century to today using relevant literature. It also examines how Britannica’s editors used continuous revision to edit numerous print editions throughout most of the twentieth century. The author used both print and online versions of the Britannica to track how particular entries changed or remained the same over a 106-year span. Findings Although many Britannica entries did not change for decades, it still managed to update numerous encyclopedic articles in an age before computers and instant editing. Britannica persisted despite challenges to its existence that resulted from technological changes and imprudent business decisions. On the eve of its 250th birthday, Britannica has managed to survive as an online product that continues to educate new generations of researchers. Originality/value This paper examines a subject that has been explored in the past but not in recent years. Despite previous missteps and competition from Wikipedia and other online reference tools, this paper argues that Britannica still has relevance today.

scholarly journals Assembling an infrastructure for historic climate data recovery: data friction in practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-806
Author(s):  
Jo Bates ◽  
Paula Goodale ◽  
Yuwei Lin ◽  
Penny Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Data Recovery ◽  
First Century ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Material Forces ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Assemblage Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Twenty First Century

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt an assemblage theory lens to examine the socio-material forces shaping the development of an infrastructure for the recovery of archived historical marine weather records for use in contemporary climate data sets. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted a data journeys approach to research design, conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with climate scientists, citizen scientists and a climate historian who were engaged at key sites across the journey of data from historical record to the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set database. Interview data were complemented by further qualitative data collected via observations of working practices, a digital ethnography of citizen scientists’ online forums, and documentation relevant to the circulation and governance of climate data across emergent data infrastructures. Data were thematically analysed (Ryan and Bernard, 2003), with themes being informed primarily by the theoretical framework. Findings The authors identify and critically examine key points of friction in the constitution of the data recovery infrastructure and the circulation of data through it, and identify the reflexive and adaptive nature of the beliefs and practices fostered by influential actors within the assemblage in order to progress efforts to build an infrastructure despite significant challenges. The authors conclude by addressing possible limitations of some of these adaptive practices within the context of the early twenty-first century neoliberal state, and in light of current debates about data justice. Originality/value The paper draws upon original empirical data and a novel theoretical framework that draws together Deleuze and Guattari’s assemblage theory with key concepts from the field of critical data studies (data journeys, data friction and data assemblage) to illuminate the socio-material constitution of the data recovery infrastructure within the context of the early twenty-first century neoliberal state.

Religion, Repression, and Traditional Uyghur Culture in Southern Xinjiang: Kashgar and Khotan

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Religious Practice ◽  
First Century ◽  
Independent Practice ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Chinese State ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Southern Xinjiang

Islam remains central to the identity of the Uyghurs of southern Xinjiang. This article focuses on the cities of Kashgar and Khotan in the early twenty-first century and, on the basis of fieldwork, examines aspects of religious practice and tensions between the Uyghurs and the Chinese state. In Kashgar the old Uyghur Town has been physically destroyed, historical religious monuments have been secularized but smaller mosques have active congregations. In the Khotan region, the annual Imam Asim shrine festival takes place openly and active worship continues in village mosques. In an increasingly violent region, tension will continue between the religious requirements of the Uyghurs and the Chinese state’s insistence on associating all Islamic practice, particularly independent practice, with extremism and terrorism.

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