Introduction: Religious Authority: Ascribing Meaning to a Theoretical Term

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-380
Author(s):  
Kerstin Radde-Antweiler ◽  
Hannah Grünenthal
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Religious Organizations ◽  
Theoretical Term ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
The Press ◽  
Academic Researchers ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Religious Actors

Critical voices in the press argue that with digital media religious authority is weakened or endangered. Moreover, not only the press, but also academic researchers are convinced that the way the construction of religious authority is changing is crucial because it is the base and the backbone of religious organizations and their structures and function. However, there is by no means consensus on the definition of the term authority. Not only religious actors, but researchers as well ascribe different meanings to academic terms such as authority. Therefore, we have to ask critically what actually authority is. In other words, what meaning is ascribed to the concept or term author by the different researchers in their respective disciplines? Based on these reflections, the aim of this report is to analyze how the term authority is 'filled' with meaning in the academic discourse.

scholarly journals Dominant Christian narratives of solidarity during the COVID pandemic in Hungary

Intersections ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-119
Author(s):  
Anna Vancsó ◽  
Zoltán Kmetty
Keyword(s):  
Social Issues ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Religious Organizations ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Media ◽  
Migration Crisis ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Religious Actors

In crises, the importance of solidarity becomes crucial. Religious organizations, as members of civil society, have an essential role in promoting and participating in solidarity action. Dominant religious organizations thus can have the power to shape the image of solidarity in a crisis and, by creating a dominant narrative, to strengthen their social position. In times of crisis, hidden religious narratives could gain visibility, and religious authority could also gain more power. But in the previous migration crisis, religious actors failed to fulfill their solidarity role actively, and were unable to strengthen their public position in Hungary. We used both quantitative and qualitative text analysis methods to understand the role of religious actors in solidarity action during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have blended these methods with network analysis techniques to present the role of different actors in this communication process. Our results show that the appearance of religious or church-related actors does not infer a religious interpretation, per se. Many articles mentioned church-related organizations as good examples of solidarity, but this was not embedded into the religious narrative. Religious actors mentioned together with political actors were more visible in online media, but the lack of the former’s own voice also shows the decreasing power of religious authority. However, we found religious narratives that called for new understanding and interpretations of the pandemic and its effect on society and the future, but those interpretations were represented mainly by Pope Francis, and echoed by only a few Hungarian actors, showing the lack of dominant and politically independent religious narratives about social issues in the media or the public sphere.

Kontrast und Wissen

2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-102
Author(s):  
Robin Rehm
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Edmund Husserl ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Max Scheler ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Black Circle ◽  
Black Cross ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
The 19Th Century

Kasimir Malewitschs suprematistische Hauptwerke ›Schwarzes Quadrat‹, ›Schwarzer Kreis‹ und ›Schwarzes Kreuz‹ von 1915 setzen sich aus schwarzen Formen auf weißem Grund zusammen. Der Typus des Schwarzweißbildes weist überraschende Parallelen zu den bildlichen Wahrnehmungsinstrumenten auf, die vom ausgehenden 18. bis Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts in den Experimenten der Farbenlehre, physiologischen Optik und Psychologie verwendet worden sind. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht diese Parallelen in drei Schritten: Zunächst erfolgt eine allgemeine Charakterisierung des Schwarzweißbildes mit Hilfe des Kontrastbegriffs von Edmund Husserl. Des weiteren wird die Entstehung und Funktion des schwarzweißen Kontrastbildes in den Wissenschaften des 19. Jahrhunderts typologisch herausgearbeitet. Unter Berücksichtigung des Wissensbegriffs von Max Scheler wird abschließend die Spezifik des Wissens eruiert, das die Schwarzweißbilder sowohl in der Malerei Malewitschs als auch in den genannten Wissenschaften generieren. Malevich’s main Suprematist works, such as ›Black Square‹, ›Black Circle‹, and ›Black Cross‹ from 1915, consist of black shapes on white ground. Surprisingly this series of shapes strongly resembles scientific black-and-white images used for research on colour theory, physiological optics, and psychology throughout the 19th century. This paper examines the parallels between Malevich’s paintings and the scientific drawings in three steps: It first characterizes black-and-white images in general, using Edmund Husserl’s definition of the term ›contrast‹. Secondly, the paper investigates the development and function of black-and-white images as tools of perception in the sciences. It finally discusses the specific knowledge generated through Malevich’s art and through scientific black-and-white images, following Max Scheler’s phenomenological identification of knowledge.

John among the Apocalypses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin E. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Gospel Of John ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Reception History ◽  
Genre Theory ◽  
Synoptic Gospels ◽  
Book Of Revelation ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
History Of ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function

The central place of revelation in the Gospel of John and the Gospel’s revelatory telling of the life of Jesus are distinctive features of John when compared with the Synoptic Gospels; yet, when John is compared among the apocalypses, these same features indicate John’s striking affinity with the genre of apocalypse. By paying attention to modern genre theory and making an extensive comparison with the standard definition of “apocalypse,” the Gospel of John reflects similarities with Jewish apocalypses in form, content, and function. Even though the Gospel of John reflects similarities with the genre of apocalypse, John is not an apocalypse, but in genre theory terms, John may be described as a gospel in kind and an apocalypse in mode. John’s narrative of Jesus’s life has been qualified and shaped by the genre of apocalypse, such that it may be called an “apocalyptic” gospel. Understanding the Fourth Gospel as “apocalyptic” Gospel provides an explanation for John’s appeal to Israel’s Scriptures and Mosaic authority. Possible historical reasons for the revelatory narration of Jesus’s life in the Gospel of John may be explained by the Gospel’s relationship with the book of Revelation and the history of reception concerning their writing. An examination of Byzantine iconographic traditions highlights how reception history may offer a possible explanation for reading John as “apocalyptic” Gospel.

Physicianship and the Rebirth of Medical Education

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Donald Boudreau ◽  
Eric Cassell ◽  
Abraham Fuks
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Patient Centeredness ◽  
Goals Of Medicine ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
William Osler ◽  
The Relationship

This book reimagines medical education and reconstructs its design. It originates from a reappraisal of the goals of medicine and the nature of the relationship between doctor and patient. The educational blueprint outlined is called the “Physicianship Curriculum” and rests on two linchpins. First is a new definition of sickness: Patients know themselves to be ill when they cannot pursue their purposes and goals in life because of impairments in functioning. This perspective represents a bulwark against medical attention shifting from patients to diseases. The curriculum teaches about patients as functional persons, from their anatomy to their social selves, starting in the first days of the educational program and continuing throughout. Their teaching also rests on the rock-solid grounding of medicine in the sciences and scientific understandings of disease and function. The illness definition and knowledge base together create a foundation for authentic patient-centeredness. Second, the training of physicians depends on and culminates in development of a unique professional identity. This is grounded in the historical evolution of the profession, reaching back to Hippocrates. It leads to reformulation of the educational process as clinical apprenticeships and moral mentorships. “Rebirth” in the title suggests that critical ingredients of medical education have previously been articulated. The book argues that the apprenticeship model, as experienced, enriched, taught, and exemplified by William Osler, constitutes a time-honored foundation. Osler’s “natural method of teaching the subject of medicine” is a precursor to the Physicianship Curriculum.

scholarly journals “Liberating the Small Devils”: Red Guard Newspapers and Radical Publics, 1966–1968

2021 ◽  
Vol 246 ◽  
pp. 354-373
Author(s):  
Nicolai Volland
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Early Research ◽  
Test Case ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Press ◽  
History Of ◽  
Red Guard ◽  
And Function ◽  
Chinese Public

AbstractRed Guard newspapers and pamphlets (wenge xiaobao) were a key source for early research on the Cultural Revolution, but they have rarely been analysed in their own right. How did these publications regard their status and function within the larger information ecosystem of the People's Republic, and what is their role in the history of the modern Chinese public sphere? This article focuses on a particular subset of Red Guard papers, namely those published by radical groups within the PRC's press and publication system. These newspapers critiqued the pre-Cultural Revolution press and reflected upon the possible futures of a new, revolutionary Chinese press. Short-lived as these experiments were, they constitute a test case to re-examine the functioning of the public in a decidedly “uncivil” polity. Ultimately, they point to the ambiguous potential of the public for both consensus and conflict, liberation and repression, which characterizes the press in 20th-century China.

scholarly journals Alpha-Tocopherol Metabolites (The Vitamin E Metabolome) and Their Interindividual Variability during Supplementation

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Desirée Bartolini ◽  
Rita Marinelli ◽  
Danilo Giusepponi ◽  
Roberta Galarini ◽  
Carolina Barola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin E ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Interindividual Variability ◽  
Pregnane X Receptor ◽  
Alpha Tocopherol ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Intrinsic Variability ◽  
Blood Leukocytes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function

The metabolism of α-tocopherol (α-TOH, vitamin E) shows marked interindividual variability, which may influence the response to nutritional and therapeutic interventions with this vitamin. Recently, new metabolomics protocols have fostered the possibility to explore such variability for the different metabolites of α-TOH so far identified in human blood, i.e., the “vitamin E metabolome”, some of which have been reported to promote important biological functions. Such advances prompt the definition of reference values and degree of interindividual variability for these metabolites at different levels of α-TOH intake. To this end, a one-week oral administration protocol with 800 U RRR-α-TOH/day was performed in 17 healthy volunteers, and α-TOH metabolites were measured in plasma before and at the end of the intervention utilizing a recently validated LC-MS/MS procedure; the expression of two target genes of α-TOH with possible a role in the metabolism and function of this vitamin, namely pregnane X receptor (PXR) and the isoform 4F2 of cytochrome P450 (CYP4F2) was assessed by immunoblot in peripheral blood leukocytes. The levels of enzymatic metabolites showed marked interindividual variability that characteristically increased upon supplementation. With the exception of α-CEHC (carboxy-ethyl-hydroxychroman) and the long-chain metabolites M1 and α-13′OH, such variability was found to interfere with the possibility to utilize them as sensitive indicators of α-TOH intake. On the contrary, the free radical-derived metabolite α-tocopheryl quinone significantly correlated with the post-supplementation levels of α-TOH. The supplementation stimulated PXR, but not CYP4F2, expression of leucocytes, and significant correlations were observed between the baseline levels of α-TOH and both the baseline and post-supplementation levels of PXR. These findings provide original analytical and molecular information regarding the human metabolism of α-TOH and its intrinsic variability, which is worth considering in future nutrigenomics and interventions studies.

Journalistic objectivity and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Harris Parker
Keyword(s):  
National Identities ◽  
Close Inspection ◽  
Fourth Section ◽  
The Daily Show ◽  
Daily Show ◽  
The Third ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Press ◽  
The World ◽  
Definition Of

The press is a constitutive part of our society. It helps create national identities and formulates society's understanding of itself and its place in the world. Moreover, a free press is indispensable for ensuring the vibrancy of a democracy. For these reasons, a close inspection of news, and an evaluation of its performance, is crucial. We must look to the development of the mass press at the turn of the twentieth century to locate the beginnings of journalistic objectivity and the type of news we are familiar with today. The first section of this paper offers a review of accounts of this transformational period, placing opposing theories within the larger framework of the frictions between cultural studies and political economy, and underscores the need for a holistic understanding of the period. The second section chronicles the press's articulation of its new professional tenets, offers a definition of journalistic objectivity, and reveals its intrinsic limitations. The third section details how the modern press's ideal democratic mandate has been compromised, with the influence of the press being used instead to ensconce powerful interests. And the fourth section outlines the calls for a redefinition of journalism in light of the failures covered in the preceding section. Finally, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is offered as an alternative journalistic form that transcends the dangerous dogma of traditional news outlets, allowing it to fulfill the democratic responsibility of the press by encouraging a critical and astute citizenry.

‘Communal Hellenism’ and ancient tragedy performances in Greece (1975–95): The ritual quest

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthymios Kaltsounas ◽  
Tonia Karaoglou ◽  
Natalie Minioti ◽  
Eleni Papazoglou
Keyword(s):  
Audience Reception ◽  
Collective Consciousness ◽  
National Theatre ◽  
Modern Greek ◽  
The Press ◽  
Cultural Movements ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Folk Ritual ◽  
Ancient Drama ◽  
Of Greece

For the better part of the twentieth century, the quest for a ‘Greek’ continuity in the so-called revival of ancient drama in Greece was inextricably linked to what is termed and studied in this paper as a Ritual Quest. Rituality was understood in two forms: one was aesthetic and neoclassicist in its hermeneutic and performative codes, which were established and recycled – and as such: ritualized – in ancient tragedy productions of the National Theatre of Greece from the 1930s to the 1970s; the other, cultivated mainly during the 1980s, was cultural and centred around the idea that continuity can be traced and explored through the direct employment of Byzantine and folk ritual elements. Both aimed at eliciting the cohesive collective response of their spectators: their turning into a liminal ritual community. This was a community tied together under an ethnocentric identity, that of Greeks participating in a Greek (theatrical) phenomenon. At first through neoclassicism, then through folklore, this artistic phenomenon was seen as documenting a diachronic and essentially political modern Greek desideratum: continuity with the ancient past. Such developments were in tune with broader cultural movements in the period under study, which were reflected on the common imaginings of Antiquity in the modern Greek collective – consciousness – a sort of ‘Communal Hellenism’. The press reception of performances, apart from being a productive vehicle for the study of the productions as such, provides indispensable indexes to audience reception. Through the study of theatre reviews, we propose to explore the crucial shifts registered in the definition of Greekness and its dynamic connections to Antiquity.

scholarly journals e-Diplomacy as Instrument for Establishment of Interethnic Relations

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01144
Author(s):  
Liudmila Reshetnikova
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Interethnic Relations ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Digital Diplomacy

The article is devoted to e-diplomacy (also known as digital diplomacy) which is a component of public diplomacy. Digital diplomacy is a one of the new tools of foreign policy that is aimed to solve the problems of international and interethnic relations. The article examines the concept and definition of digital diplomacy that concentrates on the use of social networks and digital media in the field of foreign policy. Some risks and threats of e-diplomacy are also considered. The use of opportunities of information and communication technologies for solving the problems of foreign policy and influence on mass consciousness by means of the Internet, social networks is analyzed.

scholarly journals ‘Wife, Mommy, Pastor and Friend’: The Rise of Female Evangelical Microcelebrities

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 758
Author(s):  
Katie Christine Gaddini
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
Social Media Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Prosperity Theology ◽  
Evangelical Women ◽  
Ethnographic Data

The popularity of digital media has spurred what has been called a “crisis of authority”. How do female evangelical microcelebrities figure in this crisis? Many of these women belong to churches led by male pastors, have amassed a large following online, and are sought-after speakers and teachers. This paper analyses how gender, religious authority, and the digital sphere collide through the rise of female evangelical microcelebrities. Bringing together ethnographic data, textual analysis, and social media analysis of six prominent women, I emphasize the power of representation to impact religious practices and religious meaning. This article examines how evangelical women are performing and negotiating their legitimacy as the Internet and fluid geographical boundaries challenge local models of religious authority. Moving away from a binary perspective of “having” or “not having” authority, this paper considers the various spheres of authority that evangelical microcelebrities occupy, including normative womanhood, prosperity theology, and politics. Finally, by examining the social media content put forth by female evangelical microcelebrities, I interrogate the political stakes of evangelical women’s authority.

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