scholarly journals Restoration of an ancestral temple in Guangzhou, China: re-imagining history and traditions through devotion to art and creation

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Ma ◽  
Orlando Woods ◽  
Hong Zhu

Rapid modernization has brought about massive changes in the urban and rural landscapes of China. While many old places and ancient buildings have been pulled down and replaced with more modern alternatives, others have been protected and restored. These include ancient ancestral temples, an important cultural space in China. Previous research has shown how different level governments and rural communities work together to restore ancient temples, but didn’t bring to light artistic and non-government financed and patronized cases of restoration projects. This article adopts a bottom-up perspective to examine a case in Guangzhou how an individual artist transforms an ancient ancestral temple into a new cultural space. Through an ethnographic-style exploration of the practice of restoration, we unfold the interconnections between an individual’s social memory of the past, their love of place, and their enthusiasm for restoration work. Differing from the government’s ‘standardized’ and functionalist restoration of ancestral temples, this case study shows an individual’s emotional and material devotion to transforming a neglected ancestral temple into an eclectic cultural space where the art works are a result of freedom of creative expression.

Temida ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-21
Author(s):  
Vesna Nikolic-Ristanovic

This paper aims to present German experiences in documenting the crimes of the past using Berlin as a case study. The first part provides a brief overview of the history and the broader social context in which the process of dealing with the past took place in Germany in general, and in Berlin in particular, as well as the most important characteristics of data on crimes that were presented to the public. The second part provides an overview and analysis of the data presented in two memorials: the Topography of Terror and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. These two memorials are examples of presenting information about war crimes that can be considered as fairly inclusive, thus the goal of their presentation is to highlight the potential that these approaches may have in creating a social memory and the overall attitude of society toward the past. The findings presented in this paper are the result of the research carried out by the author in Berlin in June 2011.


Author(s):  
Jada Watson

The concept of place is integral to country music, a genre associated with geographic regions, rural landscapes, and community values. While the genre has traditionally been described as a product of rural communities of the US South, studies have demonstrated the role that urban communities played in the birth of country music and its prominent scenes. Despite the growing interest in the relationship between music and place, many studies overlooked the important role that place-themed songs play in constructing an artist’s persona. With Canadian alt-country artist Corb Lund as a case study, this study draws literature from musicology, literary studies, and cultural geography to demonstrate how the singer-songwriter describes life, work, and sociocultural issues in Alberta to create diverse conceptions of place. It develops a framework for considering how artists use music to negotiate relationships to place and construct elements of their “geo-cultural” identity.


Author(s):  
Philip Mendes

The compulsory income management or welfare quarantining programmes introduced by Australian governments over the past 11 years have provoked major public contention. One key source of conflict has been around whether these programmes have been introduced via co-design processes enabling the consent of local communities, or alternatively whether they are merely top-down programmes imposed with minimum consultation on specific geographical sites. This article argues that most consultation processes have been limited and tokenistic, and rarely included actual income management participants. An alternative bottom-up community development process is proposed based on the principles such as social inclusion, participation and empowerment.


Catharsis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Ika Aditia Candra Buana ◽  
Hartono Hartono ◽  
Triyanto Triyanto

Sada Sabai dance as one of South Sumatra's traditional art works, especially in East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency is very closely related to Komering culture. Sada Sabai dance is one of the characteristics of the Komering culture that dwells in the South Sumatra region, created based on the spirit of the Komering community when holding a traditional wedding ceremony. Sada Sabai dance is one form of art that is used by many Komering people who are presented during the traditional wedding ceremony. The problem raised in this study aims to analyze the characteristics of the Sada Sabai dance that developed in the Komering culture. The method used is a qualitative method with a case study research design. Data collection techniques include observation, interview and document study. The results showed that Sada Sabai dance was a symbol of the harmony between the bride and groom family, so that in the past Sada Sabai dance was only danced by married families. This phenomenon was clearly seen when the groom's family and the bride danced on the stage how the two of them looked very close to each other. Then, the movement in Sada Sabai dance emphasized improvisation and exploration as its main approach and the main characteristic lied in the middle fingers of the dancers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
S. Karly Kehoe ◽  
Chris Dalglish

Evidence of how history and culture have been or should be harnessed to promote sustainability in remote and rural communities is mounting. To be sustainable, development must come from within, it must serve future generations as well as those in the present and it must attend to the vitality of culture, society, the economy and the environment. Historical research has an important contribution to make to sustainability, especially if undertaken collaboratively, by challenging and transcending the boundaries between disciplines and between the professional researchers, communities and organisations which serve and work with them. The Sustainable Development Goals’ motto is ‘leaving no one behind’, and for the 17 Goals to be met, there must be a dramatic reshaping of the ways in which we interact with each other and with the environment. Enquiry into the past is a crucial part of enabling communities, in all their shapes and sizes, to develop in sustainable ways. This article considers the rural world and posits that historical enquiry has the potential to deliver insights into the world in which we live in ways that allow us to overcome the negative legacies of the past and to inform the planning of more positive and progressive futures. It draws upon the work undertaken with the Landscapes and Lifescapes project, a large partnership exploring the historic links between the Scottish Highlands and the Caribbean, to demonstrate how better understandings of the character and consequences of previous development might inform future development in ways that seek to tackle injustices and change unsustainable ways of living. What we show is how taking charge of and reinterpreting the past is intrinsic to allowing the truth (or truths) of the present situation to be brought to the surface and understood, and of providing a more solid platform for overcoming persistent injustices.


2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
Kenneth Brophy
Keyword(s):  

The Scottish Theoretical Archaeology Group (STAG) conference organisers expressed some doubts about how far theory has changed, and impacted, archaeological establishment and academia in Scotland. In this paper, I will argue that Scotland is certainly not isolated in a theoretical sense, although in the past, Scottish archaeology could be accused of being theoretically conservative, or at least dependent on ideas and models developed elsewhere. A case-study looking at Neolithic studies will be used to illustrate that despite some recent critical historiographies of the study of the period in Scotland, archaeologists in Scotland and those working with Scottish material have been theoretically innovative and in step with wider paradigm changes. The study of the Neolithic in Scotland, it could be argued, has been shaped by theory more than the study of any other period; we are not isolated, but rather part of wider networks of discourse.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Nur Huzeima Mohd Hussain ◽  
Hugh Byrd ◽  
Nur Azfahani Ahmad

Globalisation combined with resources of oil and gas has led to an industrial society in Malaysia.  For the past 30 years, rapid urban growth has shifted from 73% rural to 73% urban population. However, the peak oil crisis and economic issues are threatening the growth of urbanisation and influencing the trends of population mobility. This paper documents the beginnings of a reverse migration (urban-to-rural) in Malaysia.  The method adopted case study that involves questionnaires with the urban migrants to establish the desires, definite intentions and reasons for future migration. Based on this data, it predicts a trend and rate of reverse migration in Malaysia. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-218
Author(s):  
Francis Chuma Osefoh

Some of the renowned world tourism countries have special peculiarities in character in terms of their nature reserves and built environments; that made them stand out for their attractions and visits. These qualities range from conservation and preservation of nature reserves, built environments- epoch architectural supports over the years; historical heritage; political; religious; socio-economic; cultural; and  high technology that enhance culture. The virtues of multi- ethnic groups and multi- cultural nature gave Nigeria a rich cultural heritage, and she is blessed with natural wonders, unique wildlife, and a very favorable climate. More often than not less attention and importance are placed over the nature reserves and built environments to the detriment of tourism in lieu of other sectors. Summarily the country lacks the culture of conservation and preservation of her abundant resources to promote cultural tourism. Case study strategy was applied in the research tours with reports of personal experiences, documentaries and analyses of sites visited in Europe and Nigeria were highlighted with references to their attributes in terms of structures and features that made up the sites as relate to culture and attraction.The task in keeping rural, city landscapes and nature reserves alive stands out as the secret of communication link from the past to present and the future; which tourism developed nations reap as benefits for tourist attraction.


GIS Business ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
Kingstone Mutsonziwa ◽  
Obert K. Maposa

Mobile money in Zimbabwe has extensively extended the frontiers of financial inclusion to reach millions who were earlier excluded within a relatively short space of time. The growing use of mobile phones in transferring money and making payments has significantly altered the countrys financial inclusion landscape as millions who had been hitherto excluded can now perform financial transactions in a relatively cheap, reliable and secure way. The FinScope results found out that 45% of the adult population use mobile money services. Of those using mobile money, 65% mentioned that is convenient, while 36% mentioned that it is cheap. Mobile money is accessible. These drivers are in the backdrop of few or no bank branches in rural communities as well as time and cost of accessing the bank branches. In Zimbabwe, mobile money is mostly used as a vehicle for remittances. While some people are enjoying mobile money services, it is important to mention that there are still people who are excluded from the formal financial system. The reasons why people do not use mobile money are mainly related to poverty issues. Mobile money remains a viable option to push the landscape of financial inclusion in Zimbabwe and other emerging markets where the formal financial system might not be strong.


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