scholarly journals Tracing the politics of aesthetics: From imposing, via counter to affirmative memorials to violence

2021 ◽  
pp. 175069802110243
Author(s):  
Susanne Buckley-Zistel
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Politics Of Memory ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
Politics Of Aesthetics ◽  
Aesthetic Style ◽  
One Step ◽  
To Come ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Aesthetic

Memorials have become increasingly relevant in societies seeking to come to terms with the past of mass violence and there is a growing body of academic scholarship that scrutinises the politics of memory in divided societies. This article takes a different approach to the politics of memorials: it does not focus on what is remembered, that is, to what a memorial testifies, but how memory at a memorial (supposedly) takes place through the aesthetic strategies put to work. It contributes to emerging literature which explores aspects of performativity and the politics of affect. The objective is, however, to take it one step further by not only shifting attention to studying the engagement with, experience and performance at these sites but also to the politics of the aesthetics choice that promote this engagement. To do so, it differentiates between three aesthetic styles of memorials: imposing, counter and affirmative memorials that were all developed at a particular time in order to pursue particular political and social objectives. The current phenomenon, affirmative memorials, holds that there is a duty to remember and is firmly embedded in efforts to build peace, advance liberal norms and contribute to transitional justice. Pursuing this strategy is however at odds with the aesthetic style of these affirmative memorials that is derived from counter memorials and celebrates plurality and openness rather than wanting to affirm one message.

The Afterlives of the Terror

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronen Steinberg
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
The Social ◽  
To Come ◽  
Reign Of Terror ◽  
Ordinary Citizens ◽  
The French Revolution ◽  
The Revolution

This book examines how those who lived through the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution struggled to come to terms with it. It shows that, contrary to claims that are made often in the literature, there were complicated, painful, and often honest debates about how to deal with the effects of mass violence on self and society after the Terror. Revolutionary leaders, relatives of victims, and ordinary citizens argued about how to hold those responsible for the violence accountable, how to offer some sort of relief to the victims, and how to commemorate this controversial episode in the politically charged climate of post-revolutionary France. Their solutions were not perfect, but their debates were innovative. The dilemmas that they struggled with, dilemmas around retribution, redress, and remembrance, derived from the democratizing impulses of the Revolution. Drawing on the concept of transitional justice and on the literature about the major traumas of the twentieth century, this book argues that the modern question of what to do with difficult pasts was born out of the social and political upheavals of the 18th century’s Age of Revolutions.

From Altered States to Altered Titles: A Close Analysis of the Title Sequence to Ken Russell's Altered States (1981)

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 556-571
Author(s):  
Jack Post
Keyword(s):  
Altered States ◽  
Thematic Structure ◽  
Personal Projects ◽  
Mise En Abyme ◽  
Narrative Representations ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
Film Images ◽  
The Spectator ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Aesthetic

Although most title sequences of Ken Russell's films consist of superimpositions of a static text on film images, the elaborate title sequence to Altered States (1981) was specially designed by Richard Greenberg, who had already acquired a reputation for his innovative typography thanks to his work on Superman (1978) and Alien (1979). Greenberg continued these typographic experiments in Altered States. Although both the film and its title sequence were not personal projects for Russell, a close analysis of the title sequence reveals that it functions as a small narrative unit in its own right, facilitating the transition of the spectator from the outside world of the cinema to the inside world of filmic fiction and functioning as a prospective mise-en-abyme and matrix of all the subsequent narrative representations and sequences of the film to come. By focusing on this aspect of the film, the article indicates how the title sequence to Altered States is tightly interwoven with the aesthetic and thematic structure of the film, even though Russell himself may have had less control over its design than other parts of the film.

Twenty Years After the Hype

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alois Paulin
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
The State ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
Before And After ◽  
To Come ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Government Reforms

In this study the authors analyze the effects of e-government reforms that began in mid-90ies by confronting the promises which these reforms made to government performance in the period before and after the reforms took place. The authors use fiscal and performance indicators of the Slovenian government and courts to argue that e-government did not yield any notable effects on the state performance. Finally, the authors analyze the reasons why e-government technology cannot be regarded as sustainable and suggest a different approach towards researching how to sustainably improve governance for generations to come.

An Age-Old Question: Optical (A)llusions, (In)Decency, and (In)Justice in the Trial of Japanese War Criminals

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
James Burnham Sedgwick
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Logic ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
International Justice ◽  
World War ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
War Criminals ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Aesthetic

Abstract Timing complicates all dimensions of post conflict redress. Moving too fast suggests prejudice. Going too slow delays accountability and closure. This paper challenges the temporal logic of international justice. The prosecution of aged defendants created aesthetical dilemmas for war crimes operations in post-World War ii Asia. The unsettling optical allusions of frail perpetrators in court — shadows of their former selves — left many observers conflicted: it looked indecent, it felt unjust and underwhelming. The unseemly punishment of weak defendants undercut prosecution attempts to brand perpetrators as monsters. Disappointed reporters and trial authorities fixated on the shabby dress, waning physique, and benign senescence of once-sinister villains. Few questioned the accused’s guilt. Many felt unnerved by the optics. Ultimately, this paper shows how the staging and performance of justice impacts a court’s effectiveness. Unrelenting accountability, bringing all war criminals to justice, feels right. Yet, the aesthetic complications of prosecuting aged accused may not be worth it.

Batman Returns

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-215
Author(s):  
Martijn Oosterbaan
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Entertainment Industry ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Politics Of Aesthetics ◽  
Contemporary Work ◽  
Academic Discussion ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Anthropological Literature

This article explores the aesthetic elements of sovereignty. Building on the anthropological literature on sovereignty and on contemporary work on the politics of aesthetics, the article analyzes contemporary appearances of Batman symbols and figures in Rio de Janeiro. Despite political debate and academic discussion about the Batmen appearing in mafia-like militias and popular street protests in Rio, the question of what these appearances tell us about the relations between popular imagery and political contestation has remained untouched. This article supports the work of writers who argue that superhero comics and movies present fierce figures that operate in the zone of indistinction, at the crossroads of lawful order and its exception. However, it adds to this literature an analysis that shows in what kind of sociopolitical contexts these figures operate and how that plays itself out. To understand the contemporary appearances and force of figures of the entertainment industry better, this article proposes the concept “popular culture of sovereignty.”

The Limits of Observation for Understanding Mass Violence

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (02) ◽  
pp. 237-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Price ◽  
Patrick Ball
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Observable Data ◽  
Quantitative Analyses

Abstract Quantitative analyses have the potential to contribute to transitional justice mechanisms, via empirical evidence supporting the memory of victims, allocating proportional responsibility among perpetrators, determining legal responsibility, and supporting historical memory and clarity. However, most data available in transitional justice settings are incomplete. Conducting quantitative analyses relying solely on what is observable and knowable leads to not only incomplete but often incorrect analytical results. This can harm rather than contribute to transitional justice mechanisms. This article outlines different types of data, the ways in which observable data, on their own, are insufficient for most quantitative analyses of interest, presents these limitations via a case study from Syria, and introduces statistical methods to overcome these limitations.

Procedural Justice in International Criminal Courts: Assessing Civil Parties’ Perceptions of Justice at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Killean
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
International Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Courts ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Participant Satisfaction ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Procedural justice advocates argue that fair procedures in decision making processes can increase participant satisfaction with legal institutions. Little critical work has been done however to explore the power of such claims in the context of mass violence and international criminal justice. This article critically examines some of the key claims of procedural justice by exploring the perceptions of justice held by victims participating as Civil Parties in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (eccc). The eccc has created one of the most inclusive and extensive victim participation regimes within international criminal law. It therefore provides a unique case study to examine some of claims of ‘victim-centred’ transitional justice through a procedural justice lens. It finds that while procedural justice influenced civil parties’ overall perceptions of the Court, outcomes remained of primary importance. It concludes by analysing the possible reasons for this prioritisation.

scholarly journals Serbian music criticism in the first half of the twentieth century: Its canon, its method and its educational role

Muzikologija ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 185-202
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Vasic
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Music Criticism ◽  
Educational Mission ◽  
Violin Concerto ◽  
The Public ◽  
Educational Role ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Professional Critics

Serbian music criticism became a subject of professional music critics at the beginning of the twentieth century, after being developed by music amateurs throughout the whole previous century. The Serbian Literary Magazine (1901- 1914, 1920-1941), the forum of the Serbian modernist writers in the early 1900s, had a crucial role in shaping the Serbian music criticism and essayistics of the modern era. The Serbian elite musicians wrote for the SLM and therefore it reflects the most important issues of the early twentieth century Serbian music. The SLM undertook the mission of educating its readers. The music culture of the Serbian public was only recently developed. The public needed an introduction into the most important features of the European music, as well as developing its own taste in music. This paper deals with two aspects of the music criticism in the SLM, in view of its educational role: the problem of virtuosity and the method used by music critics in this magazine. The aesthetic canon of the SLM was marked by decisively negative attitude towards the virtuosity. Mainly concerned by educating the Serbian music public in the spirit of the highest music achievements in Europe, the music writers of the SLM criticized both domestic and foreign performers who favoured virtuosity over the 'essence' of music. Therefore, Niccol? Paganini, Franz Liszt, and even Peter Tchaikowsky with his Violin concerto became the subject of the magazine's criticism. However their attitude towards the interpreters with both musicality and virtuoso technique was always positive. That was evident in the writings on Jan Kubel?k. This educational mission also had its effect on the structure of critique writings in the SLM. In their wish to inform the Serbian public on the European music (which they did very professionally), the critics gave much more information on biographies, bibliographies and style of the European composers, than they valued the interpretation itself. That was by far the weakest aspect of music criticism in the SLM. Although the music criticism in the SLM was professional and analytic one, it often used the literary style and sometimes even profane expressions in describing the artistic value and performance, more than it was necessary for the genre of music criticism. The music critics of the SLM set high aesthetic standards before the Serbian music public, and therefore the virtuosity was rejected by them. At the same time, these highly professional critics did not possess a certain level of introspection that would allow them to abstain from using sometimes empty and unconvincing phrases instead of exact formulations suitable for the professional music criticism. In that respect, music critics in the SLM did not match the standards they themselves set before both the performers and the public in Serbia.

scholarly journals I, Thou, and the Sphere Between: Reflections on Dancing Difference in One Direction

1969 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah S. Schwadron
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Creative Project ◽  
The Us ◽  
Artistic Representation ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Performance Project

This paper addresses the subjects of dance and exile in relation to diverse cultural histories in Germany and their resonances across distinct time periods. As my central example, I introduce Dancing Exile, an ongoing improvisation and performance project developed across borders, cultures, and experiences. The project underscores the work of political and artistic representation past and present in Hamburg, by looking at the lives of contemporary refugees alongside earlier Jewish holocaust histories tied to the cityscape. Sharing the collaborative work of performers from Afghanistan, Germany, and the US, including myself, I discuss the aesthetic and social dynamics of this ongoing creative project in relation to questions of migration, mobility, relationship, and exchange.

scholarly journals EULER AND EXPONENTIAL ALGORITHM IN VISCOELASTIC ANALYSES OF LAMINATED GLASS

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 86-93
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Schmidt ◽  
Alena Zemanová
Keyword(s):  
Time Integration ◽  
Optimal Time ◽  
Integration Scheme ◽  
Laminated Glass ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Rate Dependent ◽  
Time Integration Scheme ◽  
One Step ◽  
Sectional Plane ◽  
The Aesthetic

Laminated glass combines two remarkable materials: glass and a polymer ply. While glass is stiff and brittle, the polymer ply is a rate-dependent compliant material. Together, they form a material which keeps the aesthetic value of glass, and due to the polymer, no fragile collapse appears. The polymer ply exhibits time- and temperature-dependency, whereas glass suffers from brittle fracture, which makes the analysis difficult. In this article, a 2D sectional plane-stress model for the viscoelastic analysis of laminated glass is presented. This study presents one step in the development of a phase-field-based damage solver for laminated glass to select the optimal time-integration scheme for a quasistatic-analysis and later also for dynamics. The validation against experimental data is provided, and the model reduction is also discussed.

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