The Case for Literature

PMLA ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-608
Author(s):  
Gao Xingjian

I have no way of knowing whether it was fate that has pushed me onto this dais but as various lucky coincidences have created this opportunity I may as well call it fate. Putting aside discussion of the existence or non-existence of God. I would like to say that despite my being an atheist I have always shown reverence for the unknowable.A person cannot be God, certainly not replace God, and rule the world as a Superman; he will only succeed in creating more chaos and make a greater mess of the world. In the century after Nietzsche man-made disasters left the blackest records in the history of humankind. Supermen of all types called leader of the people, head of the nation and commander of the race did not baulk at resorting to various violent means in perpetrating crimes that in no way resemble the ravings of a very egotistic philosopher. However, I do not wish to waste this talk on literature by saying too much about politics and history, what I want to do is to use this opportunity to speak as one writer in the voice of an individual.

PMLA ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-608
Author(s):  
Gao Xingjian

I have no way of knowing whether it was fate that has pushed me onto this dais but as various lucky coincidences have created this opportunity I may as well call it fate. Putting aside discussion of the existence or non-existence of God. I would like to say that despite my being an atheist I have always shown reverence for the unknowable.A person cannot be God, certainly not replace God, and rule the world as a Superman; he will only succeed in creating more chaos and make a greater mess of the world. In the century after Nietzsche man-made disasters left the blackest records in the history of humankind. Supermen of all types called leader of the people, head of the nation and commander of the race did not baulk at resorting to various violent means in perpetrating crimes that in no way resemble the ravings of a very egotistic philosopher. However, I do not wish to waste this talk on literature by saying too much about politics and history, what I want to do is to use this opportunity to speak as one writer in the voice of an individual.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hou Yuxin

Abstract The Wukan Incident attracted extensive attention both in China and around the world, and has been interpreted from many different perspectives. In both the media and academia, the focus has very much been on the temporal level of the Incident. The political and legal dimensions, as well as the implications of the Incident in terms of human rights have all been pored over. However, what all of these discussions have overlooked is the role played by religious force during the Incident. The village of Wukan has a history of over four hundred years, and is deeply influenced by the religious beliefs of its people. Within both the system of religious beliefs and in everyday life in the village, the divine immortal Zhenxiu Xianweng and the religious rite of casting shengbei have a powerful influence. In times of peace, Xianweng and casting shengbei work to bestow good fortune, wealth and longevity on both the village itself, and the individuals who live there. During the Wukan Incident, they had a harmonizing influence, and helped to unify and protect the people. Looking at the specific roles played by religion throughout the Wukan Incident will not only enable us to develop a more meaningful understanding of the cultural nature and the complexity of the Incident itself, it will also enrich our understanding, on a divine level, of innovations in social management.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prateek Pandey ◽  
Ratnesh Litoriya

PurposeThe purpose for writing this article is derived from the misery and chaos prevalent in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic – since late 2019 and still continuing as of December 2020.Design/methodology/approachA blockchain-based solution to verify the country visit trail and disease and treatment history of the passengers who arrive at the immigration counters located at various national borders and entry points is proposed. A fuzzy inference based suspect identifier system is also presented in this article that could be utilized to make further decisions based on the degree of suspicion observed on a particular passenger.FindingsThis paper attempted to put forth a blockchain-based system which consumes the healthcare and visit trail summary of a passenger (appearing for an interview before an immigration officer) and forwards it to a fuzzy inference system to reach to a conclusion that the passenger should be advised to self-quarantine, detained, or should be allowed to enter. Such a system would help to make correct decisions at the immigration counters to check pandemic diseases, like COVID-19, right at the entry points.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this work are manifold. First, the proposed framework works independent of the type of pandemic and is a readymade tool to check the spread of disease through infected human carriers. Second, the proposed framework will keep the mortality rates under check, which would give ample time for the authorities to save the lives of the people with co-morbidities and age vulnerabilities (Vichitvanichphong et al., 2018). Third, it is a general phenomenon to restrict the flights from the country where the first few cases of infection are discovered; however, the infected person, at the same time, might travel through alternative routes. The blockchain-enabled proposed framework ensures the detection of such cases at no other cost. Finally, the solution may appear costly in the first place, but it has the potential to hold back the revenue of the countries that would otherwise be spent on reactive measures.Originality/valueAs of now no other study or research article provides the solution to the biggest problem persists in the world in this way. The contribution is original and worth applying.


Al-Albab ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Suraya Sintang ◽  
Rosdiana Onga ◽  
Siti Aidah Hj Lukin ◽  
Asmady Idris

Borneo Island is the third largest island in the world, rich in natural resources, biodiversity and cultural diversity. The uniqueness of Borneo is that it is home to three countries; Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, each with their own valuable cultural heritage. One of the unique aspects of the Borneo archipelago is the shared wealth of civilizations derived from the dissemination of Islam. Treasures known as the “Borneo Islamic Heritage" are not only valuable as cultural artefacts that need to be preserved, but they can also be elevated and commercialised as regional economic drivers. This paper discusses the Idahan manuscript written in Jawi script as one of the treasures of Islamic intellectual legacy in Borneo. The method of study is based on content analysis which depicts the descriptive history of the discovery of the Idahan Jawi manuscript. This manuscript not only serves as evidence of the early embrace of Islam in Sabah, but also as a reference to matters pertaining to religion and the laws of Islamic jurisprudence. This factor leads the Idahan community be considered as the first native people embracing Islam at the east coast of Sabah. The contribution of this study is to enhance understanding of the development of Islamic heritage in Borneo Island and to inculcate the spirit of solidarity among the people living in the region.


2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 386-391
Author(s):  
A. Ongarbaeva ◽  
◽  
G. Karimova ◽  

The article discusses the synergistic approach of the spiritual heritage based on the works of the great poet AbayKunanbayev. The young generation should know its origins, what principles our people adhered to in the upbringing of the younger generation. Even now in modern times we find philosophical meaning in the works and sayings of Abay The author focuses on the fact that Abay's work has enriched the history of the people and, at the same time, the universal culture with new values. These values were kept by the people because they embodied the highest achievements of the people's spiritual wealth, which contributed to the flourishing of its advanced culture. Abay's works have been translated into many languages, and his work is widely acclaimed by foreign writers, poets and literary critics. In modern Kazakhstan, in the context of the globalization of the world, the call of the great Abai to learn from all peoples is relevant, while preserving its own face, national and human dignity, multiplying the number of friends, strengthening friendship with the whole world.


Kavkaz-forum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Р.Н. АБИСАЛОВА

В статье рассмотрен один из мотивов осетинского Даредзановского эпоса – мотив прикованного героя, еще в древности вошедший в мифологию, фольклор, литературу многих народов и получивший название «мотив Прометея». Образ Прометея относится к «вечным образам» мировой художественной культуры. История прикования и освобождения Прометея и в древнегреческой мифологии, и в трагедии Эсхила позиционируется как топонимически привязанная к Кавказу. Именно здесь сюжет о наказанном Богом и прикованном богатыре получил распространение в национальных мифах и эпических преданиях – грузинских, осетинских, кабардинских, абхазских, вайнахских, армянских и др. Эти лаконичные предания об Амиране-Амране, по мнению Вс.Ф. Миллера, – кульминационные во всех источниках, рассказывающих об этом герое. Рассмотрены как древнегреческий Прометей, так и кавказские, в первую очередь осетинские, прикованные герои, представленные в работах Вс.Ф. Миллера, Г.Н. Потанина, Дз. Гатуева, Д.А. Калоевой, З.Г. Тменовой, Ю.А. Дзиццоты, Х.Ф. Цгоева и др. Образ Амирана сравнивается с соответствующими ему героями кавказских эпосов. При всей схожести мотивов богоборчества и наказания героя прикованием к скале или столбу нельзя не отметить отличия осетинского Амирана от остальных. В Даредзановских сказаниях он героическая личность, истинный богатырь, совершающий множество подвигов, побеждающий великанов, помогающий всем нуждающимся. Сын племянницы Бога, герой близок к народу, он побеждает врагов не только ради демонстрации силы, ловкости, хитрости, но и для спасения родных и друзей. В отличие от большинства кавказских прикованных героев, освобождение Амирана не предвещает гибель мира, напротив, осетинский Амиран, в случае освобождения, даст людям свободу и счастье. Многие мотивы в преданиях об Амране соотносятся с мотивами Нартовского эпоса. Амиран-Амран приравнивается к любимым героям осетинской Нартиады – Сослану, Батразу, Урузмагу, Шатане. В работе его образ рассмотрен для подтверждения объективной закономерности подобной репрезентации осетинского героя. The article deals with one of the motives of the Ossetian Daredzanian epic − the motive of the chained hero, which in ancient times entered the mythology, folklore, literature of many peoples and was called the "Prometheus motive". The image of Prometheus belongs to the "eternal images" of world art culture. The history of the chaining and liberation of Prometheus, both in ancient Greek mythology and in the tragedy of Aeschylus, is positioned as toponymically tied to the Caucasus. It was here that the plot about the God-punished and chained hero became widespread in national myths and epic legends − Georgian, Ossetian, Kabardian, Abkhaz, Vainakh, Armenian, etc. These laconic legends about Amiran-Amran, according to Vs.F. Miller, are culminating in all the sources telling about this hero. Both the ancient Greek Prometheus and the Caucasian, primarily Ossetian, chained heroes presented in the works of Vs.F. Miller, G.N. Potanin, Dz. Gatuev, D.A. Kaloeva, Z.G. Tmenova, Yu.A. Dzizzoity, Kh.F. Tsgoev and others. The image of Amiran is compared with the corresponding heroes of the Caucasian epics. With all the similarity of the motives of fighting against God and the punishment of the hero by being chained to a rock or a pillar, one cannot fail to note the difference between the Ossetian Amiran and the others. In Daredzan's legends, he is a heroic person, a true hero who performs many feats, conquers giants, and helps all those in need. The son of the niece of God, the hero is close to the people, he defeats enemies not only for the sake of demonstrating strength, dexterity, cunning, but also to save family and friends. Unlike most of the Caucasian chained heroes, the release of Amiran does not portend the death of the world, on the contrary, the Ossetian Amiran, if liberated, will give people freedom and happiness. Many motives in the legends about Amran correlate with the motives of the Nartov epic. Amiran-Amran is equated with the favorite heroes of the Ossetian Nartiada - Soslan, Batraz, Uruzmag, Shatana. In the work, his image is considered to confirm the objective regularity of such a representation of the Ossetian hero.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Steven Herrman

In this essay the author gives a concise overview of the use of the word transpersonal in the life and writings of the Israeli Jungian analyst, Erich Neumann, who was born in Berlin Germany in 1905 and lived from 1934 until his untimely death, in 1960, in Tel Aviv. The paper provides readers with an overview of the correspondence that took place between Neumann and Jung from 1934-1959 and traces the way in which the word transpersonal was used in their mutual efforts to map out the terrain of the human psyche. What is made clear in the paper is that while Jung remained within the epistemological limits of empirical psychology in his theory of the collective unconscious, Neumann attempted to extend Jung’s epistemology into metaphysical territory, and in so doing he charted out a structural diagram of the psyche that extends beyond the archetypal field, to what he called the Self-field. The Self-field, Neumann argued, is a necessary postulate to include it in any complete inventory of depth-psychology that attempts to reach a new Weltanschauung. His attempts to extend Jung’s hypothesis of the Self into transpersonal territory began in his 1948 Eranos lecture in Ascona, Switzerland, “Mystical Man”. His calling from the Self led Neumann to venture forth a postulate of what he called a “New Ethic” for the field of depth-psychology as a whole. A distinction is made between the personal and archetypal shadow and evil, and the “Voice” Neumann refers to as part of the Transpersonal Self. The essay concludes saying it is tragic Neumann died at so young an age of 55, before he could formulate further how his Ethic related to his metaphysic. Neumann was the first Jungian analyst to present the world with a truly transpersonal theory of the Self that the author sees as essential reading for any transpersonal pedagogue who attempts to place Jungians in the history of the Integral movement. KEYWORDS Mystical man, numinous, Godhead, transpersonal, field-knowledge, Voice, Self-field, Wholeness, New Ethic, archetypal shadow, evil.


Author(s):  
Наталья Тимуровна Энеева

Статья посвящена роли славянофильской проблематики в становлении отечественной исторической науки 1990 х – 2010-х годов. Апробированная почти двумя столетиями историософско-богословской дискуссии, эта проблематика явила себя на исходе ХХ столетия как преимущественно экклезиологическая – как насущные вопросы личностного и общественного воцерковления. Существенное значение в этом процессе имеет воссоздание адекватного научного языка и понятийного аппарата для описания роли Церкви и народной религиозности в формировании национального самосознания и религиозно-культурной общности. Подчеркивается, что в данной концепции история Церкви и народа как ее носителя – «народа-богоносца» – предстает не в качестве локальной темы, но как основной сюжет и сущностный смысл мирового исторического процесса. The article is devoted to the role of Slavophil problems in the formation of Russian historical science in the 1990s – 2010s. Approved by almost two centuries of historiosophical and theological discussion, this problematic showed itself at the end of the twentieth century as primarily ecclesiological – as pressing issues of personal and social churching. Recreation of an adequate scientific language and conceptual apparatus for describing the role of the Church and popular religiosity in the formation of national identity and religious and cultural community is essential in this process. It is emphasized that in this concept the history of the Church and the people as its bearer – the «God-bearing people» – appears not as a local theme, but as the main plot and essential meaning of the world historical process.


Collections ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-158
Author(s):  
Colleen Bradley-Sanders

The Brooklyn College Listening Project is designed to engage students in active learning through the inclusion of an oral history interview assignment in a variety of humanities courses, including history, English, sociology, music, journalism, and more. The products of these interviews, oral history recordings, are creating an archive of student-generated material. The benefits to the students extend beyond the simple completion of an assignment for a grade. With the diversity of races and cultures at Brooklyn College, students make connections with classmates and interview subjects that might not otherwise occur. As one student commented, “There is more to learn and know about the world, than just the people that you look like.”1 Written by the college archivist, this article examines the history of the still-young program and the difficulty in archiving the recordings and making them available to the public.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Debora Kristin ◽  
I Putu Anom

Purpose Of Research Singer is for the review to know the potential of eco-cycling in ecotourism Subak Sembung.This research was conducted using qualitative method. Data were collected through observation and in-depth interviews, documentation and study of literature. Informant determining technique using purposive sampling, by selecting the source is considered to have a deep knowledge of the potential that exists in Subak Sembung. Chairman of the manager and the people who know the history of Subak Sembung.Data were analyzed using the concept of ecotourism by Fennel (Arida, 2009) and the World Conservation Union (WCU in Arida, 2009) and is supported by the concept of potential and cycling that gets results that Subak Sembung has very good potential to conduct eco-cycling.The local community has a major role in the management of eco-cycling activities. When people are getting ready to activities that will promote the activities of the new travel package that is eco-cycling in the middle of Denpasar.   Keywords: ecotourism, potential, eco-cycling


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