scholarly journals ANTIGONE FOR THE AGE OF TERROR: TRANSTEXTUALITY IN KAMILA SHAMSIE’S HOMEFIRE

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1413-1420
Author(s):  
Saba Johar Khan ◽  
Imdad Ullah Khan ◽  
Saira Asghar Khan ◽  
Laraib Rahat ◽  
Shahreena
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Religious Identities ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Basic Framework ◽  
The Face ◽  
British Muslims ◽  
Human Conflict

Purpose: The current qualitative study attempts to explore intertextuality in Kamila Shamsie’s novel Homefire, published in 2017. This paper attempts to analyze the role it plays in the creation and understanding of meaning by employing Gerard Genette’s theory of Intertextuality (Genette’s Transtextuality). Methodology: For this purpose, the study is conducted from the postmodern theoretical perspective of Intertextuality. Homefire is a modern retelling of Sophocles’ Antigone. The novel captures the enigma of British Muslims struggling to defend their loyalty to the crown while maintaining their unique cultural and religious identities, in the wake of rising islamophobia in Britain. Main Findings: The study finds that the interwoven intertextuality not only provides a basic framework for the plot and characters, but also juxtaposes the ancient world with the contemporary world along with the invariable conflicts, complexities, and similarities. Implications: This study shows that the face of human conflict might get changed but the integral emotions and conflicts remain the same. This implies that using intertextual references enhances the text with poignant meanings through ages. Novelty/Originality: Homefire as a recent text talking about islamophobia in Britain being a retelling of a classical Sophocles play is something that.

scholarly journals The Rushdie Affair – Politics, Culture and Ethnicity in Hanif Kureishi’s The Black Album

Politeja ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (8 (31/2)) ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Ossowska-Czader
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
British Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
Hanif Kureishi ◽  
Second Generation Immigrants ◽  
The Face ◽  
British Muslims

The aim of this paper is to show how politics, culture and ethnicity interweave in the context of the Rushdie Affair in both the real‑life dimension of the historical events taking place in the late 1980s, as well as the literary dimension of the novel by Hanif Kureishi entitled The Black Album. The paper briefly outlines the Rushdie Affair as it unfolded in the British public sphere with particular emphasis placed on the process of consolidation of the Muslim identity among the representatives of different ethnic groups in Great Britain in the political and cultural context of the event which is deemed to be defining from the point of view of British Muslims. The author of the paper presents the profile of Hanif Kureishi, to indicate why he is ideally positioned to look critically at both sides of the conflict. The paper analyses the novel itself insofar as it examines the implications of the Rushdie Affair depicted in The Black Album, the reactions of the second‑generation immigrants of Pakistani descent in the face of the controversy, the influence this event exerted on the process of their searching for identity as well as their integration into British society. Two opposing identity options taken up by the protagonists of The Black Album are analysed by the author of the paper.

scholarly journals Reviving the House of Fiction: John Banville’s Birchwood

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-72
Author(s):  
Yiru Lim
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Clear Indication ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Family Saga ◽  
The Face ◽  
Big House

This paper examines the limits of postmodernist techniques and forms through a study of John Banville’s Birchwood (1973), a novel which can be said to overtly question the ‘tools’ a writer/artist has at his disposal to create meaning. Ostensibly about a family saga, the text is really an examination of how art can, and must, be sustained in the face of a dissolution of meaning embodied by the physical decay of Birchwood itself. Chronicling the passing of the era of the big house and yet choosing to remain within the crumbling remains is a clear indication of the artist’s commitment to creating fiction. Birchwood can be considered the first novel in Banville’s oeuvre in which such a position is clearly articulated. In the novel, Banville’s conscious subversion of modernist forms and devices, In addition to other tenets of Enlightenment thought and rationality, puts the limelight on the postmodern shift to ontological concerns and issues and is, as a consequence, a considered study of the act and possibility of writing in the face of such obstacles. The novel’s interrogation of the limits of metafiction and self-reflexivity, for example, and its acknowledgment of the constraints under which they are employed, paves a different way for an artist struggling to create coherence in the contemporary world.

Beckett's Watt and Monastic Tradition

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-109
Author(s):  
Kristen Marangoni
Keyword(s):  
Boarding School ◽  
Illuminated Manuscripts ◽  
Concentration Camp ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Geometric Shapes ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Book Of Kells ◽  
The Face ◽  
Choral Arrangements ◽  
Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts

The enigmatic setting of Beckett's novel Watt has been compared to places as diverse as an insane asylum, a boarding school, a womb, and a concentration camp. Watt's experience at Knott's house does seem suggestive of all of these, and yet it may more readily conform to the setting of a monastery. The novel is filled with chants, meditations, choral arrangements, hierarchical classifications, and even silence, all highly evocative of a monastic lifestyle. Some of Watt's dialogue (such as his requests for forgiveness or reflections on the nature of mankind) further echoes various Catholic liturgies. Watt finds little solace in these activities, however. He feels that they are largely rote and purposeless as they are focused on Knott, a figure who in many ways defies linguistic description and physical know-ability. Watt's meditations and rituals become, then, empty catechisms without answers, something that is reflected in the extreme difficulty that Watt has communicating. In the face of linguistic and liturgical instability, the Watt notebooks present a counter reading that can be found in the thousand plus doodles that line its pages. The drawings reinforce as well as subvert their textual counterpart, and they function in many ways as the images in medieval illuminated manuscripts. The doodles in Watt often take the form of decorative letters, elaborate marginal drawings, and depictions of a variety of people and animals, and many of its doodles offer uncanny resemblances in form or theme to those in illuminated manuscripts like The Book of Kells. Doodles of saints, monks, crosses, and scribes even give an occasional pictorial nod to the monastic setting in which illuminated manuscripts were usually produced (and remind us of the monastic conditions in which Beckett found himself writing much of Watt). Beckett's doodles not only channel this medium of illuminated manuscripts, they also modernize its application. Instead of neat geometric shapes extending down the page, his geometric doodle sequences are often abstracted, fragmented, and nonlinear. Beckett also occasionally modernized the content of illuminated manuscripts: instead of the traditional sacramental communion table filled with candles, bread and wine, Beckett doodles a science lab table where Bunsen burners replaces candles and wine glasses function as beakers. It is through these modernized images that Watt attempts to draw contemporary relevance from a classic art form and to restore (at least partial) meaning to rote traditions.

Democratization in Serbia: An Analysis of Rational Choice and Structuralist Explanations

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dunja Apostolov-Dimitrijevic
Keyword(s):  
Rational Choice ◽  
Path Dependence ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Political Leadership ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
The Other ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Transitional Societies ◽  
The Face

This paper explains political democratization in Post-Milosevic Serbia, utilizing two different accounts of the democratization process: one rooted in the rational choice framework and the other in structuralism. While rational choice explains the decisive role of political leadership in overcoming path dependence, the structuralist explanations show the transnational linkages that encourage democratization in the face of domestic setbacks. This particular debate between the two types of explanations represents the larger debate concerning the role of internal factors and external linkages in propelling democratization in transitional societies. The paper concludes by integrating the two sets of explanations offered by each theoretical perspective, in order to develop a coherent understanding of Serbia's democratization.   Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v9i1.240

Mansfield Park

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Austen ◽  
Jane Stabler
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Mansfield Park ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
The Family ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face

‘Me!’ cried Fanny … ‘Indeed you must excuse me. I could not act any thing if you were to give me the world. No, indeed, I cannot act.’ At the age of ten, Fanny Price leaves the poverty of her Portsmouth home to be brought up among the family of her wealthy uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, in the chilly grandeur of Mansfield Park. There she accepts her lowly status, and gradually falls in love with her cousin Edmund. When the dazzling and sophisticated Henry and Mary Crawford arrive, Fanny watches as her cousins become embroiled in rivalry and sexual jealousy. As the company starts to rehearse a play by way of entertainment, Fanny struggles to retain her independence in the face of the Crawfords’ dangerous attractions; and when Henry turns his attentions to her, the drama really begins… This new edition does full justice to Austen’s complex and subtle story, placing it in its Regency context and elucidating the theatrical background that pervades the novel.

Healthcare and Terrorism: The Lebanese Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Nooreddine Iskandar ◽  
Tatiana Rahbany ◽  
Ali Shokor
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Common ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background: Due to the common instability caused by political and security issues, Lebanese hospitals have experienced acts of terrorism multiple times. The most recent Beirut Explosion even forced several hospitals to cease operations for the first time in decades—but studies show the preparedness levels for such attacks in similar countries are low. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the experience of Lebanese hospitals with terrorist attacks. Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders to assess their experience with terrorist bombings. Data was analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Results: The researchers found that Lebanese hospitals vary greatly in their structures and procedures. Those differences are a function of 3 contextual factors: location, culture, and accreditation status. Hospitals found near ‘dangerous zones’ were more likely to be aware and to have better response to such events. A severe lack of communication, unity of command, and collaboration between stakeholders has made the process fragmented. Conclusion: The researchers recommend a larger role for the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in this process, and the creation of a platform where Lebanese organizations can share their experiences to improve preparedness and resilience of the Lebanese healthcare system in the face of terrorism.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Spatial Activity and Anxiety Levels in the COVID-19 Pandemic from Evolutionary Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1110
Author(s):  
Olga Semenova ◽  
Julia Apalkova ◽  
Marina Butovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
General Level ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Health Attitudes ◽  
Spatial Activity ◽  
Sexual Specialization ◽  
The Face ◽  
Novel Virus ◽  
Virus Spreading

Despite the enforced lockdown regime in late March 2020 in Russia, the phenomenon of the continued virus spreading highlighted the importance of studies investigating the range of biosocial attributes and spectrum of individual motivations underlying the permanent presence of the substantial level of spatial activity. For this matter, we conducted a set of surveys between March and June 2020 (N = 492). We found that an individual’s health attitude is the most consistent factor explaining mobility differences. However, our data suggested that wariness largely determines adequate health attitudes; hence, a higher level of wariness indirectly reduced individual mobility. Comparative analysis revealed the critical biosocial differences between the two sexes, potentially rooted in the human evolutionary past. Females were predisposed to express more wariness in the face of new environmental risks; therefore, they minimize their mobility and outdoor contacts. In contrast to them, the general level of spatial activity reported by males was significantly higher. Wariness in the males’ sample was less associated with the novel virus threat, but to a great extent, it was predicted by the potential economic losses variable. These findings correspond to the evolutionary predictions of sexual specialization and the division of family roles.

The Burden of Bearing Witness: The Impact of Testifying at War Crimes Tribunals

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimi King ◽  
James Meernik
Keyword(s):  
International Criminal ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
International Criminal Tribunal ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Bearing Witness ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
The Face ◽  
War Crimes Tribunals ◽  
The Impact

Intersections exist regarding how institutions and individuals respond in the wake of mass violence, and we explore one theoretical perspective: resilience—the ability to overcome in the face of adversity. By controlling for the institutional context, we analyze the microlevel impact of testifying on witnesses who testify. New survey data provide information from 300 prosecution, defence, and Chambers witnesses who appeared at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. We test propositions about resilience related to trauma, motivations, contributions to justice, fair treatment, witness fatigue, and human security. Witnesses who experienced greater trauma, who were more highly motivated, who believed they contributed to justice, and who were satisfied with their current situation were more positive about testifying. Those who believed they were treated fairly by prosecution and defence were less negative. The findings add to the debate about the burden of bearing witness in post-conflict societies and why some overcome adverse experiences related to mass violence.

scholarly journals Organizational Communication and Conflict Management Systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Aula ◽  
Kalle Siira
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Organizational Communication ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Dual Function ◽  
Organizational Conflict ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
Mechanistic View

Abstract The purpose of the present article is to examine the prevailing model of systematic organizational conflict management from an organizational communicative perspective and to suggest directions for improvement. Particularly the model of conflict management system (CMS) is examined at the macro-level from the novel theoretical perspective of social complexity augmented with an interpretive view of organizational communication. Specifically two models – the dual function of communication and the arena model – are utilized to illustrate weaknesses and points of development in traditional CMS thinking. CMS was found to represent a rather limited vision of contemporary conflict management. It is rooted in a mechanistic view of organizational communication, which, we assert, is problematic from the organizational conflict management perspective, both theoretically and practically. The differences between CMS and social complexity approaches are identified, and a fresh framework for strategic conflict management is introduced.

Literary Experimentation in Rowland Hill's Village Dialogues: Transcending "Critical Attitudes" in the Face of Societal Ruination

2011 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Adrian J. Wallbank
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
British Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Early Nineteenth Century ◽  
Class Culture ◽  
The Face ◽  
Literary Techniques

Adrian J. Wallbank, "Literary Experimentation in Rowland Hill's Village Dialogues: Transcending 'Critical Attitudes' in the Face of Societal Ruination" (pp. 1–36) In the aftermath of the French "Revolution Controversy," middle-class evangelical writers made a concerted effort to rehabilitate the moral fabric of British society. Hannah More's Cheap Repository Tracts (1795–98) are recognized as pivotal within this program, but in this essay I question whether they were really as influential as has been supposed. I argue that autobiographical evidence from the period demonstrates an increasing skepticism toward overt didacticism, and that despite their significant and undeniable penetration within working-class culture, the Cheap Repository Tracts, if not all "received ideologies," were increasingly being rejected by their readers. This essay examines the important contribution that Rowland Hill's Village Dialogues (1801) made to this arena. Hill, like many of his contemporaries, felt that British society was facing ruination, but he also recognized that overt moralizing and didacticism was no longer palatable or effective. I argue that Hill thus experimented with an array of literary techniques—many of which closely intersect with developments occurring within the novel and sometimes appear to contradict or undermine the avowed seriousness of evangelicalism—that not only attempt to circumvent what Jonathan Rose has described as the "critical attitudes" of early-nineteenth-century readers, but also effectively map the "transitional" nature of the shifting literary and social terrains of the period. In so doing, Hill contributed signally to the evolution of the dialogue form (which is often synonymous with mentoring and didacticism), since his use of conversational mimesis and satire predated the colloquialism of John Wilson's Noctes Ambrosianae (1822–35) and Walter Savage Landor's Imaginary Conversations (1824–29).

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