Death, Revelry, and "Thysia"

1993 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Peirce
Keyword(s):  
Vase Painting ◽  
Visual Metaphor ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Extensive System ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function ◽  
The Way

Much recent scholarship on "thysia" sees the meaning and function of the rite for the ancient Greeks to stem partly or largely from the beliefs and emotions surrounding the slaughter of the victim. Scholars have proposed that the Greeks experienced fear and awe when they killed animals for food, and that the source of these feelings was a perception of the slaughter of liverstock as akin to murder. This paper considers evidence for the ancient Greek experience of the rite of "thysia", with the ultimate aim of shedding light on current theories of sacrifice. My source is the extensive system of imagery of "thysia" in Attic vase-painting. I view this imagery not as a series of illustrations of the way "thysia" was performed but rather as a map of the way it was conceptualized. Analyzed in this way, the iconography of "thysia" yields information on the degree to which "thysia" was identified with slaughter, and on the emotions inspired by the rite. The visual terms of definition of "thysia" in this repertory are not slaughter and burnt offerings but rather edible animals and the preparation of meat in the context of feasts and festivals. The semantic range of this imagery is the basis for conclusions about the emotional connotations of "thysia". The depiction of slaughter and of unwilling victims may be associated with the iconography of revelry and appears in some scenes to be the focus of humor. Most significant are the employment of "thysia" in the depiction of victory and the development of several important scene types of "thysia" as subsets of the iconography of Dionysian symposion and kōmos. In these contexts, the imagery of "thysia" appears as a visual metaphor denoting joy and celebration.

scholarly journals Male Headship as Male Agency: An Alternative Understanding of a ‘Patriarchal’ African Pentecostal Discourse on Masculinity

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriaan S. Van Klinken
Keyword(s):  
Male Dominance ◽  
Main Argument ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function ◽  
Alternative Understanding

In some Christian circles in Africa, male headship is a defining notion of masculinity. The central question in this article is how discourses on masculinity that affirm male headship can be understood. A review of recent scholarship on masculinities and religion shows that male headship is often interpreted in terms of male dominance. However, a case study of sermons in a Zambian Pentecostal church shows that discourse on male headship can be far more complex and can even contribute to a transformation of masculinities. The main argument is that a monolithic concept of patriarchy hinders a nuanced analysis of the meaning and function of male headship in local contexts. The suggestion is that in some contexts male headship can be understood in terms of agency.

Naming the Reality of Chinese Criticism

1979 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Literary Criticism ◽  
Literary Theory ◽  
Philosophy Of Life ◽  
Literary Art ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ethical Institutions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Modern Sense ◽  
The Way

The philosophical reflections on literary art produced in traditional China cannot be accurately described as literary criticism or literary theory. A scholar or writer set forth his ideas about the nature of literature in general, the value and function of imaginative writing in different genres, or the merits and flaws of specific works, but did not really criticize literature in the sense we do today, to evaluate it for those not trained to judge it. He did not claim such authority, and seldom supported his opinions with solid proofs or reasoned arguments, as literary critics are now expected to do. Having read through Ts'ao Chih's poetry, for example, Chung Hung could judge that it originated in the Kuo-feng, a class of Shih Ching poetry, and exclaim: “Alas, the status of Ts'ao Chih in literature is comparable to that of the Duke of Chou and Confucius in ethics!” but he could not expect his audience to agree with him automatically. He expressed his knowledge and taste, in other words, and the way of expressing them was so uniquely his own, so difficult for others to share, that it was what we may call a private revelation of his ideas. Chung Hung was, therefore, not offering any critical or theoretical defense of Ts'ao Chih's poetry, which does not need any promotion among the learned and does not mean anything to the uncultured. He expressed his personal enthusiasm for Ts'ao Chih's poetry, and so defined his taste and knowledge. He had added another dimension to his own personality, the dimension reflected in Ts'ao Chih's great poetry. He had, in other words, moved a step further toward the definition of his philosophy of life, which he could express in his comments and judgments on nature, on political and ethical institutions, and on literature as artistic rendition of life. What Chung Hung formulated was a private philosophy of literature; it was not literary criticism or theory in the modern sense.

‘This isn’t a movie . . . it’s a tourism ad for Australia’: The Dundee campaign and the semiotics of audiovisual tourism promotion

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfio Leotta
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Characteristics ◽  
Vast Array ◽  
Audiovisual Media ◽  
Tourism Promotion ◽  
Recent Case Study ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function

This article proposes a theorization of audiovisual media promotion as a distinct media field. Despite their omnipresence, very few scholars have examined the aesthetic, thematic and institutional characteristics of tourism films, commercials and promotional videos. The field of tourism audiovisual promotion poses a significant conceptual challenge as it consists of a vast array of diverse media texts and aesthetic forms. Such vast aesthetic differences, along with the different promotional potential associated with each of these forms, complicate any straightforward definition of this media field. This article will use the analysis of a recent case study – the Dundee campaign launched by Tourism Australia in 2018 – to develop a theorization of audiovisual tourism promotion. In particular, it will argue that the meaning and function of tourism audiovisual promotional texts are determined by a ‘discursive framework’ which, in turn, is informed by converging textual and contextual factors.

scholarly journals Research Infrastructures in Europe: The Hype and the Field

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olof Hallonsten
Keyword(s):  
Science Policy ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Innovation Systems ◽  
Policy Area ◽  
Research Infrastructures ◽  
Historical Contextualization ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Role And Function ◽  
The Way

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are tools for scientific research that have received increased attention in science policy in Europe in recent years, including the launch of specific governance bodies and a structured process of prioritization and organization of RI projects in the making. But there is no commonly accepted definition of what RIs are, and the category is both very varied and lacks historical roots. This article provides a historical contextualization of this policy area and discusses, in some detail, different ways of categorizing the 60 RIs identified by EU-level governance bodies as strategically important for Europe as a whole. Showing that the concept of RIs is a political construct with little analytical value for assessing the role and function of RIs in science and innovation systems, the article paves the way for more conceptually and analytically stringent studies of the politics of RIs in Europe.

scholarly journals The many faces of online community

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-74
Author(s):  
Annamari Martinviita
Keyword(s):  
Social Action ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Image Sharing ◽  
Mediated Discourse ◽  
Shared Culture ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function

This article discusses the meaning and function of “community” as a discourse on the image-sharing website Imgur. The analysis shows that the community term has many meanings and serves as a shorthand for a wide variety of social practices, and these meanings are shaped by the experiences of social action leading to the use of the term. Based on ethnographic data, nexus analysis provides an understanding of how the interactions related to community on the site come to take place the way they do. In conceiving of these interactions as mediated discourse, the article provides a fresh approach to the long-established academic discussion on the definition of community, suggesting a new conception of the community term as a boundary object, which takes on various meanings and functions as it is employed in social action. On Imgur, the community term is associated with an imagined connection to similar others, a shared culture, and the commitment to participation required by the intertextuality of the site content and the challenge of learning to read and create the content that is popular on the site.

scholarly journals Veritative ontology: reinterpreting Ancient Greek philosophy

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-33
Author(s):  
Piotr Świercz ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Greek Thought ◽  
Existential Interpretation ◽  
Ancient Greek Philosophy ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function

This article proposes a revision of the traditional interpretation of ancient Greek ontology and indicates what consequences this revision may have for political reflection. The basis for the interpretation laid out here lies in classicist Charles H. Kahn’s work on the meaning and function of the verb “to be” (einai) in ancient Greek. Kahn asserts that the original and fundamental meaning of einai was veritative (veridical) rather than existential – it was used to signify truth, not existence. Though the significance of Kahn’s research has been widely acknowledged, the influence of his analyses on interpretations of Greek ontology seems disproportionately small in comparison. The veritative interpretation remains on the margin of studies dominated by the existential interpretation. My article is meant as a contribution to the project of building a veritative interpretation of Greek ontology. I intend to show, using certain examples, the forms of this interpretation and possibilities it presents. For scholars of ancient Greek philosophy, it is often difficult to distinguish between its ontological and epistemological aspects. As I will try to show, this state of affairs results from a post factum imposition of the existential interpretation on Greek thought. The problem is greatly reduced when we use the veritative paradigm in place of the existential paradigm. It also becomes easier to grasp the unity of Greek philosophy, especially the unity of ontology and epistemology. A veritative interpretation of Greek ontology carries with it important consequences for our understanding of Greek political philosophy as well. One of the key consequences is a “formal” (as opposed to “material”) understanding of concepts fundamental to Greek political reflection, such as the “good” and “justice.” As a result, discussion on ancient Greek political and legal reflection can be conducted from a fruitful new perspective.

scholarly journals Form, Meaning and Function of Argot in French Rap Song: Sociolinguistics Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-167
Author(s):  
Aisyah Nadila Andree ◽  
Nany Ismail ◽  
Nani Darmayanti
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Dramatic Effect ◽  
Figurative Meaning ◽  
Theory Of Meaning ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function ◽  
The Way

Music is one of the way to express emotions, opinions, and also criticism. The lyrics helps us to communicate, and spread its story. Argot in rap song is a sociolinguistic phenomenon that spreads in all languages, including French. The author conducted this study with the aim of knowing the formation of argot used, the meaning behind, and what correlation it has with situation in Marseille. The writer uses descriptive analysis method and theories that support this research are the theory of sociolinguistics and the process of forming argot Calvet (1994), as well as the theory of meaning Baylon and Mignot (1995). The conclusion contains apocope, apheresis, suffixation, and metonymy. The most uses type of formation is metonym. Metonym can deliver a figurative meaning to achieve dramatic effect, but still maintain its secretive nature. Argot has a relation with how singer express their situation and condition within their lyrics.

Bodies in Motion

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-84
Author(s):  
Tyler Jo Smith
Keyword(s):  
Modern Dance ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Vase Painting ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Dance History ◽  
Greek Vases ◽  
Ritual Activity ◽  
Ritual Communication ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Drawing on the combined approaches of ancient Greek iconography, dance history, and the archaeology of ritual and religion, this paper examines dance gesture as a mechanism of ritual communication in ancient Greek vase-painting. After presenting the problems and limitations of matching art and text with regard to dance, as both Classical scholars and practitioners of modern dance have attempted, the paper expands on various ways of showing dance on vases. Special attention is given to komast dancers on black-figure vases and to other types of dance scenes and figures. A rethinking of the evidence for dance as ritual on Greek vases is proposed under the two categories of non-repetitive and repetitive gesture. It is posited that such a distinction anticipates the mood, participants, and occasions, and might indicate discrete areas of ritual activity. Dance, gesture, and ritual are also considered according to the gender and sexuality of performers, the presence of the divine, and the relationship between the shape, composition, and function of some vessels.

The Bastion of Christendom

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-304
Author(s):  
Orsolya Száraz
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Basic Hypothesis ◽  
And Function ◽  
The University ◽  
Meaning And Function

The Institute of Hungarian Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Debrecen formed a research group in 2010 in order to launch the research of Hungarian realms of memory. This paper was written within the frameworks of the research group. Its basic hypothesis is that the identification of Hungary as the Bastion of Christendom is an established part of Hungarian collective memory. This paper attempts to demonstrate the changes of this realm of memory, regarding its meaning and function, from its formation up to the present day.

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