scholarly journals Island narratives in the making of Japan: The Kojiki in geocultural context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Johnson

Shintō, the national religion of Japan, is grounded in the mythological narratives that are found in the 8th-Century chronicle, Kojiki 古事記 (712). Within this early source book of Japanese history, myth, and national origins, there are many accounts of islands (terrestrial and imaginary), which provide a foundation for comprehending the geographical cosmology (i.e., sacred space) of Japan’s territorial boundaries and the nearby region in the 8th Century, as well as the ritualistic significance of some of the country’s islands to this day. Within a complex geocultural genealogy of gods that links geography to mythology and the Japanese imperial line, land and life were created along with a number of small and large islands. Drawing on theoretical work and case studies that explore the geopolitics of border islands, this article offers a critical study of this ancient work of Japanese history with specific reference to islands and their significance in mapping Japan. Arguing that a characteristic of islandness in Japan has an inherent connection with Shintō religious myth, the article shows how mythological islanding permeates geographic, social, and cultural terrains. The discussion maps the island narratives found in the Kojiki within a framework that identifies and discusses toponymy, geography, and meaning in this island nation’s mythology.

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN WALTER

This article explores the extent of popular iconoclasm in England in the period immediately before the start of civil war and for a region – eastern England – thought to lie at the heart of these events. It explores systematically the evidence for the extent of destruction (and the problems in its recording and recovery), the nature of the targets attacked, and the identities of the iconoclasts. The article argues that this first phase of iconoclasm was directed largely against Laudian innovations. Claiming an agency to police sacred space, iconoclasts derived legitimation from the public condemnation of Laudianism in parliament, print, and pulpit. Narrowing the focus, the article moves on to explore the occurrence of iconoclasm through a series of case studies of the complex process of conflict and negotiation within the politics of the parish that preceded, accompanied, and sometimes pre-empted popular destruction. The evidence of iconoclasm is used to show how the implementation of the Laudian programme might politicize local churches as sites of conflict and the potential therefore inherent in its aggressive enforcement for a wider political conflict.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-358
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Lo

This essay deploys the concept of cosmopolitan haunting to explore entangled relationships with the past, the role of minoritarian and ethnicized subjects of history and the emergence of horizontal post-national solidarities. I focus on two commemorative sites or practices that challenge the limits of transnational memory and its relationship with citizenship. The first is the story of William Cooper, an Aboriginal activist whose critique of the Nazi pogrom has been recognized by a number of commemorative events in Israel, and the second is a performative ritual enacted by migrant artists to honour Australia’s early Japanese history. The case studies demonstrate the affective contaminations that provoke not just feeling but also actions that both surpass but then get caught up again within the pressures of the nation state.


1981 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 212-219
Author(s):  
Roger Livingston ◽  
Terry C. Wilson

The topic of job forecasting in vocational rehabilitation has not previously been addressed in the literature. The importance of forecasting is addressed with specific reference to the availability and use of national, state, local and industry forecasts. Three case studies are outlined as examples to assist vocational rehabilitation personnel in using forecasts for client training and placement.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 185-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranab Bardhan

In this paper we note that the institutional context (and therefore the structure of incentives and organization) in developing and transition economies is quite different from those in advanced industrial economies, and this necessitates the literature on decentralization in the context of development to go beyond the traditional fiscal federalism literature. We review some of the existing theoretical work and empirical case studies of decentralization from the point of view of delivery of public services and of conditions for local business development, and point to ways of going forward in research.


Author(s):  
Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze

Chabrol's cinema, which started (with) the Nouvelle Vague, is generally associated with a type of psychological thriller, set in the French provinces and marked by a fascination with evil, incest, fragmented families, and inscrutable female characters. This first reappraisal of his filmography (1958-2009) seeks to explore a brand new Chabrol, influenced not only by the usual suspects (Renoir, Lang and Hitchcock) but, more intriguingly, by Kubrick (in Le Boucher) and also, more conceptually and beyond film, by Balzac (the œuvre as mosaic) and Magritte (the œuvre as trompe-l’œil). An aesthetic of opacity is brought to the fore, which deconstructs the apparent clarity and ‘comfort’ of the genre film. Chabrol's films, are indeed both deceptively-accessible and deeply reflexive, to the point of opacity. His ‘crystal-images’ (Deleuze) and unstable, fantastic/Gothic spaces or heterotopias (Foucault), ultimately encourage the viewer to reflect on the relationship between illusion and ‘reality’, the process of theatricalisation and the status of the film image. Case studies include a detailed analysis of some of his latest, little studied films (La Fleur du mal; La Demoiselle d’honneur; La Fille coupée en deux and Bellamy). Through the critical fortunes of the adjective ‘Chabrolean’, the book also provides a survey of Chabrol’s lasting influence and legacy on the contemporary French thriller (with specific reference to Anne Fontaine and Denis Dercourt).


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma-Jayne Abbots

This essay introduces a special issue on food stuffs—meaning both food's material components and the objects through which food is transacted and mediated. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and a range of case studies situated across time and space, it explores the theoretical possibilities and limitations that renewed attention to the materiality of food and embodied encounters can bring to the critical study of food and eating. In so doing, it works to illuminate the myriad ways that materiality and meaning intersect in the context of food.


Author(s):  
Steve Matthewman ◽  
Shinya Uekusa

AbstractDisaster scholars have long complained that their field is theory light: they are much better at doing and saying than analyzing. The paucity of theory doubtless reflects an understandable focus on case studies and practical solutions. Yet this works against big picture thinking. Consequently, both our comprehension of social suffering and our ability to mitigate it are fragmented. Communitas is exemplary here. This refers to the improvisational acts of mutual help, collective feeling and utopian desires that emerge in the wake of disasters. It has been observed for as long as there has been a sociology of disasters. Within the field, there have been numerous efforts to name and describe it. Yet there has been far less enthusiasm to theorize it, which means that the disaster literature has not adequately explained the social conditions under which communitas arises (or fails to). In this article, we synthesize numerous case studies to do so. This takes us beyond simple statements of what communitas is and what it should be called, to considerations of the conditions under which it emerges, how it should be conceptualized, the factors that might prevent communitas, and how we might encourage it. While primarily a theoretical work, the identification of communitas’ facilitators and barriers have practical import for disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy as communitas has frequently proven to be a positive and potent force.


Author(s):  
María Inés Pérez ◽  
Erica Schenkel

PILGRIMAGES, SYMBOLS AND RELIGIOUS ITINERARIES IN SOUTHWEST BONAERENSEPEREGRINAS, SÍMBOLOS E ITINERÁRIOS RELIGIOSOS NO SUDOESTE BONAERENSELa religión ha sido desde los inicios de la historia un elemento fundamental de cultura en todo tiempo y espacio pues las representaciones de la fe, y sus consecuentes manifestaciones, dejan su impronta en el paisaje y en el espacio social. En este contexto, la Geografía de las Religiones toma las peregrinaciones como un tema que reviste particular interés al incorporar materialidades y trayectos en los cuales el espacio profano adquiere la categoría de espacio sagrado. Las peregrinaciones son prácticas religiosas de especial significado para los creyentes pues los recorridos que siguen los fieles constituyen no sólo el camino hacia el encuentro con lo divino sino también el compartir experiencias. El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad analizar los espacios sagrados vinculados a las peregrinaciones y sus manifestaciones en el sudoeste bonaerense, identificando diversos aspectos que los caracterizan. A partir de un enfoque cualitativo, centrado en diferentes estudios de caso, la investigación comprueba como una determinada religiosidad se apropia del territorio, lo resignifica y transforma, imbuyéndolo de diversas representaciones tangibles e intangibles que lo diferencian de cualquier espacio profano. Palabras clave: Geografía de las Religiones; Peregrinaciones; Espacio-Tiempo Sagrado.ABSTRACTReligion was from the beginning of history a fundamental element of culture in all time and space because the representations of faith leave their imprint on the landscape and social space. In this context, the Geography of Religions takes the pilgrimages as a subject that is of particular interest in incorporating materialities in which profane space acquires the category of sacred space. Pilgrimages are religious practices of special significance for believers because their journeys are not only the way to the encounter with the divine but also the sharing of experiences. The present work aims to analyze the sacred spaces related to the pilgrimages and their manifestations in the southwest of Buenos Aires, identifying several aspects that characterize them. Based on a qualitative approach, focused on different case studies, the research shows how religion appropriates the territory, resignifies it and transforms it, imbuing it with diverse tangible and intangible representations that differentiate it from any profane space.Keywords: Geography of Religions; Pilgrimages; Sacred Space-Time.RESUMOA religião é, desde o início da história, um elemento fundamental da cultura no tempo e espaço, porque as representações da fé, e suas consequentes manifestações, deixam suas marcas na paisagem e no espaço social. Neste contexto, a Geografia das Religiões considera as peregrinações como um assunto que é de particular interesse ao incorporar materialidades e trajetos nos quais o espaço profano adquire o status de espaço sagrado. As peregrinações são práticas religiosas de especial significado para os crentes porque suas jornadas não são apenas o caminho para o encontro com o divino, mas também o compartilhamento de experiências. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os espaços sagrados relacionados às peregrinações e suas manifestações no sudoeste de Buenos Aires, identificando vários aspectos que os caracterizam. Com base em uma abordagem qualitativa, focada em diferentes estudos de caso, a pesquisa mostra como a religião se apropria do território, o ressignifica e transforma, impregnando-o de diversas representações tangíveis e intangíveis que o diferenciam de qualquer espaço profano.Palavras-chave: Geografia das Religiões; Peregrinações; Espaço-Tempo Sagrado.


2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-545
Author(s):  
Nikhil Bilwakesh

This essay offers a new reading of Emerson’s late redactorial and critical work that evinces a correspondence between bodily and literary decomposition. I argue that the critical value of Parnassus (1874) lies precisely in its demonstration of Emerson’s principles of composition, in particular a late compositional style that I define as Emerson’s “decomposition.” The very difficulty in “authorizing” such a text makes us attend to the role of citation and quotation in Emerson’s work, in larger proprietary questions of nineteenth-century authorship, in the twentieth-century discourse of the “death and rebirth” of the author, and in a current age when digital dissemination threatens copyright value and challenges writers to reconfigure conceptions of creative composition in formally innovative works. A revised formal appraisal of Parnassus, in its classificatory, literary, and biological contexts, is not only instrumental for Emerson scholars, but can also help bridge the ample body of theoretical work on the question of the author with the undertheorized critical study of the anthology as a genre.


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