Existential Nihilism in Ignatius Mabasa’s Poetry: Implications for the Development of the Human Factor

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Tembo ◽  
Dave Mutasa ◽  
Allan T. Maganga
Keyword(s):  
Human Factor ◽  
African Philosophy ◽  
Existential Philosophy ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
African People ◽  
Black Art ◽  
The Face ◽  
Afrocentric Theory

This article finds its fountainhead in the trend in Ignatius Mabasa’s poetry to cast existential nihilism as a way of life. That is, despite the fact that the poetry grapples with big issues that breed social malaise, it lacks the necessary optimism that is indispensable to struggles to transcend life’s challenges. Hopelessness and despair have no place in Africa and literature has to recognise this fact. African people celebrate agency and revolution. Be that as it may, the poems explicated in this paper seem to be inspired by the Euro-modernist tradition which canonises meaninglessness or the absurdity of life. The centrepiece of this paper is that Mabasa abstracts his art and subsequently his audience from African existential philosophy, a philosophy premised on resistance and optimistic struggle. It is largely lachrymal art that negates struggle and transcendence. Contrary to optimism in the face of the inevitability of struggle, which is the hallmark of African philosophy of existence, Mabasa’s poetry tends to entrap rather than contribute to the development and liberation of African people. The artist is quintessentially a proponent of self-defeating literature. The paper is broadly steeped in Afrocentric theory and draws inspiration from Maulana Karenga’s thoughts on Black art.

The Last Day of creation. M. Naimy’s mystical manifesto

2021 ◽  
pp. 246-263
Author(s):  
F. O. Nofal
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Russian Literature ◽  
Literary Discourse ◽  
Theological Seminary ◽  
Existential Philosophy ◽  
Eternal Recurrence ◽  
Short Biography ◽  
The Face

The article is devoted to the mystical manifesto The Last Day (1963) of the Lebanese novelist, playwright and journalist Mikhail Naimy (1889–1988). The author suggests that Naimy, under the spell of classical Russian literature, attempted an audacious experiment: by successfully combining the totality of concepts of Dostoevsky’s The Dream of a Ridiculous Man [ Son smeshnogo cheloveka] with the traditional mythologemes of Sufi poetry, this graduate of the Poltava theological seminary overcomes mystical imagery, and in doing so postulates human impotence in the face of the Nietzschean ‘eternal recurrence’ and the ineffable nature of true the ophanies. The article demonstrates the innovative character of The Last Day, a novel that stands apart from the works of other Pen League members: while Gibran’s The Prophet seeks to infantilise a religious myth, Naimy’s objective is to bring mythology back into the 20th-c. Middle Eastern literary discourse and reimagine it using the categories of contemporary existential philosophy. The study opens with a short biography, covering Naimy’s Russian and American periods.

Buber versus Scholem and the Figure of the Hasidic Jew: A Literary Debate between Two Political Theologies

2018 ◽  
pp. 225-262
Author(s):  
Hannan Hever
Keyword(s):  
Martin Buber ◽  
Jewish Studies ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
The Face

This chapter looks at one of the most famous and significant debates in Jewish studies: between Gershom Scholem and Martin Buber over the character of Hasidism. On the face of it, the debate was a literary one, centering on the significance of the Hasidic tale and its role in the interpretation of the Hasidic movement. It was a debate between two conceptions of Hasidism, one as a system of theological concepts, and the other as a way of life. Yet this debate was not merely historicist, but topical and political as well. For in this debate, Buber and Scholem negotiated the question of Jewish sovereignty and endeavored to determine the desired relationship between Jews and the state.

Understanding Intercultural Socialization and Identity Development of International Students Through Duoethnography

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Glory Ovie ◽  
Lena Barrantes
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
The Other ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Personal Stories ◽  
The Face

This chapter looks at how two international PhD students (re)constructed and (re)negotiated their identities, and intercultural socialization through the sharing their personal stories and experiences. This chapter employed a duoethnography research methodology. Duoethnography is a collaborative research methodology in which two or more researchers engage in a dialogue on their disparate histories in a given phenomenon. The use of duoethnography allowed the researchers to revisit their lives as sites of research to determine how their different experiences and backgrounds informed the (re)construction and (re)negotiation of their identities in the face of multiple and competing identities and their subsequent participation in the new culture. Through this process, the researchers acted as the foil for the Other, challenging the Other to reflect in a deeper, more relational and authentic manner as they sought to achieve a balance between participating in a new way of life and maintaining their cultural and personal identities.

scholarly journals Sustainability in the Anthropocene: Between Extinction and Populism

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2538
Author(s):  
Manuel Arias-Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Policy Goal ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Face ◽  
The One

The pursuit of environmental sustainability has been affected by two significant developments in the last years. On the one hand, the Anthropocene hypothesis suggests that the human impact on the environment has increased to such a degree, that natural systems are now disrupted at a planetary level. The most dangerous manifestation of the Anthropocene is climate change, where there is need for greater urgency in the face of insufficient climate action. There are a number of scientists who currently warn of the possibility that failing to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may render the Earth uninhabitable in the first place. A first goal of this paper is thus to ponder how the sustainability paradigm may be affected in the face of this threat and whether, in fact, sustainability may be displaced by “habitability”. On the other hand, some climate policies are eliciting the reaction of a populist movement—from Trumpism to the gilets jaunes in France—that opposes the rise of environmentally-related taxes and denies climate change or questions the severity of its effects. Both as a concept and as a policy goal, sustainability thus finds itself under double pressure: as it must focus on keeping the planet inhabitable, while the political opposition to measures directed towards decarbonization also increases. In what follows, the paper suggests that sustainability should be understood as a technocratic project to keep the planet safe for humanity rather than imposing a new way of life for all its inhabitants. This is not to imply that moral or ideological debate is to be curtailed, but rather to differentiate between achieving environmental sustainability and seeking the reshaping of socionatural relations.

scholarly journals Az „iránymutató vízió” szerepe a regionális fejlesztésekben, egy hazai agráripari vállalkozás tapasztalatai (The role of „guiding vision“ on regional developments and experiences of a domestic agro-industrial enterprise)

2013 ◽  
pp. 43-51
Author(s):  
Szilvia Luda
Keyword(s):  
Driving Force ◽  
Human Factor ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Ownership ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Mutual Cooperation ◽  
Scale Of Operation

A szerző tanulmányában külföldi és hazai példák alapján a fenntartható gazdaság kialakítására hoz példákat. Bemutat egy osztrák energiarégiót és egy magyar biodízelgyártó vállalkozást. Mindegyik esetre jellemző, hogy olyan társadalmi-gazdasági környezetet kell teremteni, hogy minden stakeholder a win-win megoldásban legyen érdekelt. _____ Agricultural land ownership and the desirable scale of operation have been the subjects of a plethora of studies. Mainstream research, however, has a tendency not to take the human factor into consideration. The unpredictability of economic policies, uncertainties about EU subsidies, the optimal scale of operation and industry- specific characteristics all constitute a far more exciting and reasonable research topic for the majority. According to literature, social support for the efforts and the existence of a clear “guiding vision” have a crucial role in the success of rural development strategies. Concerning the development of a region or village, it is important to determine whether there exists a leading personality, an example-setting entrepreneur or entrepreneurial group that can act as a fundamental driving force or an initiator in reforming the rural way of life; one that could help preserve positive rural values while nurturing economically successful enterprises. Experience has shown that success can only be built upon partnership and mutual cooperation.

The Legal Information Landscape: Change is the New Normal

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (02) ◽  
pp. 98-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Aman
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Change ◽  
Human Factor ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Legal Information ◽  
Information Usage ◽  
The Face ◽  
Constant State ◽  
To Come ◽  
Information Landscape

AbstractThe legal information landscape has always been one of instability and change. The rate of these changes seems to be speeding up as societal and technological changes interact and impact our lives. In the face of this volatility, we should remain constant by being the human factor between information and our clients. We are the interface between new technology and the changing information usage behaviours of our clients. We must understand both aspects to ensure the best outcomes. Our client centric attitude positions us perfectly to be leaders when exploring, and perhaps even creating, new solutions. We are best placed to bring them back to our institutions and provide the human touch to ensure they are implemented in a way that will succeed and add value. It is important to embrace this constant state of flux and find our value in being supportive change agents, while also ensuring that we can ensure, and advocate for, the importance of safeguarding legal information for generations to come.

Lars-Christer Hyden

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars-Christer Hydén
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Psychiatric Patient ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Life Narrative ◽  
Important Condition ◽  
Self Image ◽  
The Face ◽  
Moral Meaning ◽  
Normative Order

Abstract After the occurrence of a disruptive illness, questions tend to arise about oneself and one's way of life and its moral meaning. These questions concern what kind of person one is and how one can sustain one's identity and self-image in the face of disruptive events. In this sense, the reconstruction of a life narrative is a moral quest. In this article, an analysis is presented of an interview with a former psychiatric patient concerning his mental illness and experience of psychosis. The analysis of this man's reconstructive work shows that he assigns the disruptive event a particular place in his life narrative to invest it with meaning and sense. This means not only establishing what has happened but also why it has happened. An important condition for the narrativization of disruptive events is the identification of a "platform," which can serve as a basis from which the reconstructive work can start. The platform defines the point from which a connection with one's previous life can be established. The identification of a platform can be viewed as the formulation of a voice; that is to say, a kind of normative order of the relation among the actions, events, and persons who figure in the life narrative. (Psychology)

Violence as Usual

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Muschalek
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Moral Economy ◽  
Police Force ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
The Face ◽  
Violent Acts ◽  
Informal Practices ◽  
Southwest Africa

Slaps in the face, kicks, beatings, and other forms of run-of-the-mill violence were a quotidian part of life in German Southwest Africa at the beginning of the twentieth century. Unearthing this culture of normalized violence in a settler colony, this book uncovers the workings of a powerful state that was built in an improvised fashion by low-level state representatives. The book begins by providing a background on the power of everyday violence in the settler colony of German Southwest Africa. It explores the violent acts orchestrated by the police force (Landespolizei). Instead of being built primarily on formal, legal, and bureaucratic processes, the colonial state was produced by improvised, informal practices of violence. The book concludes with reflections on the nature of everyday violence in colonial Africa. Coming from multiple cultural groups, the African and German men of the Landespolizei shared a host of moral codes. The dynamics of violence were inscribed into a moral economy of the accepted and normal. The daily brutality of modern colonialism was a horrific injustice, but it was also a way of life with its own rules and regularities.

Toward Socialism with a Human Face?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balázs Trencsényi ◽  
Michal Kopeček ◽  
Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič ◽  
Maria Falina ◽  
Mónika Baár ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Production ◽  
Student Movements ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Political Language ◽  
East Central Europe ◽  
East Central ◽  
The Face ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
State Socialist

Marxist revisionism, providing a powerful political language of intra-systemic opposition, was characterized by an effort to restore the relative autonomy of the personality in the face of both society and history, to provide new ethics, a new way of life, and envision “socialism with a human face.” The 1960s witnessed an unprecedented boom of Marxist and non-Marxist intellectual and cultural production, ranging from the rediscovery of the inconvenient past to critical analyses of existing socialist societies and an artistic blossoming reconnecting East Central Europe to broader European intellectual and aesthetic currents. Another venue of dialogue was between unorthodox Marxists and religious thinkers struggling to find their way in secular state socialist regimes. The climax and eventually also the anti-climax of this revival was 1968, with the rise of reform communist movements, linking technocratic and democratic reformism with revolutionary radicalism coming mainly from the student movements.

scholarly journals Evidence for Contribution of CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells in Maintaining Immune Tolerance to Human Factor IX following Perinatal Adenovirus Vector Delivery

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megha S. Nivsarkar ◽  
Suzanne M. K. Buckley ◽  
Alan L. Parker ◽  
Dany Perocheau ◽  
Tristan R. McKay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Antibody Response ◽  
Immune Tolerance ◽  
Human Factor ◽  
Adenovirus Vector ◽  
Factor Ix ◽  
Immune Challenge ◽  
Human Factor Ix ◽  
The Face ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Following fetal or neonatal gene transfer in mice and other species immune tolerance of the transgenic protein is frequently observed; however the underlying mechanisms remain largely undefined. In this study fetal and neonatal BALB/c mice received adenovirus vector to deliver human factor IX (hFIX) cDNA. The long-term tolerance of hFIX was robust in the face of immune challenge with hFIX protein and adjuvant but was eliminated by simultaneous administration of anti-CD25+ antibody. Naive irradiated BALB/c mice which had received lymphocytes from donors immunised with hFIX developed anti-hFIX antibodies upon immune challenge. Cotransplantation with CD4+CD25+ cells isolated from neonatally tolerized donors decreased the antibody response. In contrast, cotransplantation with CD4+CD25− cells isolated from the same donors increased the antibody response. These data provide evidence that immune tolerance following perinatal gene transfer is maintained by a CD4+CD25+ regulatory population.

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