scholarly journals The “Living Statues” at Times of Mausoleums and Unknown Soldiers: New Commemorative Practices in the Mirror of Russian 20th Century Poetry

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-206
Author(s):  
K. V. Anisimov

The article traces the alterations of the “harmful statue” motif as it was conceptualized by Roman Jakobson. In the present research the author draws upon a number of representative verses by Russian 20 th century poets – V. Bryusov, I. Selvinsky, B. Slutsky. The theoretical juxtaposition of the metaphoric nature of a monument and strategies of overcoming this nature has been put in focus of this work. These strategies are represented in the convergence of sculpture and body (the reinforcement of iconicity), in implicating the metonymic, substitutional character in new monuments. The author shows how the practice of establishing the new “political” tombs (unknown soldiers, mausoleums) proliferating since 1920s was reflected in verses’ rhetoric and affected these texts’ genre poetics. As a first collection of examples the “Pompeian” plots of Russian “ekphrastic” poetry are studied. Here Russian poets rethink the technology invented by mid-nineteenth century Italian archaeologists who were the first to introduce the sculptural reconstruction of human bodies preserved by volcanic soil in area of 79 a.d. Vesuvius eruption. The first step on this way of rethinking the “living statue” motif was the intrinsic to modernism and openly exposed problematizing of the relationships between body and its representations in stone or metal. Having begun its “own” life, the sculpture is currently observed as a direct, “drawn on a contour” replica of an organism, unprecedented in unicity of its physical existence. This semiotic discovery has formed the receptive “niches” of expectations – prior to the emergence of the next commemorative practice, the creation in 1924 Vladimir Lenin’s “living sculpture” (A. Yurchak) or “self-icon” (J. B. Platt). However one difference here was of specific significance: the “Pompeian” plaster reconstructions were anonymous whereas the Bolshevik leader’s name was in contrast not just commonly known but also as strongly mythologized as his remains kept in mausoleum were. The semiosis taking place within a triangle body – monument – name had formed a perspective for the forthcoming of a new social commemorative practice, memory place and poetic image – the tomb of an Unknown Soldier. The author illustrates the interaction of the two political and memory cults on the level of official rhetoric and in the sphere of literary motifs.

Author(s):  
Ulia Babunych

Ukrainian culture from the second half of the nineteenth century. developed with such main features - the transformation of a purely cultural movement into a national liberation movement, the formation of similar features in the cultural-process processes with the European laws. At the end of the nineteenth century. associates of Ukrainian culture, the main task of their position is the solution of a number of political and socio-economic issues. The process of national-cultural revival has gained strength since the 1880's in both parts of Ukraine and at the beginning of the 20th century. already yields concrete results. In Lviv there are active centers of cultural development. Similar processes have been taking place in the other part of Ukraine, activated by the idea of ​​the revival of the Ukrainian national style. At this time, the intellectuals are much more cohesive, trying spiritually and politically self-determination. These moments were extremely important, for at that time, eastern and western parts of Ukraine, notwithstanding certain ideological points of contact, were not only politically delineated, but also mentally, culturally and spiritually. In Ukraine, the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. is characterized by changes in the cultural situation, which are marked by modern (modern) influences from the European West in the field of culture, philosophy, and creativity. The national renaissance acquires a qualitatively new meaning, characterized by the creation of distinctive national forms in all branches of artistic culture. For Ukrainian modernism, the inherent dependence on the geocultural features, the attachment of its representatives to their environment. At the same time, we observe differences in the genre specificity of modernism in the western and eastern Ukrainian territories, due to the influence of Russian or European art. The geographical location of Ukraine between the two parts of the world - Europe and Asia - led to the creation of a unique version of modernism in our territories (tied to national origins, folk folk sources, historical cultural heritage). Stylistic inspirations from different sources flocked to Ukraine, creating polyphony of its modernist art. The contradictory nature of the transitional period has been reflected in the formation of ideological settings of the art of the first third of the twentieth century. Modernism in Ukraine is characterized by an organic combination of the latest philosophical and aesthetic theories and traditional features of local culture. Philosophy played an important role in shaping the foundations of the "new" art and its artistic practice, giving an alternative way for a better understanding of it in the context of the metamorphosis of social consciousness. At the end of the XIX - in the first third of the twentieth century. especially the theories of intuitionism, existentialism, irrationalism, and so on. The theoretical works of Ukrainian artists of the first third of the 20th century, often with a philosophical and aesthetic basis, serve as a significant contribution in the context of the formation of not only a national version of modernism, but also a pan-European one. As a basis for artistic creation, modernists choose a symbolic-allegorical beginning, often serving as both generally accepted and purely national archetypes. If we sum up the process of national-cultural revival in Ukraine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it should be noted that the national movement stimulated the political, social, economic, cultural, and scientific progress of society. Among the values ​​of the intelligentsia was chosen intelligence of Western ideas, including ideas of modern Western philosophy and culture. Worldview principles of modernism in Ukrainian art include interpretation of the historical national and world creative heritage, the use of symbols and archetypes, mythology of creativity, rethinking the achievements of folk art and folklore traditions. Such directions of search determine the conceptual content of the Ukrainian art of this period and the main ideas of creativity of representatives of modernism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 616-635
Author(s):  
Kristof Loockx

This article examines the migration trajectories of seafarers who worked on Belgian merchant vessels departing from the port of Antwerp during the second half of the nineteenth century. Based on the Antwerp seamen’s registry, which recorded information on voyages of seafarers on Belgian merchant vessels departing from Belgium’s main commercial port, this article shows that Antwerp’s maritime recruitment area vastly expanded with the advent of steam. The proportion of low-skilled seafarers who originated from inland areas increased as a result of the creation of new departments aboard ship and the emergence of ocean liners. However, established migration fields remained important for the supply of skilled labour in deck departments, which indicates that there was also continuity. The findings suggest that each department had its own dynamics and therefore old and new patterns co-evolved during a period of transition.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Scott Travanion Connors

Abstract This article explores the emergence of reformist sentiment and political culture in Madras in the mid-nineteenth century. Moreover, it contributes to, and expands upon, the growing body of literature on colonial petitioning through a case-study of a mass petition demanding education reform. Signed in 1839 by 70,000 subjects from across the Madras presidency, the petition demanded the creation of a university that would qualify western-educated Indians to gain employment in the high public offices of the East India Company. Through an analysis of the lifecycle of this education petition, from its creation to its reception and the subsequent adoption of its demands by the Company government at Fort St George, this article charts the process by which an emergent, politicized public engaged with, and critiqued, the colonial state. Finally, it examines the transformative effect that the practice of mass petitioning had on established modes of political activism and communication between an authoritarian colonial state and the society it governed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAUL NUGENT

ABSTRACTThis article begins with a quotation from a local informant highlighting a perception in the Gambia/Casamance borderlands that there is a pattern linking the violence of the later nineteenth century with more recent troubles. It argues that there is some merit in this thesis, which is encapsulated in a concatenation of events: systematic raiding by Fodé Sylla led to the creation of a relatively depopulated colonial border zone which was later filled by Jola immigrants from Buluf to the southeast. In the perception of some, it is these immigrants who attracted the MFDC rebels. Mandinkas and Jolas of Fogny Jabankunda and Narang, and Karoninkas from the islands of Karone have therefore been largely unreceptive to appeals to Casamance nationalism. The article also argues that there are more twisted historical connections. Whereas in the later nineteenth century, the Jolas associated Islam with violent enslavement, they later converted en masse. Their attitude towards Fodé Sylla remained negative, whilst the Mauritanian marabout, Cheikh Mahfoudz, was credited with the introduction of a pacific form of Islam that valorized hard work and legitimated physical migration. This legacy has posed a further barrier to militant nationalism. Islam and violence remain linked, but the signs have been reversed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gema Ramírez-Guerrero ◽  
Javier García-Onetti ◽  
Juan Adolfo Chica-Ruiz ◽  
Manuel Arcíla-Garrido

Purpose This paper attempts to fill the gap that exists in research regarding 20th-century heritage and its social appreciation. The purpose of this paper is to explore different ways of evaluating the heritage value and tourism potential and to propose an innovative model validated in the Zarzuela Hippodrome as an example of cultural asset from 20th century with important economic, social, cultural, aesthetic and architectural aspects. Design/methodology/approach This study opted for an interpretation of heritage from an ecosystem, integrating and global paradigm, understanding the asset as a set of resources that interact with each other, generating a common and enriched tourist experience among all the elements that make it up. From this perspective, it is conceived that by modifying one of the elements, the whole (tourist) ecosystem will be equally influenced. On the other side, it was incorporated non-parametric techniques based on the implementation of surveys for the validation of the tool to the case study of the Zarzuela hippodrome. Findings The results suggest that the hippodrome's internal values have been evaluated very positively, while its external values are low. Through this study, the paper has identified several weaknesses that impede its functioning as a viable “tourist product.” The distance from the city center, the lack of available information and the scarce diffusion and tourism promotion are its main weaknesses. The proposed analysis tool reveals the importance of the active participation of visitors to evaluate cultural assets through the combination of aspects related to the conservation of cultural assets and, in turn, elements that encourage their commodification as tourist products, break down barriers between these two disciplines. Research limitations/implications The management tool proposed in this study can be used to underpin the creation of tourism experiences in cultural or heritage assets by diagnosing the current state of its tourist potential, quantifying its value in relation to the visitors’ perception and making visible those problematic aspects to develop actions to solve them. Although the present study is support for future research, as well as for improving the marketing of heritage in tourist settings, an in-depth analysis of the technical elements of heritage, as well as of its intervention (if applicable), will be necessary for the managers who want to use the tool. Social implications One of the most differentiating characteristics between the construction typology of 20th-century historical buildings is perhaps the scarcity of decorative ornamentation, with exposed concrete being the main surface coating. Many of these constructions have an important cultural and historical relevance, however, the social perception, as regards its consideration as architectural and artistic heritage seems to reflect discordant aspects. This study provides support as a decision-making tool to determine the existing valuation of a building and how to enhance it. Originality/value This study takes steps toward the creation of a model that supports decision-makers and owners of cultural assets through a measurement system that makes it possible to quantify and determine the current state of tourism use through the social evaluation of heritage criteria. It defines which are the elements that favor the resilience of the property or, on the contrary, which are those that undermine its enhancement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 199-222
Author(s):  
Hannah Bradshaw

This article examines the early representations of Prince Albert that either satirize or attempt to reconcile the hierarchical ambiguities and issue of threatened masculinity that resulted from unconventional male consortship and female rule. It concludes that the latter was achieved through the development of a suitable and legible iconography for a nineteenth-century male consort in adherence with British iconographic tradition and values. Drawing from methods in nineteenth-century art history as well as gender and performance studies and anthropology, it argues that images of the male body play a fundamental role in the construction and perpetuation of masculine ideology and subjectivity through the creation of the semblance of an innate and axiomatic masculine archetype. In doing so, this article problematizes and historicizes masculinity by illuminating the plurality of expressions of masculinity and rejecting the essentialist narrative of masculinity as something measurable or quantifiable, as well as ahistorical, atemporal, apolitical and heteronormative.


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