scholarly journals Re-framing the Crusades: The Representation of Space, Landscape and Architecture in the Comics Series Croisade

Author(s):  
Sandra Gorgievski

In both medieval and contemporary culture, defamiliarization in space frames the imagined relationship with the other in fantasized views of the East. This paper addresses ways the creative imagination functions in the contemporary four-volume Belgian comics series Croisade by Dufaux and Xavier (vol I-IV). They foster a self-reflexive vision of competing universes, from the Celtic to the ancient Roman, from the Moorish to the Gothic. The cultural relativism of our contemporary era seems more relevant than any attempt to historicize faithfully the fictional plot. These comic books exploit the visual evidence of space as emblematic natural sites of heterotopias like the desert, and architectural space like Jerusalem, some burial sites, the sultan’s oriental palace and the Crusaders’ fortress, while assessing the changing representation of space from the medieval era to the present.

2021 ◽  
pp. 64-73
Author(s):  
Irena DIMOVA

The proposed article examines two problems – the poetic formations (generations and groups) and the manifestations of "narcissism" in poetry. Two Slovak authors, representatives of different literary formations, are analyzed - Michal Habaj of the so-called Text Generation and Katarína Kucbelová of the ANesthetic Generation. Both their affiliation to these creative associations and the nature of the latter is discussed. In order to understand these literary phenomena, we use Karl Mannheim’s concept of generation and Michał Głowiński’s approach to literary groups. The interpretation of selected texts by the two poets is based on the view of contemporary culture as a "culture of narcissism" (Kr. Lash) and on the reflection on this concept, which we find in a literary-critical article by Katarína Kucbelová herself on Michal Habaj. Her reflection on the fragile boundary between narcissism as a theme and narcissism as deficiency of interpreted work we try to apply on her own poetry texts. The selected poems are from her poetry book “Duals” (Duály), which identifies her as part of the so-called ‘new sincerity’ in Slovak literature. In her texts, Katarína Kucbelová thematizes the closure of the lyrical self within its own existence, in which the presence of the other is allowed only as a concept or an idea. Michal Habaj's experimentalism in “Poems for Dead Girls” (Básne pre mŕtve dievčatá), on the other hand, "opens" his textual world, binds him to many discourses and distances him from the self.


Author(s):  
Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek

DOI 10.24917/20837275.9.4.3Ubogie domostwa, rozsiane po pustkowiu przyczepy zamieszkane przez zdegenerowanych ludzi, pokryte kurzem drogi, po których poruszają się zdezelowane samochody – pejzaż indiańskiego rezerwatu we współczesnej kulturze audiowizualnej naznaczony jest świadectwami upadku. Równocześnie jednak przestrzeń, w której tak wyraziście manifestują się liczne problemy społeczne, na czele z alkoholizmem oraz bezrobociem, stanowi część dyskursów dotyczących marginalizacji, nietolerancji, alienacji i społecznej stygmatyzacji. Filmowy i komiksowy pejzaż „rezu” stanowi krzywe zwierciadło oficjalnej amerykańskiej kultury, symbolizowanej przez Mount Rushmore, w której cieniu kryje się rezerwat plemienia Lakota w Pine Ridge. Analizując wybrane przykłady filmowe oraz komiksowe, autorka ukazuje różne aspekty symboliki i kulturowych kontekstów „rezu”. Z jednej strony – w filmach takich jak Skins Chrisa Eyre’a lub Za głosem serca Michaela Apteda oraz w komiksowej serii Skalp Jasona Aarona i R.M. Guéry – mamy do czynienia z wizją rezerwatu stanowiącego krajobraz nieomalże apokaliptyczny, utożsamiający ciemną stronę Ameryki; z drugiej – w realizacjach pokroju Sygnałów dymnych Eyre’a czy Piętna przodków Michaela Linna – rezerwat jawi się jako przestrzeń mityczna, obszar kontaktu ze wcześniejszymi pokoleniami.Rez territory. Symbols and cultural contexts of Indian reservation landscape in contemporary Northern American cinema and comic booksPoor houses, trailers scattered in wilderness, inhabited by degenerated people, dusty roads full of old cars – the landscape of Indian reservation in contemporary audiovisual culture is marked with symptoms of degradation. In the same time, places where social problems – especially alcoholism and unemployment – have been so vividly manifested, become a part of various discourses of marginalization, intolerance, alienation and social stigmatization. “Rez’s” landscape in film and comic books becomes a dark mirror for the official American culture symbolized by Mount Rushmore, in whose shadow lies the Lakota Pine Ridge reservation. In her analysis of selected films and comic books, theauthor shows different aspects of rez’s symbols and cultural contexts. In such films as Chris Eyre’s Skins or Michael Apted’s Thunderheart and Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra’s comic book series Scalped, Indian reservation is shown almost as an apocalyptic territory and – in the same time – as a dark side of America. On the other hand, in Eyre’s Smoke Signals or Michael Linn’s Imprint, rez is a mythic place of cross-generation encounters.


1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-80
Author(s):  
Rita Raley

What does it signify to speak of a World Literature in English? In what ways might diaspora studies and transnationalism be linked to the contemporary phenomenon of global English, with a mode of comprehending the world that holds English at its center? What can diaspora studies and transnationalism learn from the “language question” frequently raised in discussions of both cultural imperialism and postcolonial writing? What can they learn from the question of globalism now so ubiquitous in contemporary criticism? How does the Literature in English concept relate, on the one hand, to Edouard Glissant's outline of the “liberation” that results from compromising major languages with Creoles (250), and, on the other, to Fredric Jameson's implicit yearning for a philosophical universal linguistic standard not circumvented by linguistic heteroglossia (16-7)? These questions outline the conceptual terrain of this article, in which I read the discursive transmutation of the discipline of Postcolonial Studies into “Literature in English” as both symptom and cause of the emerging visibility of global English as a recognizable disciplinary configuration situated on the line between contemporary culture and the academy. Over the course of this article, I chart this discursive transmutation and its necessary preconditions—the critical investiture in the “global,” the renewed attention to dialects, the abstraction of the “postcolonial”—as a way of articulating profound reservations about the “new universalisms,” of which Literature in English is a primary instance.


1976 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-638
Author(s):  
S.L. Tamm ◽  
S. Tamm

We previously described a remarkable type of cell motility that provided direct, visual evidence for the fluid nature of cell membranes. The movement involved continual, unidirectional rotation of one part of a protozoan, including the plasma membrane and cytoplasmic organelles, in relation to a neighbouring part. The cell membrane in the ‘shear zone’ appeared continuous with that of the rest of the cell. The rotary motor consisted, at least in part, of a non-contractile, microtubular axostyle which extended centrally through the cell. The protozoan was a devescovinid flagellate found in the hindgut of a Florida termite. In this paper, we have confirmed earlier reports of this type of motility in other kinds of devescovinids from Australian termites. By demonstrating continuity of the plasma membrane in the shear zone of the Australian devescovinids as well, we have obtained additional examples that provide direct, visual evidence for fluid membranes. A comparative analysis of rotational motility in various devescovinids revealed 2 different kinds of rotary mechanisms. Hyperdevescovina probably have an internal motor, in which one part of the cell exerts forces against another part, as in the Florida termite devescovinid. Devescovina species, on the other hand, have an external motor, in which flagellar and/or papillar movements exert forces against the surrounding medium. The structure of the axostyle in different devescovinids was compared, and its role in rotational motility discussed with respect to the behavioural data.


Author(s):  
Annelies van Noortwijk

Modernism and The Poetics of Sameness and Presence”. The author argues that through a paradigm shift from post-modernism towards what she proposes to refer to as meta-modernism, a new kind of poetic comes to the fore in which senses of ‘sameness’ and ‘presence’ and a drive towards inter-subjective connection and dialogue are pivotal. At the same time a turn to the subject, the real and the private, are the preferred strategies to address the central topics in contemporary culture; that of (often traumatic) memory and identity. The re-evaluation of the subject as an active, embodied and emotional individual is fundamental to such a shift.


2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Palazzani

L’articolo analizza, nella prospettiva filosofica, i percorsi intrapresi dalla bioetica in rapporto al pluralismo culturale, discutendo criticamente i principali orientamenti di pensiero del dibattito attuale. Il punto di partenza è l’imperialismo culturale, quale posizione etnocentrica che assolutizza la cultura (ritenuta, in modo unilaterale, la migliore) marginalizzando le altre. L’orientamento opposto è quello del relativismo culturale che considera la bioetica il prodotto storico-sociale della cultura di appartenenza, proponendo il principio di tolleranza inteso nel senso di sopportazione pragmatica di ogni cultura, ritenuta equivalente rispetto a qualsiasi altra. Alla luce delle incongruenze dell’imperialismo culturale (che finisce con imporre arbitrariamente la propria come la cultura dominante) e del relativismo culturale (che accettando acriticamente ogni cultura non evita anzi acuisce i conflitti e porta alla separazione delle culture), l’articolo cerca le linee argomentative per giustificare una prospettiva bioetica trans-culturale (nell’orizzonte dei diritti umani fondamentali) che consenta il dialogo interculturale in bioetica come ricerca costruttiva dell’integrazione tra le culture nella ricerca della verità comune nel riconoscimento della dignità umana. ---------- The article analyses, in a philosophical perspective, the bioethical theories as regards cultural pluralism, discussing in a critical way the must important trends of actual debate. It identifies cultural imperialism as the ethnocentrical perspective which makes one culture as absolute (considered the best one), marginalizing the other cultures. As opposite trend, the articles discusses cultural relativism which considers bioethics as an historical and social product of a culture, emphasizing tolerance as a pragmatic principle of acceptance of every culture, without condition. In the light of the objections to imperialism (which impose in an arbitrary way one culture as the best one) and cultural relativism (which accepts any culture without condition with conflicts and separation of cultures as consequences) the article looks for arguments able to justify a transcultural bioethics (in the perspective of fundamental human rights) which permits intercultural dialogue in bioethics as a constructive research of integration of cultures in search of a common truth recognized in respect of human dignity.


1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
A T Bennett

Drawing on studies of humans, rodents, birds and arthropods, I show that 'cognitive maps' have been used to describe a wide variety of spatial concepts. There are, however, two main definitions. One, sensu Tolman, O'Keefe and Nadel, is that a cognitive map is a powerful memory of landmarks which allows novel short-cutting to occur. The other, sensu Gallistel, is that a cognitive map is any representation of space held by an animal. Other definitions with quite different meanings are also summarised. I argue that no animal has been conclusively shown to have a cognitive map, sensu Tolman, O'Keefe and Nadel, because simpler explanations of the crucial novel short-cutting results are invariably possible. Owing to the repeated inability of experimenters to eliminate these simpler explanations over at least 15 years, and the confusion caused by the numerous contradictory definitions of a cognitive map, I argue that the cognitive map is no longer a useful hypothesis for elucidating the spatial behaviour of animals and that use of the term should be avoided.


Muzealnictwo ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Baumgarten-Szczyrska ◽  
Krystyna Milewska ◽  
Dorota Obalek

In the face of the migration crisis in Europe in 2015, discussions on refugees and emigrants who live in Poland have been dominated by stereotypes and negative images presented by the media, and the division into supporters and opponents of the “Others” have also become highly visible in schools. The lack of topics in the field of global education and of knowledge about the current situation of African countries has contributed to the increase in xenophobic attitudes among pupils, and to all sorts of manifestations of verbal and physical violence motivated by prejudices against people who stand out because of their appearance or origin. The Encountering the Other project, which has been run by the Artykuł 25 Foundation and the National Museum in Szczecin since 2014, attempts to reply to the lack in Poland of a social basis of sensitivity, respect and solidarity with people of different geographical and cultural backgrounds. Its main aim is to allow primary, middle and secondary school pupils to acquire knowledge about the Countries of the Global South, which may encourage them to revise their attitudes. The basis of the project is classes in school which are based on our own script prepared from a lecture by Ryszard Kapuściński, Encountering the Other: the challenge for the 21st century, which he gave upon receiving the title of doctor honoris causa from the Jagiellonian University. The National Museum in Szczecin plays an important role in the project. It runs classes for students which show them the old art and culture of West-African countries and their influence on European art, but also presents works by contemporary artists from Benin, Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa. As part of the Week of Global Education, the museum presents documentaries for children and teens from the Docs Against Gravity Festival, and there are workshops using the kamishibai theatre and discussions on mutual understanding and global interdependence. The project is complemented by a conference targeted at teachers and representatives of organisations working with children and teens, whose main aim is to provide knowledge on the contemporary culture and art of African countries, and to show good practices for counteracting discrimination and violence motivated by prejudice. The Encountering the Other project aims to counteract prejudice and stereotypes, to show a different image of the Countries of the Global South, to convince children, teenagers and teachers to make their social attitudes more responsible, which would be of key importance on shaping trends today or in the future, and to incorporate global issues into mainstream discussions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Fitrawati Fitrawati

This paper tries to examine the right to freedom of interfaith marriage in Indonesia from the perspective of Human Rights Universalism and Cultural Relativism. The purpose of this paper is to explain how universalism and cultural relativity view interfaith marriage in Indonesia. This research is a normative legal research. This study uses a literature approach. The findings of this study indicate that interfaith marriage in Indonesia is still not well accepted and has always been controversial news in the community, even considered to have exceeded or violated the provisions of marriage, but there are still followers of different religions who decide to marry. In fact, many of them are smuggling laws so that their marriages are recognized by the state, namely by registering marriages abroad and then continuing the registration in Indonesia. Meanwhile, on the other hand, Indonesia already has a law on Marriage, namely, Article 2 paragraph 1. It is also contained in the article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, namely the right to freedom of marriage (article 16 UDHR) which includes the right to marry between religions (different religions), and the right to freedom of religion (article 18 UDHR) which includes the right to change religions. Meanwhile, in cultural realivism, it rejects everything that is universal.


2019 ◽  
pp. 15-29
Author(s):  
Magdalena Popiel

The article is a comparative analysis of the modernist aesthetics of creation. It describes how Rilke and Georg Simmel discovered August Rodin’s rules of modern perception, sensitivity and creative imagination. In the work of both writers we see them striving to interpret works of art as a creative process that is the effect of their astute diagnosis of contemporary culture. A new approach to aisthesis restores value to aesthetic experience and opens up broader learning opportunities.


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