Ritual, Spectacle, and Menace

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-152
Author(s):  
Margo Kitts ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Islamic State ◽  
Event Sequences ◽  
Common Event ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
The Way

On the surface, comparative projects may seem frivolous, particularly those whose comparata are separated by millennia; this is especially true if one is attaching meaning simply to common event-sequences across time. However, for exploring the perceptual dynamics behind ancient reports of ritualized violence whose contexts and intended effects are somewhat elusive, a contemporary comparison may prove insightful. This should be true for rituals whose intent is menace, such as oath-making rituals and curses. Although we undoubtedly are missing much in the way of context and intended effects for ancient oath-making rituals, a close examination of one Islamic State (IS) “message” video of 2014 may enable us to envision some common perceptual dynamics. This short essay proposes to evaluate the persuasive effects of an ancient ritual in the light of a contemporary, by pondering embodied and visual modes of perception.

Maclaurin on Occasionalism: A Reply to Ablondi

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-135
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Recent Article ◽  
Gravitational Attraction ◽  
Matter Theory ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
The Way

In a recent article Fred Ablondi compares the different approaches to occasionalism put forward by two eighteenth-century Newtonians, Colin Maclaurin and Andrew Baxter. The goal of this short essay is to respond to Ablondi by clarifying some key features of Maclaurin's views on occasionalism and the cause of gravitational attraction. In particular, I explore Maclaurin's matter theory, his views on the explanatory limits of mechanism, and his appeals to the authority of Newton. This leads to a clearer picture of the way in which Maclaurin understood gravitational attraction and the workings of nature.

scholarly journals Lusatian Folklore in the Slavic Research of the Italian Wolfango (Wolf) Giusti

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 36-44
Author(s):  
Yarema Kravets’ ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Folk Songs ◽  
Folk Song ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
Mood Classification ◽  
The Way ◽  
Literary Legacy

Purpose: The article is devoted to the Sorbian studies work of the Italian Slavic scholar of Lusatian origin Wolfango Giusti (1901-1980) “The Folk Lusatian Serbian Song” (1926), totally unknown in Ukrainian Slavic scholars’ circles. The author of a large number of Sorbian studies publications printed in the 1920s and 1930s in the pages of Italian Slavic editions, he became a true popularizer of Lusatian culture, and his works found a special reverberation in the research papers of authoritative Sorbian scholars. W. Giusti’s name as researcher and translator has recently been more frequently mentioned in Slavistic publications, his interest in Ukrainian poetry, esp. in the 1920s, is written about. The interest in W. Giusti’s literary legacy is linked, in particular, to his being interested in T. Shevchenko’s and M. Shashkevych’s lyrics. In the research under analysis, the Italian scholar stressed that “the soul of the Lusatian people has found its best and fullest expression in their folk song”. Also mentioned by W. Giusti were Ukrainian folk songs, rich in their multi-genre samples. Results: The paper presents a classification of the most characteristic folk songs, the classification coming to be basis-providing for the Italian scholar: W. Giusti relied on authoritative research papers, including those by the scholars K. Fiedler and B. Krawc. The Italian Slavicist acquaints us with songs of love between brother and sister, love songs about the way of life of the whole people, songs resonating with the motif of fidelity. Neither has the literary scholar bypassed the issue of the neighbouring peoples’ influence experienced by Lusatian culture, particularly that of a Germanic culture, providing some examples of a “spiritual analogy” with German folk songs. W. Giusti completed his short essay by promising to offer the reader, before long, “other genres of the extremely rich Lusatian folklore”. The promise came to be fulfilled as early as the next year, in the work published under the title “Folk Lusatian Serbian Songs”. Key words: Lusatian folklore, Wolfango Giusti, folk song, motif of fidelity/infidelity, dramatic mood, classification of songs, aspects of “Wendish” folklore, Germanic influence.

Situating Islamic State’s Message

2019 ◽  
pp. 50-83
Author(s):  
Mehdi Laghmari
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
The Way

This chapter offers a presentation of the message conveyed in Islamic State (IS) propaganda, as well as an in-depth exploration of its social and theological origins. The chapter thus clarifies the various theological interpretations and social dynamics that constitute the foundation of IS’s message and make it appealing for some. The key concepts structuring IS’s message are highlighted, their origins and evolutions are traced, and the way these concepts have eventually come to coalesce into an autonomous message distinct from those enunciated by other Islamist groups is explained. Such a “genealogy”—ranging from medieval thinker Ibn Taymiyyah to 2018 IS—is required to fully understand how these particular dimensions of this message are articulated and disseminated in specific ways by the various outlets constituting IS’ “full-spectrum propaganda” (magazines, videos, books, etc.).

scholarly journals Der Schutzvertrag von Raqqa und die Verlautbarung von Mosul. Ein Beitrag zur Diskussion über den „Islamischen Staat im Irak und in Syrien“

2015 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Sievert
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
First Century ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Islamic Tradition ◽  
The Status ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Way

AbstractThis contribution examines two documents issued by the terrorist organisation known as the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’ (IS) regarding the status and treatment of non-Muslims, namely the protection treaty with the Christians of Raqqa and the ultimatum to the Christians of Mosul. As IS’ claim to represent true Islam should be judged by the way in which they relate to Islamic tradition, the documents’ texts are presented with a commentary and translation. Both documents arbitrarily combine elements from authoritative texts with twenty first-century attitudes, disregarding more than a thousand years of Islamic scholarship. The Raqqa treaty, in particular, is part of the organisation’s professional public relations policy.

From 25 January to Islamic State

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Staffell
Keyword(s):  
Al Qaeda ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Organizational Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Way

The history of the jihadist movement in Egypt provides important lessons about its possible future trajectories. This chapter sets out the history of jihadism in Egypt from Al-Gama‘a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) and Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the 1980s and 90s, through the al-Tawhid w‘al Jihad and Al-Qaeda affiliate the Abdullah Azzam Brigades in the 2000s. The chapter then considers how jihadism has developed after the 25 January 2011 revolution. It examines the rise of IS in Egypt - the organizational changes involved and how these were accompanied by changes in ideology and narrative. By situating these changes in the context of the history of salafi-jihadism in Egypt, it argues that IS’s ability to gain a foothold, were in part due to their global narrative, but more notably were due to the way in which the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis/Wilayat Sina leadership were willing and able to adapt this narrative to the particularities of the Egyptian context. Egyptian jihadism has not historically accepted IS’s approach, and this may ultimately prove to be their downfall in the country.

The way is open for more Turkish operations in Syria

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Kurdistan Workers Party ◽  
The Way

Significance It was just 58 days after Turkey launched an invasion aimed at seizing Afrin from Syrian Kurdish rebels whom Ankara regards as terrorists. Turks have been jubilant at what is being hailed as a major victory that may end the conflict with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants inside Turkey, but in Syria and Iraq the Kurds are bracing themselves for further operations that could next bring Turkey into direct confrontation with US forces in the Syrian town of Manbij. That would force US President Donald Trump to choose between Turkey, a wayward NATO ally, and the Syrian Kurds, who have helped Washington crush Islamic State (IS). Impacts Turkey will step up investment in its arms industry. Hostility to Turkey will grow in Western Europe. Inside Turkey, government will become more monolithic and authoritarian.

Why Is ISIS so Psychologically Attractive?

2016 ◽  
pp. 149-167
Author(s):  
Loo Seng Neo ◽  
Priscilla Shi ◽  
Leevia Dillon ◽  
Jethro Tan ◽  
Yingmin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Security Threat ◽  
New Members ◽  
The Law ◽  
Foreign Fighters ◽  
Behavioural Sciences ◽  
The Way

Since the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) became prominent after the release of beheading videos of its prisoners, many have been confused over how to describe this development in relation to the way the Internet is exploited by violent extremists. While the element of surprise and horror lingered on the minds of many observers, a more pressing question facing the law enforcement is: how does ISIS attract foreign fighters using such videos and online propaganda? As countries around the globe grapple with the security threat posed by their nationals travelling to join ISIS, the need to be au fait with the appeal of ISIS and its ability to use the Internet to recruit new members and sympathisers becomes even more apparent. This chapter uses a behavioural sciences lens to explicate how individual and organisational motivational factors may contribute to the overall appeal of joining ISIS.

Civility and its Discontents: Balibar, Arendt, Lyotard

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Morgan Wortham
Keyword(s):  
Hannah Arendt ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
The Way

This chapter concentrates on violence and civility in the work of Étienne Balibar. Is his concept of ‘anti-violence’ able to negotiate a lesser violence that preserves the possibility of civility, or is fated only to redistribute the modalities of violence, including revolutionary ‘counter-violence’ and pacifist ‘non-violence’, in a way that risks the greater violence of managed oppression and exploitation? Through references to the work of Hannah Arendt that connect their two ‘texts’, this chapter turns from Balibar’s writings to the work of Jean-François Lyotard, notably the short essay ‘The Other’s Rights’, in order to assess whether Lyotard’s thought offers pathways beyond the seemingly irresolvable paradoxes of ‘anti-violence’. Along the way, the chapter contemplates the debts of both these thinkers to the psychoanalytic corpus. If reconceptualising violence in its contemporary guises involves transformative re-engagement with psychoanalytic ideas and arguments, I suggest that Balibar’s thought inherits and assumes a resistance of psychoanalysis that may also be a resistance of psychoanalysis.

Value | Theory | Crisis

PMLA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Nealon
Keyword(s):  
Walter Benjamin ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Reading Practices ◽  
Literary Writing ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
Do So ◽  
The Way

My aim in this short essay is to make it possible to read these two passages together, but not in the way i think we'd typically do so in the literary humanities. The passage by Walter Benjamin is a canonical instance of left-literary writing that means to ground itself in Marx's account of capital by demonstrating that the struggle of oppressed peoples, even before the rise of capital, leaves traces in texts and in reading practices. Because of his use of the figure of “the Messiah,” it is possible to read the passage as evidence of Benjamin's messianism, though that is exactly what I intend to suggest we shouldn't do.

In Memory of Dr. Shlomit C. Schuster

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-30
Author(s):  
Young E. Rhee ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Therapy Group ◽  
Philosophical Practice ◽  
Korean Society ◽  
National University ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
The Way

In this short essay, I recollect my memories of Dr. Shlomit C. Schuster. Dr. Schus­ter was a great philosopher and a philosophical counselor, and I am struggling to spell out now the significance of the time I spent with her. Dr. Schuster visited Korea twice (2010 and 2012) and left a very strong impression on the members of the Korean Society of Philosophical Practice and Humanities, especially the Therapy Group of Kangwon National University. Someday I might realize the significance of her philosophical thoughts but I feel obligated to share something about the way in which we will remember her.

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