scholarly journals Canned Peaches and Chicken Parts: Postmodern Food in Don DeLillo's White Noise

Elements ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Wong
Keyword(s):  
White Noise ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Allen Ginsberg ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Television Commercials ◽  
Thorstein Veblen ◽  
Food Items

Descriptions and interactions with food serve as signifiers of cultural values in the postmodern society of Don DeLillo's novel, <em>White Noise</em>. Amid a constant stream of name brand advertisements and flashy television commercials, characters struggle to find substantive meaning in their lives. DeLillo presents a consumer culture swamped in excess, belongings, and commodities, where food items characterize their buyers and even commodify their outlooks on life. From family bargain packs of potato chips indicating success and well-being, to plastic-wrapped slices of cheese facilitating an efficient yet isolated life, this essay discusses DeLillo's different uses of food imagery throughout the novel. DeLillo's portrayal of a postmodern consumer society is put into dialogue with acclaimed experts and critics Jean Baudrillard and Thorstein Veblen, as well as artistic work that comments on the role of 'pop foods' in contemporary American culture, incluidng works by pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein and poet Allen Ginsberg.

scholarly journals Rabindranath Tagore’s Philosophy of Spiritual Humanism and the Problems of Women Presented in the Novel ‘Nexus’ (Yogayog, 1929)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 105-116
Author(s):  
Ritu Tandon
Keyword(s):  
Short Story ◽  
Married Woman ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Social Reformer ◽  
Rabindranath Tagore ◽  
Great Poet ◽  
Story Writer

Spiritual humanism means thinking about the progress of human beings in all fields - social, cultural, political or economical and advocates that science and philosophy, art and literature, or anything that human beings have achieved by logical thinking and idealistic thoughts must aim at the well-being of humanity. Its principal aim is to achieve human freedom, cheerful life with development and prosperity without any kind of discrimination among human beings. Rabindranath Tagore was a great poet, dramatist, novelist, short-story writer, musician, painter, educationist, social reformer, philosopher, spiritualist and a critic of life and literature.   He wrote about the problems of women in most of his works – whether it is a poem, novel, play or a short- story. Rabindranath Tagore’s novel ‘Nexus’(Yogayog,1929) is an important story of a married woman Kumudini’s struggle for freedom against the brutality of her cruel husband, Madhusudan. Here, Tagore’s evolving attitude towards the role of a married woman, Kumudini   and her rebellious thoughts towards the domination of her husband are clearly presented in this novel. Rabindranath Tagore believed that the solution for all the problems of society lies in spreading the message of non-violence, truth, peace, love, and wisdom, which brings happiness among human beings. The present paper is an effort to investigate the major problems of married women of the nineteenth century Bengali society and the importance of Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy of spiritual humanism in the emancipation of women, which made Tagore a multitalented novelist, writer and personality.

Art-making in mental health – a Fijian pilot study

2020 ◽  
pp. 103985622097006
Author(s):  
Brigid Ryan ◽  
Patricia Fenner ◽  
Odille Chang ◽  
Sefanaia Qaloewai ◽  
Thelma Nabukavou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Broad Scale

Objective: A pilot art-making and mental health recovery project addressed consumer and carer mental health and well-being in Suva, Fiji. Method: Using feedback surveys, the project evaluated initial training, and a 12-month art programme for consumers, carers and staff across several mental health services. Results: First person and stakeholder group reports from the project reflected broad-scale approval for the novel modality and its potential for continued application in keeping with local cultural values. A broad stakeholder base was involved in planning and participation, aligned with the values of inclusive recovery-oriented mental health service approaches. Conclusions: These results suggest that the programme can add value to mental health care being provided for people with a mental illness in Fiji.

scholarly journals Conduct in Dementia: Video Analysis of Arts Interventions

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-540
Author(s):  
Christian Morgner ◽  
Spencer Hazel ◽  
Justine Schneider ◽  
Victoria Tischler
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Video Analysis ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Art Exhibition ◽  
People With Dementia

This study applies video analysis to an investigation of interactions among people with dementia in a cultural context, specifically a visual art exhibition in a gallery. The study adopts a sociologically informed approach to explore the role of artworks and how these may be beneficial to dementia care, by focusing on meaning-making conversational practices among people living with dementia. The interactions of different individuals with various forms of dementia were recorded during three gallery visits, including their engagement with gallery attendants and artworks. The findings reveal the socially empowering impact of interactions related to artwork, with complex patterns in bodily behaviour and facial expressions meaning that orientation to dementia became negligible. The article makes a contribution to the growing field of sociology of ageing and well-being from an interaction analytic perspective, indicating that cultural values can play a greater role in the care of people living with dementia.

Contextualizing Information Behavior: A Methodological Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Marie Gaston
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Contextual Variation ◽  
Recent Developments

Building on recent developments in information behavior theory & research, this paper explores the role of context in methodological approaches to the investigation of everyday information behavior. In particular, the author examines the implicit role of Western constructs in existing models and theories of information behavior, and illustrates how a more contextually responsive method for investigating information behavior may provide more robust and accurate indices of how individuals interact with information in their everyday lives in diverse contexts. The value of a contextualized understanding of information behavior is demonstrated by drawing on two studies examining the role of contextual factors in everyday information behavior in non-Western societies. In doing so the author identifies several factors with considerable contextual variation that play a strong role in how individuals need, seek and use information in their daily lives, particularly social and cultural values.  The author also demonstrates the value in further exploring this contextual variation in information behavior research, supported by relevant theoretical and philosophical considerations. The resulting information behavior research methodology is aimed at identifying the contextual factors present in everyday information behavior, which may enable information scientists to better understand variation in information behavior and develop more robust tools for investigating information behavior in diverse communities.  I conclude by suggesting that the implementation of this method may also lead to better understanding of the relationship between information practices and well-being, as well as having implications for international development and cross-cultural collaboration.

scholarly journals Maternal Adverse Childhood Experience Exposure and Resilience During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942110023
Author(s):  
Catherine A. LaBrenz ◽  
Philip Baiden ◽  
Erin Findley ◽  
Patrick S. Tennant ◽  
Sreyashi Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Since March 2020, families across the United States have faced challenges due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its subsequent restrictions. Although some experts have voiced concern over the impact of COVID-19 on family well-being, few studies have been conducted thus far. This study utilized n = 250 responses from an online survey that was administered between May and June 2020 to gauge family stress and resilience among mothers of children ages 0 to 5 during the pandemic. Adverse childhood experiences were negatively associated with parental resilience among this sample. Furthermore, frequency of child care was positively linked to protective factors and resilience. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed, with a particular focus on the role of child care and school openings during the pandemic.

scholarly journals A Perspective on Reprioritizing Children’s’ Wellbeing Amidst COVID-19: Implications for Policymakers and Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakti Chaturvedi ◽  
Thomas Enias Pasipanodya
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Adequate Response ◽  
Children’S Wellbeing ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Impact

The present work presents an analytical and investigatory view of the existing issues regarding COVID-19 with attention to children and their overall well-being during the second quarter of 2020. The authors conducted an extensive content analysis of media reports, government briefings, social platforms, and provide some recommendations to the policymakers and care providers for building more robust responses for the pandemic affected children. The article contributes to the existing field of study in the following ways. Firstly, the present manuscript describes the impact of COVID-19 on the psychosocial health of children. Secondly, the authors offered some outcome-based responses to policymakers and caregivers to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on COVID affected families and children. Thirdly, the article highlights the importance of social media, the role of storytelling, and using the concept of mandalas in handling the pandemic affected sensitive sections of the society. Lastly, the authors furnish some response initiatives to combat the novel COVID-19 pandemic based on real-world observations. These initiatives can influence policymakers as well as help caregivers to design efficient and adequate response programs for the pandemic affected children.

scholarly journals Flow in the Time of COVID-19: Findings from China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Sweeny ◽  
Kyla Rankin ◽  
Xiaorong Cheng ◽  
Lulu Hou ◽  
Fangfang Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

In February 2020, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) was raging in Wuhan, China and quickly spreading to the rest of the world. This period was fraught with uncertainty for those in the affected areas. The present investigation examined the role of two potential coping resources during this stressful period of uncertainty: flow and mindfulness. Participants in Wuhan and other major cities affected by COVID-19 (N = 5115) completed an online survey assessing experiences of flow, mindfulness, and well-being. Longer quarantine was associated with poorer well-being; flow and mindfulness predicted better well-being on some measures. However, flow—but not mindfulness—moderated the link between quarantine length and well-being, such that people who experienced high levels flow showed little or no association between quarantine length and poorer well-being. These findings suggest that engaging in flow-inducing activities may be a particularly effective way to protect against the deleterious effects of a period of quarantine.

scholarly journals Bridging the Gap between Affective Well-Being and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Role of Work Engagement and Collectivist Orientation

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 4503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Xu ◽  
Baoguo Xie ◽  
Beth Chung
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Role Performance ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Relationship

Workplace well-being has received considerable attention over the past decade. Relative to the positive relationship between affective well-being and in-role performance, the relationship between affective well-being and extra-role performance has received little empirical attention. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among affective well-being, work engagement, collectivist orientation, and organizational citizenship behavior. Specifically, we tested this model with a sample of 264 employees from a telecom company in China. We found that: (1) affective well-being was the positive predictor of organizational citizenship behavior (B = 0.482, p < 0.001); (2) work engagement mediated the relationship between employee affective well-being and organizational citizenship behavior (indirect effect = 0.330, p < 0.001); and (3) collectivist orientation moderated the relationship between affective well-being and work engagement (B = 0.113, p < 0.01) and affective well-being and organizational citizenship behavior (B = 0.084, p < 0.05). Our discussion highlights the benefits of understanding the role of work engagement and cultural values with regard to the relationship between affective well-being and organizational citizenship behavior.

scholarly journals Rethinking the Cultural Icon: Its Use and Function in Popular Culture

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Truman
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cultural Icon ◽  
American Popular Culture ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
And Function

Background  The role of cultural icons in twenty-first century North American popular culture has been under-theorized in communication scholarship. This is a significant gap in knowledge, given the importance of the icon as a public text through which collective cultural values are symbolized.Analysis  Using the novel approach of the scoping review, this article illuminates the current landscape of iconic studies by identifying wide-ranging examples of the cultural icon from academic scholarship, recognizing organizational categories, and synthesizing existing definitions to highlight the limits of current conceptualizations.Conclusions and Implications  Informed by the collected data, this article suggests a redefinition of the cultural icon that considers its current novel role in revealing tensions between different articulations of collective cultural values.Contexte  Le rôle des icônes culturels dans la culture populaire nord-américaine de ce siècle n’a pas encore reçu une attention théorique soutenue en communication. Cette lacune est sérieuse, vu l’importance de l’icône en tant que texte public par lequel nous représentons nos valeurs culturelles collectives.Analyse  Au moyen de l’approche novatrice qu’est l’examen de la portée, cet article illumine le terrain contemporain des études iconiques en identifiant divers exemples de l’icône culturel dans la recherche académique, en recensant des catégories organisationnelles pour celui-ci, et en faisant la synthèse de définitions courantes afin de souligner les limites des conceptualisations actuelles.Conclusion et implications  Cet article s’inspire des données recueillies pour proposer une redéfinition de l’icône culturel qui rend compte de son rôle novateur de souligner les tensions sous-tendant diverses articulations de valeurs culturelles collectives.

scholarly journals The Role of Space in the Creation of the Social Capital of Sofia Students Before the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-156
Author(s):  
Lucien Peters
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The paper starts from the notion that the social capital of young persons is an essential part of their well-being and an individual's success in life and society. It presents ethnographic re-search of the role of urban and regional space as one of the factors relevant to the creation of young people’s social capital. The period of research is 2014-2020, until the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic in late February 2020. The principal research method is longitu-dinal ethnographic participant observation in a higher education setting in Sofia, comple-mented by semi-structured interviews and life histories of informants, gathered in informal settings, with members of the post-1980 generations. Informants were aged 19-36, of both genders, and all were known to the enquirer for periods ranging between two and seven years. Their socialization and education took place largely in post-Communist times. The ethno-graphic observation examines the geographical environment of students’ lives, as the space where life takes place is a key factor for the quality of youth people's lives and well-being. Their homes, hometowns, educational institution, leisure pursuits; their potential contacts with other cultures, and other factors which may have emerged during observation, and which may have contributed to the formation of students’ social circles and their attitudes towards civic life, have been examined.

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