Contributions to a semiotics of religion: the semiosis from sign to meaning

This article approaches theoretically the religious experience in toto. Considering the semiotics applied to religion, contributions to understand and recognize the relevance of this discipline are proposed. Such approach to the semiotics of religion justifies the aim of the article: to understand the meaning structures of religious experiences. These experiences are diverse, intimate, subjective, but all have an idea of the “transcendent” as a referent and they are based on structures of meaning, expressions, and representations of the sacred, forms, uses and interpretations of religious signs, systems of collective thought and symbolic action. It is intended to advocate that: 1) the semiotics of religion is an interdisciplinary branch of social sciences and humanities and a sort of semiotics of culture; religion is a form of culture, as well communication and social meaning; 2) religion is a semiotic phenomenon; it is sustained by signs, representations, processes of signification and cultural construction of the world, without which there could be no religion. This is followed by a conceptual, theoretical strategy of critical discussion of the structures of meaning on which manifest culture is based through what we say or do, the way we behave and the attitude we have towards signs.

On the Strategies of Strengthening the Construction of Campus Culture in Colleges and Universities from the Perspective of the New Era

At present, our country has entered a new stage of development. In the context of rapid economic development, people have increasingly realized the importance of cultural construction to social development. As a base for training talents, colleges and universities must fully realize the importance of school culture construction, and combine their own advantages and characteristics to explore effective ways of campus culture construction. Colleges and universities should guide students to establish a correct outlook on life and values, strengthen students’ ideological and moral education, promote the construction of a harmonious campus, and promote the connotative development of the school. This article first analyzes the significance of the construction of campus culture in colleges and universities in the new era, and discusses the strategy of constructing campus culture in colleges and universities, hoping to provide some reference for the comprehensive development of college campus culture construction.

Stage as a universe of human communicative activity

The purpose of the article. The research is connected with the definition of culturological bases of synthetic image formation in the system of modern communication and opening of stage space as a communicative phenomenon in the context of the transformation of spectacular cultural practices of the XX century. The research methodology consists of theoretical and interpretive models of comparative and systematic approaches to the definition of stage space as cultural integrity. The scientific novelty of the work is to reveal the peculiarities of cultural creation of stage space in the twentieth century, when artists turned to previous systems of artistic reflection, figurative distinctions of the stage in culture. Emphasis is placed on the relevance of the study of the communicative properties of the stage in cultural construction. The stage can be remote, virtual, chamber, monumental. However, the scene from the category of subject-spatial dimension passes into another dimension - time. On the stage you can not break the unity of time and space, the stage is the unity of action and event, and also presents a certain space-time - chronotope, human image, an image of the day. Conclusions. The revival of the pre-cultural, pre-civilization in the broad progressive sense of the word world of the stage becomes the basis for a polymorphic definition of the communicative dimension of the stage as such. Stage space in the modern dimension requires a comprehensive interdisciplinary study, which focuses on discursive analysis, phenomenological and aesthetic studies of the categories "stage", "act", "action", "event", "creativity", etc. The article only raises the issue of interdisciplinary research tools. Further elaboration of the problem field requires separate investigations. Keywords: culture, universe, scene, action, event, chronotope, scenics.

Бурят-Монгольский ученый комитет (1922–1929 гг.): этапы становления и организация первых научных исследований

The article aims at shedding light on the history of the Buryat-Mongolian Scientific Committee: stages of its growth, contributions of its staff members in the organization of research and its implementation. Materials and methods. Both published and unpublished documents kept in the Center for Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and in the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia were used as the main sources for the reconstruction of the past events while the data analysis was based on the main scientific principles of historicism, systematicity, and objectivity; the paper’s comprehensive approach was implemented via the method of system analysis, problem-chronological and historical-comparative methods, and local history. Results. The Buryat-Mongolian Scientific Committee (Buruchkom), established in July 1922, was designed to promote the national-cultural construction in Buryat-Mongolia while focusing on research and educational tasks. It had to begin its operation under far from favorable conditions, such as poor funding, illiteracy of the population, a shortage of personnel, and practically non-existent printing and publishing, especially in the Buryat-Mongolian language. Nevertheless, Buruchkom organized the studies of Buryat history, archaeology, spiritual and material culture, language and religion, and started field work as well. A significant portion of its activities was initially directed towards translation of educational and socio-political literature into the Buryat language, related terminological and lexical studies, preparation and publication of teaching materials, such as textbooks and teaching manuals for Buryat-Mongolian schools. The academic environment was enhanced with establishing a library and museum, which were of much relevance for future scientific work. Buruchkom’s final success was due to its fruitful cooperation with the central scientific institutions of the country and the Mongolian Scientific Committee. Conclusion. Despite that its team of researchers was not numerous, Buruchkom managed to organize, as well as conduct research projects in the fields of history, archaeology, ethnography, and linguistics. Having accomplished an important objective of laying the foundations of science in the region, it has now become a leading academic center of the Republic, known for its research in the arts and humanities.

Social Scientization and the Schooling State in UK Parliamentary Discourse, 1803–1909

Traditional accounts of state expansion and of the rise of state schooling in the nineteenth century emphasize economic, political, and social development as well as conflict and domination. These accounts explain the introduction of new state structures, like ministries of education, rules of compulsion, and the general elaboration of bureaucracies. This article contributes to the historical sociological study of state expansion with specific regard to schooling by refocusing on the role that macrocultural processes of social scientization played in shaping the discursive construction and expansion of the state. Designed to analyze the 1.3 million speeches given in the UK parliament during the nineteenth century, the research reported here supports the argument that the development, professionalization, and institutionalization of the social sciences—social scientization—was a powerful force of cultural construction across the West and was positively associated with expanded notions of the state, as evidenced with the case of the United Kingdom. This article therefore not only provides an important alternative view to those who emphasize economic and social transformation but it also advances the empirical study of the powerful role that social science, as generative institution of cultural construction, played in shaping official discourses of the state—in this instance, the schooling state.

Women’s Bodies and the Evolution of Anti-rape Technologies: From the Hoop Skirt to the Smart Frock

In this article, we explore smart deterrents and their historical precedents marketed to women and girls for the purpose of preventing harassment, sexual abuse and violence. Rape deterrents, as we define them, encompass customs, architectures, fashions, surveillant infrastructures, apps and devices conceived to manage and protect the body. Online searches reveal an array of technologies, and we engage with their prevention narratives and cultural construction discourses of the gendered body. Our critical analysis places recent rape deterrents in conversation with earlier technologies to untangle the persistent logics. These are articulated with reference to the ways that proto-digital technologies have been imported into the realm of ubiquitous computing and networks. Our conceptual framework offers novel pathways for discussing feminine bodies and their messy navigation of everyday life that include both threats to corporeal safety and collective imaginings of empowerment.

Sosyal Ağlarda Çokkültürlülük Üzerine İnceleme: Youtube Tepki Videoları

Analysis of Social Networks on Multiculturalism: Youtube Reaction Videos Abstract Multiculturalism is one of the most important concepts brought about by the disappearance of borders in the geographical and cultural areas, the acceleration of mobility and information flow in the international arena, and especially in the 20th century. The concept of multiculturalism, which has the ideals of preventing racism and discrimination, increasing tolerance and sensitivity towards differences and providing intercultural interaction, has been moved to a different dimension at the point where today's world has come. Multiculturalism serves cultural processes by gaining meaning in internet environments as a field that allows cultural construction processes to take place. The study aims to contribute to the definition of the concept of multiculturalism at the level of state policies as well as its definition in the digital field. In this direction, it is aimed to reveal the contribution of multiculturalism with examples via YouTube, one of the most used social networks worldwide. On YouTube, the channel containing the reactions of a user of different cultures by watching Turkish music videos and examples from this channel were analyzed using content analysis method. Structured Abstract: The most common interpretation of globalization is the idea that the world has become more homogeneous and standardized through a technological, commercial and cultural synchronization spreading from the West, and that globalization is connected with modernity. Globalization, which is frequently discussed today, is a comprehensive concept that is based on geographical discoveries and extends to the state it has taken under the influence of today's technological developments. In today's world, globalization has turned into a way of life and has become the normal of our daily lives. Globalization in general; the disappearance of national borders, allowing the free movement of goods, services and cultures around the world. Robertson says that globalization is centered around two main orientations. While the first refers to economic interdependence, the other refers to the globalization of institutions, communities and practices (2013: 136). Globalization includes several dimensions. The cultural dimension is among the most important of these. The cultural dimension of globalization can be considered within the scope of transportation, communication and communication as a result of its economic basis. The fact that different parts of the world are in contact with economic purposes has allowed different cultures to get to know each other, and cultures that include small groups to be noticed. Intercultural interaction has reached a high level with digital communication channels. The cultural dimension of globalization has led to the emergence of various concepts. Multiculturalism is one of these concepts. Multiculturalism, as a system of thought, defines the fair promotion of different cultures in the public sphere and the peaceful coexistence of different cultural communities within the same political organization (Dotycheva, 2009:12). In the digital age we live in, every field has a multicultural structure. The fact that communication tools enable universal communication has led to the emergence of social networks. The borderless structure of social networks directly serves multiculturalism. Youtube, chosen as the subject of analysis of the study, is a social network that is visited and content is produced by millions of people around the world. Cultural content is also produced on YouTube, where all kinds of videos can be shared. It allows a culture to introduce itself and spread it from various aspects. It does this effectively with the power of visuality. By accessing the content on this network from all over the world, it is possible to watch videos, obtain information, give feedback and contribute to the expansion of the content by producing. YouTube's “Kingdom of Luke” channel, chosen as the field of study, shows its experiences about different cultures by watching music clips from different countries. While creating content, it does a preliminary research about the video to watch instead of just watching. Considering the five videos selected as a sample, 60% of the videos explain the content and give information about the song. It gives information about the song genre in 40% of the videos. Explains the musical genres that have their own characteristics as “anthem” and “folk song” and indicates their characteristics. The channel owner gives information about the singers in 100% of the videos. Explain what kind of music the singers make, their life, their place and importance in Turkish music. In this way, he gets information about the culture he is foreign to through the artists. It gives historical information on 60% of the pieces. The channel owner makes inferences about culture in 60% of the videos he examines. All of these videos are pieces with historical content. He states that as a result of his viewing experience, he was influenced by pieces with historical content and shared a sense of victory and struggle. This shows that even though it is experienced by different societies, all world rights can develop common feelings in situations such as war, destruction and victory. There are Turkish and English comments in all of the videos and in the comments under the video. This shows that besides being watched by users from Turkey, it is watched by different cultures or that users use the universal language English to appeal to all cultures. Thanks to the video content, a content producer from a different culture gained knowledge as a result of his researches and impressions about the culture he is foreign to; It has made them accessible to millions of people by publishing them on the most used video sharing site all over the world. Many people had the opportunity to access this video, and those who watched the content had the opportunity to have information about Turkish culture. These contents, which contribute to the multicultural structure in the digital field, contribute to the empathy of different cultures with each other and to develop positive thoughts about culture; It emphasizes love and respect by preventing racism and discrimination. Keywords: Social Sciences, Social Networks, Globalization, Multiculturalism, YouTube

City Brand Image Building and Its Impact on the Psychological Capital of New Entrepreneurs Following Cultural Construction

The purpose of the study is to provide effective direction and ideas for urban modernization and promote the development of the city innovation economy and the stability of the employment rate. First, the main contents and influencing factors of urban culture construction are introduced. Second, the construction of city cultural images and the social capital of new entrepreneurs are discussed, and the relationship between the two is analyzed. Then, Interpretative Structural Modeling Method (ISM) is put forward, and five influencing factors of city entrepreneurial environments are expounded. A questionnaire survey is designed based on the ISM model, and a nationwide survey of new entrepreneurs is carried out. The survey results show that entrepreneurs of different genders, ages, and educational levels have different degrees of concern for the city image. Among them, the entrepreneurs with different educational levels have the most obvious difference in their attention to the cultural image of the city (p < 0.05). In addition, public transportation, educational conditions, tourism resources, air quality, and image orientation are the most obvious factors affecting the construction of city brand images (p < 0.05). The influence of the educational level of residents and investment environment on new entrepreneurs is more prominent. This shows that in the process of shaping the city brand image, the improvement of city culture is helpful for new enterprises. The more perfect the city culture is, the more attractive it will be for highly educated entrepreneurs. The study can help relevant decision-makers to plan the future development direction of the city more accurately and realize the stable development of city brand images.

Selves and Spaces in Science Fiction

<p>This thesis proposes a critical framework by which science fiction can be read as an indicator of significant trends and debates in science and culture. It takes as its starting point Brian Aldiss's statement that science fiction's purpose is to articulate in fictional form a definition of humanity and its status in the universe that will stand in the light of science. Science fiction exists as a means by which scientific concepts are constructed as cultural interpretations, and as both have changed significantly over the period from the emergence of the genre in the mid nineteenth century through the twentieth century, analysis of science-fictional forms and practices can reveal the processes of their evolution. A critical framework is constructed based on Aldiss' definition, identifying first, a construction of selfhood and spatiality - physical and metaphysical - as being fundamental, and secondly, identifying the emergence and evolution of major 'Orders' that take different approaches to key issues and which engage with each other both antagonistically and creatively. The thesis begins with an investigation of the cultural construction of space and then covers the emergence of science fiction as it relates to the project to define humanity and its standing in the universe in a manner consistent with science. Three Orders and their emergence are then described according to their architectonic schemae and their epistemological and creative processes. The first is the Modernist Order, based on Cartesian spatiality and mind-body dualism and empirical scientific practice. The second, which emerged as an attempt to synthesise modern science with traditional culture, is the Neohumanist Order. The third, still very much in flux, is the Posthumanist Order, which is very much inspired both by postmodernism and cybernetics. The three following chapters deal with the Orders in turn, selecting exemplary texts from their emergent and developed (or developing) stages, suggesting also the points in the development of each where another Order has disengaged and emerged in its own right. Because science and culture evolve over time, examination of the Orders is intrinsically linked to a concept of science fiction as being an ongoing discourse, each selected text is interpreted as being a response to a particular issue at a particular cultural moment, but nonetheless connected to predecessor and successor texts that represent a line of argument pursued over time within and between Orders. The Orders are not hermetic by any means, and their most enlightening aspects can be their varying treatment of a common concept. The cyborg furnishes an excellent example, being treated differently by each of the Orders as it is an image of the integration of humanity and technology. Issues such as self, body, boundary, location, the other and communication are all represented in the cyborg and the next two chapters discuss the cyborg as treated by different Orders, in the first case, as a body and in the second case, as an inhabitant and creation of architectonics and culture. The conclusion then discusses the current state of affairs regarding the system of Orders as a critical method. It is shown that 'impure' texts that contain aspects of each of the Orders do not negate their usefulness, but rather demonstrate it as texts (and postmodern texts in particular) provide stages on which the Orders can be displayed engaging with each other.</p>

Selves and Spaces in Science Fiction

<p>This thesis proposes a critical framework by which science fiction can be read as an indicator of significant trends and debates in science and culture. It takes as its starting point Brian Aldiss's statement that science fiction's purpose is to articulate in fictional form a definition of humanity and its status in the universe that will stand in the light of science. Science fiction exists as a means by which scientific concepts are constructed as cultural interpretations, and as both have changed significantly over the period from the emergence of the genre in the mid nineteenth century through the twentieth century, analysis of science-fictional forms and practices can reveal the processes of their evolution. A critical framework is constructed based on Aldiss' definition, identifying first, a construction of selfhood and spatiality - physical and metaphysical - as being fundamental, and secondly, identifying the emergence and evolution of major 'Orders' that take different approaches to key issues and which engage with each other both antagonistically and creatively. The thesis begins with an investigation of the cultural construction of space and then covers the emergence of science fiction as it relates to the project to define humanity and its standing in the universe in a manner consistent with science. Three Orders and their emergence are then described according to their architectonic schemae and their epistemological and creative processes. The first is the Modernist Order, based on Cartesian spatiality and mind-body dualism and empirical scientific practice. The second, which emerged as an attempt to synthesise modern science with traditional culture, is the Neohumanist Order. The third, still very much in flux, is the Posthumanist Order, which is very much inspired both by postmodernism and cybernetics. The three following chapters deal with the Orders in turn, selecting exemplary texts from their emergent and developed (or developing) stages, suggesting also the points in the development of each where another Order has disengaged and emerged in its own right. Because science and culture evolve over time, examination of the Orders is intrinsically linked to a concept of science fiction as being an ongoing discourse, each selected text is interpreted as being a response to a particular issue at a particular cultural moment, but nonetheless connected to predecessor and successor texts that represent a line of argument pursued over time within and between Orders. The Orders are not hermetic by any means, and their most enlightening aspects can be their varying treatment of a common concept. The cyborg furnishes an excellent example, being treated differently by each of the Orders as it is an image of the integration of humanity and technology. Issues such as self, body, boundary, location, the other and communication are all represented in the cyborg and the next two chapters discuss the cyborg as treated by different Orders, in the first case, as a body and in the second case, as an inhabitant and creation of architectonics and culture. The conclusion then discusses the current state of affairs regarding the system of Orders as a critical method. It is shown that 'impure' texts that contain aspects of each of the Orders do not negate their usefulness, but rather demonstrate it as texts (and postmodern texts in particular) provide stages on which the Orders can be displayed engaging with each other.</p>