Smelling Disease and Death in the Antwerp Church of Our Lady, c. 1450-1559

Early modern societies were pervaded by smells and odours, but few traces have survived that offer a glimpse of the olfactory experience. This essay reconstructs this lost early modern ‘smellscape’, focusing on the smell of disease and death in the late medieval Antwerp Church of Our Lady (c. 1450-1559). Bustling cathedrals and parish churches could be a minefield of life-threatening odours, as there was a strong interaction between externally perceived body odour and a person’s inner sweetness. Through devotional objects and liturgical rituals, however, it was possible to protect oneself from the stench of both living and dead parishioners. Exemplary markers for the shared discourse of smell on a medical and spiritual level were aromatic prayer beads and purifying incense.

Channeling Moroccanness

What does it mean to connect as Moroccans via mass media when there is widespread feeling of communicative failure? This book approaches the question by exploring situated talk about communicative failure, which speaks to how Moroccans seek to shape social and political relations in urban Fez. Over the last decade, laments of language and media failure in Fez have focused on communicative channels and were not just about social relations that used to be and had been lost, but also what ought to be and had yet to be realized. These channels, or mediums that connected people, ranged from objects such as devotional prayer beads and remote controls; to interactional forms such as storytelling registers, dress styles, and non-standard Arabic writing; and to media platforms like television news, Moroccan religious stations, or WhatsApp group chats. This book describes these multimodal channels and analyzes how, why, and when they moved from facilitator (intermediating connecting mechanism) to meddler (mediating sociality actor). Laments about communicative channel failures precipitated relationality projects by the state and several Fassi calibrations of those efforts. These laments were ways of speaking that created Moroccanness, the feeling of participating in the ongoing formations of Moroccan public relationality. Rather than furthering the discourse about Morocco’s conflict between liberal secularists and religious conservatives, this ethnography shows the subtle range of ideologies and practices evoked in Fassi homes to calibrate appropriate Moroccan sociality and political consciousness.

The Talking Dead: Everyday Muslim Practice in Russia

This article focusses on the issue of “traditional Islam” in Russia and the practices associated with it. Employing an approach that combines the concepts of lived religion and everyday nationalism, those practices are taken into consideration that are often interpreted in terms of vernacular Islam and regarded skeptically, if not outright rejected, by proponents of a more global Islam. Discussed in detail are commemoration ceremonies for the dead, prayers in the cemetery, saint veneration and local pilgrimage, the mawlid celebration and the use of prayer beads. These practices indicate an outlook on life, where Muslim believers cultivate a close connection to their environment and maintain personal relations to various human and more-than-human beings, thus creating the space for an exchange crossing the boundary between life and death. The article contributes to the anthropological study of Islam in Russia and—by focusing on religious practice—specifically attempts to capture the main characteristics of “traditional Islam.”

Reaching the 21st century students in the United Arab Emirates: using Ethnomathematics through #Innovation

We in the College of Education at Zayed University are committed to excellence. With that in mind, we developed a very ambitious project to create an IOS math app to encourage grade six Emirati students to engage with mathematics. Additionally, our project aimed to provide Emirati students (boys and girls) opportunities to explore mathematics based on modules grounded in the Emirati culture. More specifically, the IOS math app contained three modules - Henna (in Arabic حنة ), Prayer Beads (مسبحة), and Bamboo Baskets (سلال البامبو ). The Henna explored geometric transformations; Prayer Beads investigated patterns in Algebra, and Bamboo Baskets examined circumference, diameter, reading a ruler, and where does pi come from. This paper will provide a detail description and project justifications. Along with a short analysis of the grade six Emirati students’ henna designs, as the designs relate to geometric transformations.Keywords: Ethnomathematics. Grade Six. United Arab Emirates. Mobile Learning. Henna.Alcanzando a los estudiantes del siglo XXI en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos: usando las Etnomatemáticas a través de # InnovaciónNosotros en la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Zayed estamos comprometidos con la excelencia. Con eso en mente, desarrollamos un proyecto muy ambicioso para crear una aplicación de matemáticas IOS para alentar a los estudiantes emiratíes de sexto grado a participar en las matemáticas. Además, nuestro proyecto tenía como objetivo proporcionar a los estudiantes emiratíes (niños y niñas) oportunidades para explorar las matemáticas basadas en módulos basados en la cultura emiratí. Más específicamente, la aplicación matemática IOS contenía tres módulos: henna (en árabe حنة), cuentas de oración (مسبحة) y cestas de bambú (سلال البامبو). La henna exploró las transformaciones geométricas; las cuentas de oración investigaran patrones en álgebra, y las cestas de bambú examinaran la circunferencia, el diámetro, la lectura de una regla y de dónde proviene pi. Este documento proporcionará una descripción detallada y justificaciones del proyecto junto con un breve análisis de los diseños de henna de los estudiantes de Emiratí de sexto grado, ya que los diseños se relacionan con transformaciones geométricas.Palabras clave: Etnomatemáticas. Grado 6. Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Aprendizaje móvil. Henna.Alcançando os alunos do século XXI nos Emirados Árabes Unido: usando a Etnomatemática por meio da # InovaçãoNós da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade de Zayed estamos comprometidos com a excelência. Com isso em mente, desenvolvemos um projeto muito ambicioso para criar um aplicativo de matemática do IOS para incentivar os alunos do sexto ano dos Emirados a se envolverem com a matemática. Além disso, nosso projeto teve como objetivo oferecer aos alunos dos Emirados (meninos e meninas) oportunidades de explorar a matemática com base em módulos fundamentados na cultura dos Emirados. Mais especificamente, o aplicativo de matemática do IOS contém três módulos - Henna (em árabe), Prayer Beads (مسبحة) e Bamboo Baskets (سلال البامبو). O Henna explorou transformações geométricas; os Prayer Beads investigaram os padrões em álgebra e as Bamboo Baskets examinaram a circunferência, o diâmetro, a leitura de uma régua e de onde vem o pi. Esse documento fornecerá uma descrição detalhada e as justificativas do projeto juntamente com uma breve análise dos desenhos de hena dos alunos dos Emirados do sexto ano, pois se relacionam a transformações geométricas.Palavras chave: Etnomatemática. 6º Ano. Emirados Árabes Unidos. Aprendizagem Móvel. Henna.

RECONSTRUCTION OF HINDU PRIEST IN THE DYNAMICS OF THE INTER TRI SADHAKA AND SARWA SADHAKA IN BALI

The reconstruction of Hindu Pandita in Bali marked a polarization of Hindu Pandita set in the difference of the clan (Soroh) and the belief system needs to be examined more deeply. The fact shows that there are still many Hindus who think that the Hindu Pandita belong to the Brahmin clan. This gap can be a stimulant misintensity against the issue of the Kapanditan and the condition to construct "Homo hierarchicus versus Homo ecqualis are engaged in Bali in war without End". The research aims to (1) understand the foundations of the thinking of the reconstruction of the Hindu Pandita (RPH) in the dynamics between Tri-Sadhaka and the unconscious Chi Wildlife Station in the Balinese people, (2) understand the driving factors of Hindu's pandy reconstruction in Bali in The dynamics between Tri-Sadhaka – Sarwa Sadhaka, and (3) analyzing the implications of Balinese Hindu's impartiation. This research uses a mix method with the priority of using qualitative methods, which are supported by quantitative methods with value inventory techniques. The theory used as a foundation is the theory of power relations, structuration, deconstruction. The results of this study pertain to three things; First, reconstruction of the fundamentals of Hindu Pandita Thinking in the dynamics between Trisadaka and Chi Wildlife Station Sadaka is the efforts of the description of attitudes and personalities, value-conscious competence, and integrality. In the sense of the Hindu Pandita, which is personally integral, intact, and that is considered sacred, glorious, since he was in prayer beads spiritually through the process of diksa. Secondly, the impetus factors of Hindu reconstruction in the dynamics between Tri-saddleted and a Godly Chi wildlife station in Balinese people concerning historical and geneological dimensions, increased knowledge and chastity factors as a mode of adaptation to Pandita, a social movement in the competition's status, and ideas for movement change. Thirdly, the implications in the dynamics of competition between Trisadaka and Sarwasadaka are concerned with the ideological, social and economic pragmatism and importance of power. Keywords: the reconstruction of Hindu priest, the dynamics, tri and sarwa sadhaka, economic pragmatism and power

Recent trends in import and export of Rudraksha beads in India

The Rudraksha beads are traditionally used as prayer beads in Hinduism (especially Shaivism) throughout India. Apart from the religious importance, medicinal, bio-magnetic and electrical properties of the Rudraksha beads have also been reported. This commodity is in high demand from the devotees across the world. Therefore, this is in trade throughout the country and abroad. The recent trends in import and export of Rudraksha beads in India have been described in the present article, considering scant publications on this aspect.