Moko Symbolization As Socio-Religious Harmony of Alor Society in East Nusa Tenggara

The understanding of moko is related to the identity of the Alor people. Historically, moko was brought from Vietnam and became a heirloom which was passed down from generation to generation. In practice, moko can be used as a dowry of marriage, clan identity, musical instruments, and several other uses. This study provides novelty on the moko symbolization as a socio-religious harmony of Alor society. The problem to be resolved in this research is “how does the moko symbolize socio-religious harmony in the people of Alor, East Nusa Tenggara?” The theoretical concept used in this article is Geertz’s ‘religious as the cultural system” which is paired with Epicurus' opinion about the three levels of harmony. This study used the phenomenological method of Edmund Husserl. The results of this study are moko symbolization as a rhythmic leader of musical instruments related with social messages in the ownership it and the function of moko as a dowry of marriage. In addition, the results of the study also show that the symbolization of moko becomes a part of the harmony embodiment in the life of the Alor people. This symbolization process occurs at the level of ideas and manifests in behavior. The novelty in this research is the characteristics of the Alor community as a heterogeneous society place the symbols of a set of conventions. Moko as part of the convention symbol embodies social harmonization. This part becomes an interesting character because moko is not an original object from the Alor community, but it has been adopted as a cultural symbol. Social harmonization occurs at the level of ideas which are adhered to customary law. This really depends on the values held in society.

The Metaphysical Quality that gives a Visual Identity Mark its Sway.

Addressing a specific aspect of visual communication, the focus of this paper is to examine the connection between elemental nature-inspired archetypal symbols and contemporary Visual Identity Marks, for example the archetypal Solar Cross to the BP VIM, Helios, by establishing the existence of a contextual relevance and relationship. It furthermore analyses the fundamental influence of these archetypal symbols upon the viewer/user (internal and external audiences), no matter what level of sophistication the viewer’s/user’s society has achieved. To build an appreciation of the continuity and effectiveness of the use of elemental nature-inspired archetypal symbols within a contemporary context, areas of expertise not traditionally utilised within visual communication, such as sociology, archaeology, theology and folklore were engaged. While being defined as “a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art or mythology” (Random House Dictionary, 2012), an archetypal symbol also possesses a metaphysical quality. This metaphysical quality enables the symbol to act as a galvanising and motivating force, which re-enforces individual and group identity, and ultimately transmit a sense of the sacred and the institutional within a mutable world. The archetypal (natural) symbol is the response of the psyche reflecting the ‘internal truth’. The VIM (cultural) symbol is a vehicle to maintain power for financial or political profits as well as sustain group coherency, and individual identity. Encoded within both a ‘natural’, and a ‘cultural’ symbol, is a deep spiritual quality tapping into a deeper symbolic language which evolved from humanity relating back to nature. Drawing upon notions of individual interpretation, the paper analyses the very idea of personal and/or subjective mental constructs related to visual identity marks.

Metamorphosis from exalted person to cultural symbol: A case study of the GOAT in tennis

In this article, we suggest that our semiotic understanding of embodiment could be expanded to include a socially exalted individual, who embodies a symbol. To illustrate this argument, we draw on an ongoing research project that examines fandom rhetoric and debates around the ‘Greatest of all time’ or the GOAT symbol in Tennis. Grounding Bakhtin’s tri-distinctions of identity, I-for-myself, I-for-other and other-for-me, in a Kantian hermeneutic tradition, we perform a theoretically informed analysis of the GOAT debate. None of the three tri-components exists in isolation; rather, they interact in a reflexive dialogue which continually shapes and re-shapes individual consciousness and experiences of embodiment. We apply a ‘romanticism aesthetic activity’ analytical framework to the tri-distinctions of identity, that consists of ‘creative’ and ‘critical’ rhetoric, within which we found genres of ‘myth’, ‘art’ and ‘science’. Each genre functions through disparate means to exalt or metamorphise an individual (our focus is on Roger Federer) into a cultural symbol, and that the symbolic form of GOAT reflexively organises the emotional field and identities for those fans deeply invested in it. This article contributes to the current cultural psychological literature on understanding the mediation of people to symbols in a new digital age.

BRIDGE as a Linguistic and Cultural Symbol

The paper deals with a linguistic and cultural conceptualization of reality. A symbolic dimension of a concept is analyzed on the basis of its notional, perceptive and axiological features. The concept BRIDGE has been described in its verbal representation in the Russian and English linguistic cultures. The material of the study includes definitions from dictionaries and encyclopedias, textual samples from the Russian and English national corpuses, proverbs and aphorisms and poetic texts. Metaphorically, a bridge is understood as an opportunity to move on along the road via some natural obstacles, usually rivers. Symbolically, the following ideas come to the fore when applied to the concept BRIDGE: crossing an obstacle, raising up, possibility or impossibility of coming back, safety or insecurity. The novelty of the research consists in the description of these vectors of conceptualization of a BRIDGE as a cluster of the symbolic meanings of building or destroying a bridge and going up or falling down from it.

Traditional festivals as a symbol of culture in Africa: The example of the Ovwuvwe festival of the Abraka people

Traditional festivals have become a prominent topic of research because of their social-cultural values. The values, and beliefs of a people are demonstrated through festivals. However, thus far, limited research has been conducted on the more profound issue of the possible contribution of festivals as a cultural symbol. This study aims to portray the symbols of the Abraka people’s culture through the Ovwuvwe festival celebration. The Ovwuvwe festival was chosen as the study area, due to its rich and unique cultural heritage, with the main aim of creating an avenue in preserving and displaying the cultural heritage of the Abraka people through the Ovwuvwe festival celebration. Through participation, interviews and critical observation, this paper demonstrates the cultural symbol of the Abraka people through Ovwuvwe.

Turkish Basis in Toponimization System

Recently, three major processes are taking place in the urban space of the capital: 1) the process of national transonymization, ie the implementation of the names of newly established, renamed objects on the memorial principle (including national memoranda); 2) historical and cultural process; that is, the reproduction of object names in the nature of a national cultural symbol; 3) the process of national toponymization, ie the acquisition of common nouns. The main purpose of the article is to reveal and identify the Turkic basis of the layer of onymsformed as a result of this process of toponymization – one of the most productive internal resourcedevelopment in the urban space of the capital. That is, by conducting an etymological analysis ofthe system of urbanonymy, to show that the main source of optimized units belongs to the group ofTurkic languages.In the process of toponymization in the space of urbanism of the capital, the share of internalresource development is predominant, ie most of the layer of onyms on its onomastic map wasformed as a result of the Turkic basis. As a result, the urban design of the capital of Kazakhstan hasbecome the only historical and cultural center that meets the principles of language policy andnaming / renaming of the Republic of Kazakhstan. And we understand that the definition of thelayer of onyms in the laws of naming the internal objects of the city will be revealed in more depthby conducting a diachronic study of them.

Comparison of Japanese and British Monarchy after World War II

Both Britain and Japan have made reservations and continuations to the monarchy in the process of historical development, and their political systems are constitutional monarchy. The royal family of both countries has a very long history. With the historical development and social change, the monarch has become a spiritual and cultural symbol. The “sanctification” of the monarch and the strong “plot of the monarch” have been deeply rooted in social culture. From the perspective of historical development and social and cultural influence, although there are similarities between the royals of the two countries, their roles in political, economic and social stability are different from the ways in which they are exerted. Through the comparison between Britain and Japanese monarchy in the above three aspects, this paper analyzes the difference between the two countries monarchy in the size of the role, the way to implement the role and the impact, and finally compares and summarizes the role of the two countries monarchy.