Fullness and Emptiness

This paper aims to analyze prominent examples of contemporary Christian architecture in the Far East, and the influence of religious and architectural concepts of sacred architecture of the Far East on contemporary Christian architecture built there. Numerous examples show the influence of the permeation of that area’s cultural, traditional, and religious heritage with the Christian cultural and theological framework. Christian sacred architecture is based on the monotheistic concept of faith in one incarnated God that opens to humanity the path to salvation achieved in the afterlife. Religions of the Far East share common concepts of proccesuality described as Tao, the governing principle in the background of all life. It is the principle of continuity in an eternally changing universe. The intention of this paper is, therefore, to direct the view towards the permeation of cultures that encourages Christian sacred architecture towards the search for a new, authentic identity.

THE SYSTEMIC ROLE OF A CLASSICAL UNIVERSITY “WITH HISTORY” IN THE COLLEGE TOWN DEVELOPMENT

Рассматривается проблема малоизученности города-университета как социокультурного феномена и роли классического вуза «с историей» в его становлении. Применяется методологический комплекс, включающий теорию социальных аутопоэтических систем Н. Лумана; концепцию классического университета как открытой и одновременно закрытой системы М. Ленартович; социокультурный (Р. Парк), культурологический (Н. Федотова, Т. Ильина, И. Гревс, М. Каган) и историко-культурный (К. Керр) подходы; концепцию региона как социальной системы (Д. Докучаев). Анализируются понятия «город-университет» и «университетский город»; формулируется авторское операциональное определение города-университета; описываются ключевые отличия города-университета от университетского города, а также представляются основные характеристики, присущие городу-университету. Показывается, что город-университет представляет собой сложную социокультурную систему с двойным статусом (открытая/закрытая), основой идентичности которой является классический вуз «с историей», обеспечивающий функционирование культурных кодов города. Обосновывается системообразующая роль классического вуза «с историей» в становлении города-университета как особого социокультурного феномена и сохранении его культурной идентичности. The purpose of the article is justification of the systemic role of a classical university “with history” in the development of a college town as a special sociocultural phenomenon and the preservation of its cultural identity. The methodological complex, applied in the paper, includes the theory of autopoietic social systems (N. Luhmann); the concept of a traditional university as an open and closed system (M. Lenartowicz); sociocultural (R. Park), cultural (N. Fedotova, T. Ilyina, I. Grevs, M. Kagan) and historical-cultural (K. Kerr) approaches; the concept of the region as a social system (D. Dokuchaev). The paper presents an analysis of the “college town” and “a city with a university” concepts. It formulates the authors’ definition of a college town, describes the key differences between a college town and a city with a university, and demonstrates the main college town characteristics. The article demonstrates that a college town is a complex sociocultural system with a dual status (open/closed), whose identity is based on a classical university “with a history” that provides the functioning of the town’s cultural codes. Understanding a classical university “with a history” as a college town’s system-forming element provides an opportunity to understand the essence of this town type and its specific characteristics. It can be further used as a theoretical justification for the strategy of regional development. The ideas presented in this paper can contribute to the search for an authentic identity for some territorial entities, which is still in a “latent state”.

Authentic style–fashion–dress negotiations of married lesbian couples on their wedding day

In 2015, a United States Supreme Court ruling allowed same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Since that time, there have been over one million same-sex marriages in the United States, and the number of same-sex marriages has increased every year (Romero, 2017). With this work, we conducted an in-depth, exploratory study on how lesbian married couples in the United States negotiated their style–fashion–dress on their wedding day. The work was guided by theory exploring authenticity as related to self-expression through appearance, and in particular, the notion that individuals mobilize a diverse array of products within the consumer marketplace to articulate an authentic identity or self. We conducted a single, semi-structured, in-depth interview with a photo-elicitation component with 10 lesbian married couples. Our analyses revealed themes that interconnected with the overarching concept of authenticity. Specifically, analyses demonstrated that, as participants sought to articulate an authentic identity through their wedding day style–fashion–dress, they often became entangled in gender and other symbolic negotiations that prompted feelings of empowerment as well as experiences of ambivalence and/or the need to engage in various forms of emotional labor or renegotiations of meaning. Four themes that emerged included (1) ambivalence, renegotiations, and labor surrounding the identity or concept of “bride” or what it means to be a bride; (2) gender expressions and experiences as central to the negotiation and construction of style–fashion–dress for the wedding day; (3) representations of the authentic self in wedding day style–fashion–dress; and (4) heteronormative experiences. Findings from the present study also revealed that lesbian couples sought to redefine what it means to be a bride/person getting married, a form of political action enacted through wedding day style–fashion–dress. Findings suggest implications for lesbian, queer, and heterosexual–focused wedding retailers and event planners to consider in order to provide an affirming experience for the increasing number of same-sex married couples in the United States.

TOWARDS REBIRTH IN ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT A SOUTHERN VOICE

In divergent ecosystems around the world, there is a desire for visible, integral ecological transformation. A lack of ecological transformation is found within various domains beginning with the self, team, organisation and society, and is partly influenced by the loss of identity both within and without the larger ecology. Notably, the issue of identity and transformation remains a burning platform within the African context, for which the researcher proposes a solution grounded in the Southern relational path of community and reason (Lessem & Schieffer, 2009). In the context of this study, the researcher was invited to lead and transform a wealth banking business unit that had become a liability to the greater FNB brand, reflecting the lowest engagement scores at the time.The research methodology was built on the foundation of the 4C Integral Research Approach (Call, Context, Co-creation and Contribution). Each one of the four research paths is integral, as each includes local Origination, local-global Foundation, all-round Emancipation and Transformation towards a consistent path to social innovation. Focusing on FNB Private Wealth Client Servicing as the research community, the researcher set up various communities of practice (CoPs). The applicable ontology was phenomenology, adopting Southern, communal frames from which to drive inclusive transformation, and the epistemology was feminism, encompassing integral research and participatory action research (PAR) as part of the Southern path. The research design followed an integral design on the Four Worlds of South, East, North and West, contextualised using the 4C rhythm and the grounding, emerging, navigation and effecting (GENE) integral paths of renewal towards social innovation. Data was gathered by qualitative means such as participative observations, community engagements, discussions and interviews. The researcher analysed the gathered data by measuring its quality in terms of valuable and truthful results of REBIRTH data analysis. REBIRTH is an innovative organisational change and development process located in the South, and has potential to be adapted and applied within FNB as the rebirth of the transformation journey. REBIRTH, engaged holistically, is designed to cause inclusive transformation though enabling an organisation to re-engage the issue of identity as catalyst for inclusivity. It is a creative experience which starts in the Southern relational path, and unfolds into the four voices of global exploration, towards inclusive transformation and authentic identity. REBIRTH reconnects self, other, community and organisation to identity in Botho-Ubuntu, captured in the FNB case study vision as: “I Care (Heart), I Can (Head), I Commit. Botho-Ubuntu is an African philosophy which draws us back to the value of our humanness and offers an authentic lens through which to view transformational practice. The REBIRTH transformation journey was successfully tested within FNB Private Wealth Client Servicing and FNB Wealth Inland. Grounded in traditional and indigenous knowledge, it offers a new lens for leadership towards inclusive transformation, founded in Southern values and norms and grounded in the essence and philosophy of Botho-Ubuntu as an authentic Southern frame to reconstruct the complexity of today’s ever-changing world.

Towards rebirth in transformational psychology and practice: A Southern perspective.

In divergent world ecosystems, there is a desire for visible, integral ecological transformation pertaining to self, other, community and society; partly influenced by loss of identity both within and without the greater ecology. Notably, identity and impact of psychological practice remains a burning platform within the African context, thus growing the question – does Africa have anything to offer to redress the growing conversation of human disconnect, discard and dehumanisation through loss of identity. To redress, it becomes necessary to Rebirth through grounding to “Call” to cause transformation of self towards ecological healing. REBIRTH is an innovative transformational process grounded in the South, exploring the role of Africa, its norms and unique philosophy of Ubuntu-Botho as relevant practice towards inclusive transformation, catalysing social innovation. It is a creative experience reconnecting self, other, community and society to identity in Botho-Ubuntu beginning in the Southern relational path, and unfolds into the four voices of global exploration, towards inclusive transformation and authentic identity. The traditional African approach to rebirth promotes collective healing within a more holistic approach and the role of the community becomes apparent in the womb of the “Tribe” as point of entry - pointing towards a renewed civilisation in the world.

A Jaundiced View of Authenticity (and Identity)

This chapter is based on a keynote lecture the author gave at a conference on authenticity in Konstanz, Germany. The chapter takes a dubious view of the personal quests for “authenticity,” which generate little more than phoniness and hypocrisy in the pursuit of Polonius’s ‘this above all to thine own self be true,’ whatever that might mean. But the talk went south on the author, and that story makes up a good portion of the chapter. The author got caught out making an argument when discussing the anti-Semitism that is at the core of a supposed European authentic identity, relying on an English translation of a Freudian text that turned out, as the author was reminded by a German participant, misreading a joke in Freud’s Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious. So the discussion revisits humiliation, attempts at apology, and discusses shamefacedness and the sheer irony of being found out to be an utterly inauthentic scholar. Nonetheless the last third of the piece is sourly devoted to the fears in the Christian West of having a Jew at its core.

Introducing “Rebirth” – a Model for Organisational Change and Development

In divergent ecosystems around the world, there is a desire for visible, integral ecological transformation. A lack of ecological transformation is found within various domains beginning with the self, team, organisation and society, and is partly influenced by the loss of identity both within and without the larger ecology. Notably, the issue of identity and transformation remains a burning platform within the African context, for which the researcher proposes a solution grounded in the Southern relational path of community and reason (Schieffer & Lessem, 2014). In the context of this study, the researcher was invited to lead and transform a wealth banking business unit that had become a liability to the larger banking brand, reflecting the lowest engagement scores at the time.The research design applied was Integral Research Approach (IRA). IRA enables one to ground through an experience which engages auto-ethnography. Kothari (2009) stated that “Research methods refer to the behavior and instruments used in selecting and constructing research technique.” In simple terms, this means that research methods refer to the methods the researchers use in research operations.” The applicable ontology was phenomenology, adopting Southern, communal frames from which to drive inclusive transformation, and the epistemology was feminism, encompassing integral research and participatory action research (PAR) as part of the Southern path. Data was gathered by qualitative means such as participative observations, community engagements, discussions and interviews. The researcher analyzed the gathered data by measuring its quality in terms of valuable and truthful results of REBIRTH data analysis. REBIRTH is an innovative organisational change and development process located in the South, and has potential to be adapted and applied within divergent organisations and systems as the rebirth transformation journey.Conclusion of the research culminated in the creation of a REBIRTH Model for Organisational Change and Development, hereinafter referred to as REBIRTH. The purpose of this model’s design is to cause inclusive transformation though enabling an organisation to re-engage the issue of identity as catalyst for inclusivity. It is a creative experience which starts in the Southern relational path, and unfolds into the four voices of global exploration, towards inclusive transformation and authentic identity. REBIRTH reconnects self, other, community and organisation to identity in Botho-Ubuntu, captured in the banking case study vision as: “I Care (Heart), I Can (Head), I Commit. Botho-Ubuntu is an African philosophy which draws us back to the value of our humanness and offers an authentic lens through which to view transformational practice.

My career development journey to an authentic work identity

PurposeThis paper describes the author's lived experiences as a marginalised professional. It offers a nuanced understanding of the author's career development journey to an authentic work identity.Design/methodology/approachThis analytic autoethnography, situated in multicultural, democratic South Africa, describes how historic moments in the country's political evolution influenced the author personally: the author’s sense of belonging and the author’s various roles socially, as well as at work.FindingsThe paper tracks selected stories in the author's professional career journey to an authentic work identity, as indexed by the themes: I am a Black South African; I am a gay professional and so, who am I at work? On reflection, the author realised how the bounded nature of authenticity allowed psychological safety while exploring congruency between the author’s multiple work identities.Originality/valueThe autoethnography demonstrates how multiple accounts by the same author may be a valuable way of contributing to the literature on authentic work identity. This autoethnographic work extends the authentic identity literature of marginalised professionals beyond the narrow authenticity–inauthenticity binary of most organisational studies. The paper introduces limited authentic work identity as an ameliorative self-concept in organisations.