Problems and Principles of Reconstruction of Certain Concepts of Philosophy and Cultural Narratives (Methodological Considerations)

The article deals with the problems and principles of reconstruction of certain concepts of philosophy and cultural narratives. The reason was the discussion of N. Kanaeva's report at the Institute of Philosophy, read at a seminar on the geography of rationality. Analyzing V. Bibikhin's work "Wittgenstein: Change of Aspect", the author poses the problem of correctly (to avoid contradictions and reach an understandable logic of text interpretation) reading the narratives of a foreign culture or even the narratives of one's own culture, but belonging to a different direction of thought. Such a reading, he claims, presupposes special optics, a hermeneutic concept and a cultural-historical reconstruction. To introduce and clarify what can be understood by such concepts (optics, concept and reconstruction), an analysis of two cases is proposed: semiotic schemes and G. Oldenberg's study of the Buddha's teachings. The schemes are discussed on the basis of the works of Plato ("Feast" and "Timaeus"). The author shows that Plato in "The Feast" constructs schemes for solving problem situations and specifying ideal objects, and in "Timaeus" he discusses the nature of schemes. In turn, Oldenberg reconstructs the prehistory of Buddhism and the basic ideas proposed by the Buddha. A feature of its reconstruction is an appeal to the culture of Ancient India, an analysis of the ancient Hindu consciousness and mentality, a discussion of the features of Buddhist discourse. The author concludes that if the ideas about Buddhism outlined by Oldenberg are used for the purpose of understanding Buddhist narratives, then these ideas as optics can be summed up under the notion of a hermeneutic concept. This concept is structured in such a way that it clearly takes into account the peculiarities of the Hindu culture and mentality, as different from the European ones.

Ikere-Ekiti in Art and Cultural Narratives

Ikere, a city in Ekiti State of southwestern Nigeria, comes up often in the literature of art history on two principal accounts: first, its art and architecture, and second, its major annual fesitval. These are the two central concerns of this paper. In the first part, the unique architecture of the afin and the traditional sculptures that were its central feature present the opportunity to examine the interconnectedness of continuity and change, tradition and modernity, and the centrality of art in the Oba's quest for political pre-eminence. Ikere came to in­ternational attention through the vlrtuoslc sculptures of one of Africa's master carvers--Olowe (ca. 1873-1938), who lived in Ise-Ekiti, a town about 15 miles east of Ikere. In addition to offering new insights into the relevance of Olowe to Ikere, this essay posits a re-examination of the birth year of Olowe. In the sec­ond part, this essay dissects the Olosunta festival, which remains central to the collective identity of a people who subscribe to different religious doctrines. The early history of Ikere acknowledges the city as a site for the simultaneous reign of two rulers, the Ogoga and the Olukere. But it is the annual celebration of the Olosunta festival that serves as the rallying point for the indigenes of the city at the same time that it provides a time-honored structure for handling potentially explosive cultural and political contestations.

Being the infidelity partner: Narratives of lived experiences in an online support group

Taking into account the secretive nature of infidelity experiences and their adverse impact on the involved partners, the aim of the present qualitative study was to examine how individuals—who have been engaged in extradyadic relationships, as “affair partners”—narrate their experiences in an online support group. The study analyzed 60 posts, published over a period of 6 months in an online support community. Three main themes emerged through the thematic analysis conducted. The first theme involved conflicting dimensions of affair partner experience, in which the following sub-themes were identified: 1) living in the shadow of loss, and 2) the prevalence of ambivalence: when opposite impulses coexist. The second theme refers to the centripetal aspects of the relationship and within this section the following sub-themes are defined: 1) the relationship as a supportive environment and 2) between plenitude and dearth: the desire for exclusivity. Finally, the third theme refers to the lessons learned by the affair partners and their generalizing conclusions such experiences. The present study underlines how group participants reconstruct their experiences of extradyadic relationships and how they create new ways of meaning making about them. The findings involve reflexive conclusions about intimate relationships capturing elements of broader cultural narratives, representations and dilemmas of self and relationships, as presented in written transactions in online support groups.

Tales to tell - Weaving Indigenous Narratives in Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour

<p>How does one design a contemporary Indigenous Pacific architecture? Can the structure of Indigenous narratives of multiple Pacific cultures reposition the space of contemporary architecture? This thesis primarily drives Indigenous Pacific narratives as a catalyst for multicultural identity in a contemporary setting. Te Awarua-o-Porirua harbour presents environmental dysphoria due to cultural indifferences, poor harbour health, and disconnected harbour spaces contemplating a script for a resilient harbour. In response, this thesis argues for a multi-cultural architecture speculating an intervention that converges Indigenous narratives of a diverse city — particularly Māori and Samoan to suggest a “harbour settlement” that reflects the harbour’s intrinsic socio-cultural and historical context. This thesis develops a design that characterises Māori and Samoan cultural narratives by exploring the context of narrative creation — a series of exercises transcribing a repositioning of Indigenous ideals into narratives. In doing so, the study invests in translating Porirua’s most prominent Indigenous identities to their urban architecture. In opposition of the current environment that fails to recognise Indigenous treasure — urban development that has failed to recognise iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira as its kaitiaki (guardians) — this thesis contemplates an amphibious settlement to mediate a community-harbour relationship. The design aims to create a series of architectural segments termed ‘Ngā Kaitiaki e Whitu: The Seven Sentinels’ that take the form of a harbour settlement. Indigenous Pacific narratives have frequently translated through architecture as an ornament or façade, offering an opportunity to capitalise on an alternative repositioning of Indigenous narratives as a framework to develop contemporary Indigenous spaces. By introducing a new Indigenous harbour settlement, this study explores a spatial concept known as Va in Samoan or Wā in Māori — a concept of space interwoven throughout the fabric of the Pacific regions, proposing new criteria for Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour.</p>

Tales to tell - Weaving Indigenous Narratives in Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour

<p>How does one design a contemporary Indigenous Pacific architecture? Can the structure of Indigenous narratives of multiple Pacific cultures reposition the space of contemporary architecture? This thesis primarily drives Indigenous Pacific narratives as a catalyst for multicultural identity in a contemporary setting. Te Awarua-o-Porirua harbour presents environmental dysphoria due to cultural indifferences, poor harbour health, and disconnected harbour spaces contemplating a script for a resilient harbour. In response, this thesis argues for a multi-cultural architecture speculating an intervention that converges Indigenous narratives of a diverse city — particularly Māori and Samoan to suggest a “harbour settlement” that reflects the harbour’s intrinsic socio-cultural and historical context. This thesis develops a design that characterises Māori and Samoan cultural narratives by exploring the context of narrative creation — a series of exercises transcribing a repositioning of Indigenous ideals into narratives. In doing so, the study invests in translating Porirua’s most prominent Indigenous identities to their urban architecture. In opposition of the current environment that fails to recognise Indigenous treasure — urban development that has failed to recognise iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira as its kaitiaki (guardians) — this thesis contemplates an amphibious settlement to mediate a community-harbour relationship. The design aims to create a series of architectural segments termed ‘Ngā Kaitiaki e Whitu: The Seven Sentinels’ that take the form of a harbour settlement. Indigenous Pacific narratives have frequently translated through architecture as an ornament or façade, offering an opportunity to capitalise on an alternative repositioning of Indigenous narratives as a framework to develop contemporary Indigenous spaces. By introducing a new Indigenous harbour settlement, this study explores a spatial concept known as Va in Samoan or Wā in Māori — a concept of space interwoven throughout the fabric of the Pacific regions, proposing new criteria for Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour.</p>

Crisis and Dystopia in the Current Spanish Novel Un incendio invisible, by Sara Mesa and Por si se va la Luz, by Lara Moreno

Europe in general and Spain in particular are still experiencing the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis. Spanish cultural narratives have imagined other possible scenarios around a financial crisis that has not only been an economic one, but also a social one. In that context, Spanish literature was used not only as a means to elaborate coherent narratives in times of crisis but also as a space to create other possible worlds. The novels Un incendio invisible (2011), by Sara Mesa, and Por si se ve la Luz (2013), by Lara Moreno, are both set in imaginary places in which their protagonists – sometimes driven by desire and other times by necessity – survive in hostile, abandoned and primitive places. The article attempts to analyse the dominance of the construction of dystopian places and the creation of ‘another possible world’ as a consequence of the financial crisis of 2008.

Affect Theory and Breast Cancer Memoirs: Rescripting Fears of Death and Dying in the Anthropocene

Re-evaluating dominant cultural narratives around dying and death is central to new critiques of individualism and human exceptionalism. As conceptual tools for theorizing the end of the individual proliferate, the affective dimensions of this project are often overlooked, especially as they pertain to individual subjects. In contrast, a significant number of iconic queer and feminist thinkers have suffered breast cancer and written memoirs representing the subjective experience of confronting mortality. This article identifies the affective orientations towards one’s own mortality as missing from queer and feminist thinking on embodiment in the Anthropocene. As a remedy, the article reads several iconic feminist breast cancer memoirs – Sontag, Lorde, Sedgwick, Jain and Boyer – for their complex representations of affect, in particular fear, in relation to dying and death. Using the affect theory of Silvan Tomkins, this analysis contributes to critiques of cancer culture in medical humanities and of mortality and embodiment in feminist environmental humanities.

Are We There Yet?

<p>This research will address American gender theorist Butler's assertion of third wave feminism and gender ethics and advocate that despite education and modernization, a duplicity still exists in the way gender has been depicted in western culture as well as in indigenous culture. This investigation seeks to acknowledge this duplicity by performing a comparative study of the western superhero Wonder Woman and the indigenous Indian Goddess Durga. Ultimately, this study challenges the contemporary terminologies and the interpretations concerning gender roles within the society to show the duplicity inherent in these contrasting renditions. Through a theoretical and practical framework and with the help of academic works and social media, the study conveys more visually empathetic ways to define the feminine gender as being powerful and multifaceted. These investigations will include traditional and contemporary examples of visual illustrations that contain their own social and cultural narratives and offer visual evidence of the perceptions and preconceptions that Butler refers to in her ‘Undoing Gender’ as “social and sexual constraints” (Butler, 2004, p. 10-15). The findings include visual responses that explore the personal counter-reaction towards duplicity that I argue is rife within social constructions of the feminine gender in both the Western and Eastern cultures. The illustration techniques in this research will provide more in-depth representations of the multifarious feminine characteristics. The study concludes that the sense of gender inequality still exists in contemporary society and only acceptance of this fact can resolve the issue.</p>

Are We There Yet?

<p>This research will address American gender theorist Butler's assertion of third wave feminism and gender ethics and advocate that despite education and modernization, a duplicity still exists in the way gender has been depicted in western culture as well as in indigenous culture. This investigation seeks to acknowledge this duplicity by performing a comparative study of the western superhero Wonder Woman and the indigenous Indian Goddess Durga. Ultimately, this study challenges the contemporary terminologies and the interpretations concerning gender roles within the society to show the duplicity inherent in these contrasting renditions. Through a theoretical and practical framework and with the help of academic works and social media, the study conveys more visually empathetic ways to define the feminine gender as being powerful and multifaceted. These investigations will include traditional and contemporary examples of visual illustrations that contain their own social and cultural narratives and offer visual evidence of the perceptions and preconceptions that Butler refers to in her ‘Undoing Gender’ as “social and sexual constraints” (Butler, 2004, p. 10-15). The findings include visual responses that explore the personal counter-reaction towards duplicity that I argue is rife within social constructions of the feminine gender in both the Western and Eastern cultures. The illustration techniques in this research will provide more in-depth representations of the multifarious feminine characteristics. The study concludes that the sense of gender inequality still exists in contemporary society and only acceptance of this fact can resolve the issue.</p>

Ontological Insecurity and Decision-Making during Black Swan and Dragon King Events, and COVID-19

The tremendously disruptive global pandemic of COVID-19 has had a destabilizing effect on individuals and groups as it triggered a profound uncertainty about the ability of nations, organizations, and individuals to survive. Under such conditions, decision-making was affected in a number of ways which has a profound implication for leaders and policymakers. This paper presents new theoretical lenses that incorporate literary and cultural narratives to consider the various potential classifications of COVID-19 as a “Black Swan” or “Dragon King” event, and how the disruption has precipitated psychological distress. Further, the paper discusses the notion that Dragon King extreme events may be precursors to catastrophic transition. In this analysis, we look at concepts such as R. D. Laing’s The Divided Self, and the psychological concept of ontological insecurity. While the concept is a psychological one, it has been applied to the analysis of literature, with very illuminating results. Likewise, the concept could be applied to the factors going into thinking about reality, one’s relationships with others, and then, decision-making. When combined with techniques to develop self-awareness, such as the Johari window, even more insight is achievable. The overall purpose of the paper is to analyze the relatively hidden or unacknowledged literary narratives that constitute driving mechanisms in decision-making in psychological and ontologically destabilizing Black Swan and Dragon King events.