Social myth as a factor in constructing images of the future

The article defines the contemporary social myth as a value-laden phenomenon with the potential and significance, but which is used in different ways by actors – an indwelling by a myth, a creator of a myth and a critic of a myth. The process of myth-making is considered as launching the so-called work on myth, which includes both the activity of myth-makers and the functioning of the myth in the masses. The appeal to the project function of the social myth and the consideration of the degree of awareness of the myth by individual groups actualize the question of the myth as a factor in constructing images of the future. Taking into account the ideas of R. Barthes and C. Bottici, the author concludes that the myth already contains significant images that allow the future to become more concrete. Using the example of the state as the main generator of myths for a wide audience, it is suggested that all the trajectories of creating potential images of the future are confined to the myth of the hero. Conclusions are drawn about the demand for such images of the future, which are built around the figure of a leader correlated with a mythological hero, that the scale of the state is a suitable level for reasoning about the spread and limits of the influence of modern myth-making, and that the constructive potential of the myth is involved in creating images of the future.

Paul and Israel

When Paul says ‘Israel’, what or whom does he have in mind? Christian theological tradition has long answered that by ‘Israel’, a universalist Paul means ethnically non-specific ‘Christians’. But a great deal of evidence in Paul’s letters weighs against such an idea. This chapter examines, in turn, the modern myth of a post-ethnic Paul, ancient ideas about divine and human ethnicity, Paul’s language about Jewish and gentile ‘natures’, Paul’s language about Jewish and Gentile kinds of sins, Paul’s application of different Jewish laws to Jews and Gentiles, respectively, and finally Paul’s actual usage of the ethnonyms ‘Jew’ and ‘Israel’. It is concluded that, for Paul, Jews are Israel, and Israel, his own family, is the Jews. God, through Christ, at the end of the ages (mid-first century ce), was graciously calling all humanity into the redemption that he had promised to Israel long ago. Eschatological humanity thus remains two different people groups—Israel and the nations—embraced by a single salvation.

Discourse of Retrotopia in the Internet Space (Notes on the Question of Nostalgic Representations)

The article considers nostalgic representations of the most relevant historical past for modern Russia – the Soviet period in social networks. It is noticeable that the so-called post-memory can be absolutely not identical, and often the opposite of “real” events, that there are as many varied recollections as there are social groups. Moreover, memory may be embodied and preserved in objects and things, and the modern myth is shaped primarily by the mass culture, absorbing the most orthodox stereotypes. The article discussed such socio-cultural and psychological phenomenon as retrotopia. Based on the analysis of some visual and textual materials, it argues that the discourse of retrotopia manifests itself at different levels of linguistic and cultural components. The opposite “anti-Soviet” discourse, on the contrary, is extremely ironic, and may be defined as network kitsch. This article analyzes materials about Soviet realities produced by the Belarusian blogger Maksim Mirovich. As a result, it concludes that the blogger aims not so much to deconstruct myths, but the fight against the illusions of “uncomfortable” consciousness, with the narrow-minded view of the world, thus, the reverse is true. Furthermore, Maxim Mirovich and the USSR fans create the narrative in the context of the so-called post-truth: each of the opponents constructs his own model of the world, in which the “truth/false” opposition has secondary importance. Generally, Internet materials about Soviets can be presented as a semantic game, juggling with mass concepts, filling the Internet space with meanings, rather than an ideological confrontation.

The Gospel According to Disney+’s “The Mandalorian”

The Mandalorian is a very popular science-fiction show (two seasons, 2019–2020) set in the famous Star Wars Universe. Studies have shown that myth and religious thought played a crucial role in the creation of the Star Wars Universe. This article continues that tradition, albeit from a particular perspective that highlights religious language: by viewing The Mandalorian through a New Testament lens, it is argued that while many elements of popular culture reference Biblical or mythological sources, The Mandalorian’s use of these referents illustrates the way in which ancient religious and New Testament literature are still very much a shared phenomenon. Both The Mandalorian and the New Testament share certain timeless topoi: a mysterious character with extraordinary abilities, a connection to life-giving powers of the universe that give extraordinary abilities, choosing a certain way of life and the costs thereof, and also themes such as “debt”, “redemption”, and “beliefs” and how these are challenged. By using these themes, The Mandalorian presents itself as a modern myth.