Kulturstudier

This scholarly work delves into the intriguing and widespread phenomenon of Christ figures in contemporary popular culture. When discussing this research area, people often conjure familiar names from film and literature, such as Harry Potter, Gandalf, Superman, Neo, and even ET, all of whom embody characteristics and roles akin to traditional Christ figures. These iconic characters act as moral guides, selflessly sacrifice themselves for the greater good of humanity, and often experience a form of resurrection. Notably, they also bear visual symbols reminiscent of crucifixion during their moments of sacrifice.

This book examines trauma in late twentieth- and twenty-first century American popular culture. Trauma has become a central paradigm for reading contemporary American culture. Since the early 1980s, an extensive range of genres increasingly feature traumatised protagonists and traumatic events. From traumatised superheroes in Hollywood blockbusters to apocalyptic-themed television series, trauma narratives abound. Although trauma is predominantly associated with high culture, this project shows how popular culture has become the most productive and innovative area of trauma representation in America. Examining film, television, animation, video games and cult texts, this book develops a series of original paradigms through which to understand trauma in popular culture. These include: popular trauma texts' engagement with postmodern perspectives, formal techniques termed 'competitive narration', 'polynarration' and 'sceptical scriptotherapy', and perpetrator trauma in metafictional games. 

Building and expanding on the first edition, the second edition of Food, National Identity and Nationalism continues to explore a much-neglected area study: the relationship between food and nationalism. With a preface written by Michaela DeSoucey and using a wide range of case studies, it demonstrates that food and nationalism is an important area to study, and that the food-nationalism axis provides a useful prism through which to explore and analyse the world around us, from the everyday to the global, and the ways in which it affects us. The second edition includes a number of new case studies, including the demise and resurrection of pie as a ¿national dish¿ in post-Brexit Britain; the use of netnography; the role of diasporas in maintaining and reinventing national food; the gastrodiplomatic potential of the New Nordic Cuisine; the potential of veganism to transcend nationalism; and the relationship between gastronationalism and populism.

Où va l'édition savante? On ne s'étonnera pas du choix de l'autoédition pour un tel sujet. J'avais quand même soumis ce petit essai à plusieurs éditeurs, pas à ceux que j'épingle, ni à ceux dont je dis du bien, naturellement, et la plupart d'entre eux me répondirent de façon encourageante, voire chaleureuse et amusée. Et puis, finalement, je me suis dit que je tenais là un samizdat...

Popular culture today manifests itself in a dense network of styles and genres, while the aesthetic preferences of the Audience are highly differentiated. Besides, popular culture also implies a diversity of aesthetic strategies, discourses and value systems that traverse the symbolic demarcations between styles and genres and are effective across different artistic fields and individual media. Aesthetic concepts such as camp, retro or trash are expressions of a transgressive mode of Production that facilitates a multitude of cross-connections between aesthetic spaces of experience. The volume brings together authors from different disciplines who approach aesthetic concepts in popular culture on a historical, theoretical and methodological level, analyze them on the basis of various aesthetic phenomena, or discuss aspects relevant to their theoretical contextualization, such as the emergence and establishment of artistic practices and aesthetic value systems.

This book explores disrupted youth cohesion in France within the context of multiple ongoing global economic, migratory, social, political, and security-related crises. While these trends can be observed in numerous Western societies, France provides a unique case study of various anti-cosmopolitan and anti-Enlightenment movements shaping youth conditions and reconfiguring relationships between the individual, the group, and society. The authors undertook in-depth interviews with French young people between the ages of 18 to 30 years old to inquire into how they experience "e;vivre ensemble"e; (living together) in a time of rising economic inequalities and multicultural tensions. Through these findings, they invite decision-makers, politicians, educators, and parents to propose a renewed narrative of social cohesion for youth who are not disillusioned, but deeply on edge.

This book examines the cultural articulation of Spanish History (and histories (remembered, meaningful experiences). It analyzes how real people and fictional characters experience the rupture of post-war repression, as their vindicating collective memory counters the authoritarian narrative and laws that demonized and criminalized them. The book, that breaks the persistent cycle of denial of Francoist malfeasance, is a resource for scholars and students who research the representation of Spain's dictatorship, its aftermath and the recovery of postdictatorial memory.

In the millennial transition the prefix 'post' had come to signify more and more not just the realisation of a 'coming after' but also of the impossibility of not seeing the present as still very much working through the wounds of the past. Yet with the appearance of pseudo-concepts such as 'post-truth' after an equally imaginary 'death of History', the logic of the 'post', itself always already under questioning, may appear to have outlived its usefulness. How to make sense of postcolonial theory in Europe in the present? One way might be to renew its significance as world conflicts have entered a new 'post-imperial phase' with the return of ideologies of empire in various parts of the world. The essays in this volume address those questions at both a conceptual, theoretical level, and through the analysis of specific case studies. In the Introduction Paulo de Medeiros and Sandra Ponzanesi review the main questions outlined above in relation to the current debates in the Humanities from their respective disciplinary perspectives. The volume is organised in four sections, each containing four chapters. Even though all the chapters present a reflection on Postcolonial Theory and Crisis, some focus more specifically on aspects of the crisis in a global perspective such as humanitarian crisis and the role of mediatization of conflicts, to issues related to human rights, refugees, migrancy, environmental crisis to questions of memory and postmemory as well as the critique of art and utopian thought.

In this small volume, the author focuses on some of the dangerous major issues that are occurring in our Western culture and societies of this present age. These issues are evil and dangerous. They diametrically oppose the values and morals of not only common sense but of the traditions and values of the Judeo-Christian faith upon which the Western culture is based.The theme of this book seeks to show the falseness and the insanity of their behavioral beliefs and practices, which if continued to grow will result in the loss of freedoms, chaos, and destruction of American culture as we know it, as well upon other democratic societies of the Western culture. Language is revised, words are perverted or prevented, freedom of thought and speech is denied, and perverted beliefs and behavior are promoted.By focusing the light of God's Word, which is the ultimate 'Truth' itself, upon these sinister issues that plague us (and America especially), they are exposed as being antithesis to common sense--violently crippling to our freedoms, seeking to bring down Western culture and replace it with disastrous tyrannical controls. This book should help Christians and anyone concerned about the adverse political and societal changes in America and the world today. They need to understand what is happening, and perhaps even assist our leaders who are in a position to forestall these evils which threaten us.

A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage

This book conducts a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of Franz Kafkäs relation to China. Commencing with an examination of the myriad Chinese cultural influences to which Kafka was exposed, it goes on to explore the ways in which they manifest themselves in canonical stories, such as Description of A Struggle, The Great Wall of China, and An Old Manuscript. This leads the way to thought-provoking comparative studies of Kafka and major Chinese writers and philosophers, such as Zhuang Tzu, Pu Songling, Qian Zhongshu, and Lu Xun. Highlighting kindred philosophical concepts, shared aesthetic tastes, and parallel narrative strategies, these comparisons transcend mere textual analysis, to explore the profound cultural, historical, and philosophical implications of Kafkäs works. Finally, the book turns to an examination Kafkäs impact on modern life in China, including its translation studies, literature, and even its mass culture.

This book acknowledges and discusses the now politically infamous aspects of an American Muslim woman's life such as Islamophobia and hijab, but it more importantly examines how women actually deal with these obstacles, intentionally shifting the lens to capture a more holistic, nuanced understanding of their human experiences.  This text is based on a three-year-long qualitative interdisciplinary cultural and developmental psychology and gender systems study.  It uniquely organizes risks, protective factors, and coping mechanisms according to developmental life stages, from teenage to adulthood. Results show how second-generation Muslim American women's identities develop during adolescence (11-18), emerging adulthood (19-29), and adulthood (30-39) within multiple socio-cultural contexts.Discussions regarding Muslim Americans often erroneously equate "e;Muslim"e; with "e;Arab"e; or "e;Middle Eastern."e; By focusing on South Asian Muslim Americans, this work bluntly discusses the overlaps of South Asian culture with Islam, an important contribution to the field since the majority of immigrant Muslims in America are of South Asian descent. This study adds nuance and detail to American Muslim girls' and women's experiences while fighting misinformation and stereotypes. It is a significant contribution to anthropological developmental psychology and cultural psychology. The focus on a historically academically marginalized population is beneficial to students, researchers, and professionals in the field.

This book explores the role of alchemy, Paracelsianism, and Hermetic philosophy in one of Shakespeare¿s last plays, The Winter¿s Tale. A perusal of the vast literary and iconographic repertory of Renaissance alchemy reveals that this late play is imbued with several topoi, myths, and emblematic symbols coming from coeval alchemical, Paracelsian, and Hermetic sources. It also discusses the alchemical significance of water and time in the play¿s circular and regenerative pattern and the healing role of women. All the major symbols of alchemy are present in Shakespeare¿s play: the intertwined serpents of the caduceus, the chemical wedding, the filius philosophorum, and the so-called rex chymicus. This book also provides an in-depth survey of late Renaissance alchemy, Paracelsian medicine, and Hermetic culture in the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages. Importantly, it contends that The Winter¿s Tale, in symbolically retracing the healing pattern of the rotaalchemica and in emphasising the Hermetic principles of unity and concord, glorifies King James¿s conciliatory attitude.

How technology and the attention economy has impacted contemporary art

From recipes and advice on tea-making to the history and significance of tea, this informative guide has something for every tea lover.

Introducing an annual collection of essays devoted to South Carolina history and culture.From the Piedmont to the Lowcountry, South Carolina is the site of countless engaging stories. The contributors to Carolina Currents share those stories, broadening our understanding of the state's unique and diverse histories and cultures. A venue for public-facing interdisciplinary scholarship, each volume presents a collection of essays that illuminate the complex interactions between the state's past and present.Includes essays by: Sarah Adeyinka-Skold, Richard A. Almeida, Fran Coleman, Erica Johnson Edwards, Jo Angela Edwins, James Engelhardt, Alyson Farzad-Phillips, Esther Liu Godfrey, Brandon Goff, Benjamin K. Haywood, Christopher E. Hendricks, Brandon Inabinet, Robert Alston Jones, M. Beth Keefauver, Jason R. Kirby, Meredith A. Love, John A. McArthur, Chiara Palladino, Lauren K. Perez, Kerington B. Shaffer, Whitni Simpson, Cherish Thomas, Jennifer L. Titanski-Hooper, Jon Tuttle, Shevaun E. Watson, Claire Whitlinger, Thomasina A. Yuille

"Networked Bollywood provides the first interdisciplinary analysis of the role of stars in the transformation of Hindi cinema into a global entertainment industry. The first Indian film was made in 1913. However, filmmaking was recognized as an industry almost a hundred years later though Indian films have been circulating globally since their inception. This book unearths this oft-elided history of Bollywood's globalization through multilingual, transnational research and discursive cultural analysis. It illustrates how, over the decades, a handful of primarily male megastars, as the heads of the industry's most prominent productions and corporations, combined overwhelming charismatic affect with unparalleled business influence. Through their 'star switching power', theorized here as a deeply gendered phenomenon and manifesting broader social inequalities, India's most prominent stars instigated new flows of cinema and industrial collaborations, structured distinctive business models, and influenced state policy and diplomatic exchange, thereby defining the future of Bollywood's globalization"--

Philosophie als Wissenschaft, als Grundlagendisziplin und als interdisziplinäre Forschung: Ansätze, die sich eine zu Unrecht fast vergessene philosophische Schule zu eigen gemacht hat, nämlich die 1903 neu gegründete Fries¿sche Schule um den Göttinger Philosophen Leonard Nelson (1882-1927). Sie steht in der Tradition der Philosophie Immanuel Kants (1724-1804) und Jakob Friedrich Fries' (1773-1843). Der Nelsonkreis hält dem Vergleich mit dem Wiener Kreis stand. Die Anhänger des Nelsonkreises kamen u.a. aus der Mathematik, Physik, Philosophie, Psychologie, Theologie und den Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften. Über sie wirkte die kantisch-friessche Philosophie teilweise in andere Disziplinen hinein. Zu nennen sind beispielsweise der Psychiater und Psychologe Arthur Kronfeld (1846-1941), der Biochemiker und Nobelpreisträger Otto Meyerhof (1884-1951), der Mathematiker Gerhard Hessenberg (1874-1925), die Philosophin und Physikerin Grete Henry-Hermann (1901-1984), die Pädagogin MinnaSpecht (1879-1961), der Wirtschaftswissenschaftler Alexander Rüstow (1885-1963), der Theologe Rudolf Otto (1869-1937), der Soziologe Franz Oppenheimer (1864-1943) und der Sozialwissenschaftler Gerhard Weisser (1898-1989).Die Ausstrahlung des Nelsonkreises auf verschiedene Disziplinen sowie dessen Geschichte sind bislang noch nicht umfassend untersucht worden. Diese Forschungslücke soll mit dem vorliegenden Band geschlossen werden. Der systematische Forschungsband bietet zudem eine Einführung und einen Überblick zur Philosophie Leonard Nelsons.

Die Publikation widmet sich dem Wandel von Männlichkeit(en), den Bildende Künstler:innen seit den 1970er Jahren und aktuell mehr denn je verhandeln. Die vielfältigen künstlerischen Prozesse, in denen die Vorstellung von Männlichkeit als scheinbar universale, unumstößliche Konstante sukzessiv durch die Annahme einer Pluralität von Männlichkeiten abgelöst wird, beleuchten die kunst- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Beiträge des Bandes in vier Sektionen: Postphallische Männlichkeit, Queering Masculinities, Optimierte Männlichkeit(en) und Verletzlichkeit. Ausgehend von der Prämisse, dass Männerkörper keinen intrinsischen Wesenskern besitzen, sondern sozial konstruiert und somit transformierbar sind, werden Visionen zukünftiger Männlichkeit(en) diskutiert und greifbar gemacht.

This book describes the international effort to give order to colours and thus facilitate communication about it, two topics deemed essential to a modernising world that were also recognizably complex. Expert essays will enhance readers' understanding of the struggle to coordinate nature with art at a time when approaches to both were undergoing rapid change. Ordering Colours shows how such seemingly trivial concerns as identifying the basic colours and disseminating appropriate colour diagrams had to meet philosophical, scientific and professional needs across Europe. Contributors detail the many schemes for colour systematization and their real-world applications; questions of concern to both academic- and manufacturing-focused investigators throughout the long 18th century. They bring together original research and new thinking about landmark early modern studies to address important developments as well as neglected historical contributions of European arts, sciences, andeconomies. This collection is an important addition to the libraries of all who are interested in public culture and manufacturing developments in the early modern period and is aimed at historians of art, technology, philosophy and physics.

This book explores the extent to which self-praise is acceptable in both offline and online contexts, across different genres, platforms, and cultural backgrounds. The data analyzed encompass both naturally occurring (daily conversation as well as institutional talk) and elicited (experiments and interviews) types, and are explored at both quantitative and qualitative levels to offer a relatively systematic and comprehensive inquiry into self-praise as social (inter)action.Contributors to this book not only draw on traditional politeness theories but are also informed by social psychology, interactional sociolinguistics, CMC, and (multimodal) discourse analysis. They are inspired by pragmatics but also go beyond to ground their studies within locally situated cultural contexts, most of which are under-presented in the current academic world. Their efforts substantiate the fact that self-praise is most worthy of intensive analytic attention. This book appeals to students and researchers in the field and contributes to the way communication is facilitated through different ways of deploying linguistic and interactional resources.