Concept Of Mimicry Research Articles

Almost the same but not quite Mimicry e Subversão em Youth e Foe de J. M. Coetzee

This article analyzes, througha postcolonial perspective, the literary works Foeand Youth, both written by J. M. Coetzee. It problematizes the concept of mimicry as presented by Homi K. Bhabha in his essay “Of mimicry and man: The ambivalenceof colonial discourse”. Analyzing the actions of the characters John and Friday, it becomes possible to perceive how they resort to strategies of mimicry and attempt to resist Western discourses of power. Consequently, they present themselves as disruptiveand subversivein a cultural space traditionally imbedded with colonial authority.

‘Too brown to be Swedish, too Swedish to be anything else’: mimicry and menace in Swedish transracial adoption narratives

ABSTRACT While international adoptions to Sweden have fallen in line with global trends, the presence of the transracial adoptee body remains central to myths of good (white) Swedishness. This article explores the desire for and performance of the international transracial adoptee as a mimic Swede. Analysing published Swedish international transracial adoption narratives, it draws on Bhabha’s concept of mimicry to critically deconstruct the idea of a hierarchical and racialized triad of (non-)belonging in discourses of Swedishness: Swede – Adoptee – Immigrant. It reflects on the desired role and purpose of the adoptee as a mimic, and the consequences of rendering the adoptee as a body trapped in a frantic state of non-belonging between almost sameness and almost Otherness, and desired for a visible difference that is unspeakable in a national colour-blind discourse. Discussing the tendency for mimicry to drift into mockery and menace, the article finishes by reflecting on possibility of harnessing the underlying threat of mimicry as a means of resistance to the adoption project.

قضية الهوية

تعد جومبا لاهيري مهاجرة هندية من الجيل الثاني تعيش في الولايات المتحدة ، جعلتها تدرك تمام الاختلاط الثقافي بين الهند وأمريكا. تركز هذه الورقة على عملية محاكاة وإنهاء استعمار المهاجرين الهنود الذين يعيشون في الولايات المتحدة. يكشف كتاب لاهيري "تأويل الامراض" عن الهوية الثقافية والتقليد وإنهاء الاستعمار الذي يعاني منه المهاجرون أثناء العيش في الثقافة المستهدفة. تُطبِّق هذه الورقة مفهوم هومي بابا للمحاكاة ومفهوم فرانتس فانون لإنهاء الاستعمار لاستكشاف ثلاث قصص قصيرة في كتاب لاهري: "عندما جاء السيد بيرزادا لتناول العشاء" ، "السيدة سين "و" هذا البيت المبارك ". وتخلص الدراسة إلى أن بعض الشخصيات في هذه القصص تحاكي الثقافة الأمريكية نتيجة تفاعلها مع الأمريكيين بسبب العمل أو لأنهم ولدوا ونشأوا في أمريكا. تقليدهم يشمل الثقافة والتقاليد واللغة والدين. بينما تقوم شخصيات أخرى بإنهاء الاستعمار ومقاومة الثقافة الأمريكية من خلال رفض كل ما يتعلق بهذه الثقافة ، من أجل التمسك بهويتهم الهندية الأصلية والحفاظ على العلاقات مع تراثهم.

Hydration Mimicry by Membrane Ion Channels.

Ions transiting biomembranes might pass readily from water through ion-specific membrane proteins if these protein channels provide environments similar to the aqueous solution hydration environment. Indeed, bulk aqueous solution is an important reference condition for the ion permeation process. Assessment of this hydration mimicry concept depends on understanding the hydration structure and free energies of metal ions in water in order to provide a comparison for the membrane channel environment. To refine these considerations, we review local hydration structures of ions in bulk water and the molecular quasi-chemical theory that provides hydration free energies. In doing so, we note some current views of ion binding to membrane channels and suggest new physical chemical calculations and experiments that might further clarify the hydration mimicry concept.

Mimicry in Postcolonial Nigerian literature with special reference to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘Americanah’

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the paper is to offer a study on the work of Adichie through the approach of Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of mimicry.
 Methodology: The study is based on both primary and secondary data. However, the study is mostly based on secondary data such as published literature, books and journals etc.

Small Victory: Imitation as Mimicry in American Pastime

Following the Pearl Harbor attack, United States Executive Order 9066 forced relocation of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast to internment camps. The story of Japanese internment has been the subject of film narratives, and assimilation narrative has occupied a hegemonic position in U.S. filmmaking for more than half a century. The 2007 film American Pastime follows the internees’ struggle to maintain the normalcy of their lives in the internment camp. American Pastime appears to follow an assimilation narrative. However, overlooked features of the narrative open up space for alternative interpretations that might encourage Japanese American audiences to produce a counter discourse against the dominant narrative of assimilation. Postcolonial theorist Homi K. Bhabha’s concepts of mimicry, ambivalence, and hybridization are used to critically read American Pastime. In this reading, baseball game scenes featuring Topaz internment camp’s baseball team and a rival, all-white, local baseball team are examined. In these scenes, a particular style of playing baseball known as “small ball” is identified. Ultimately, it is argued that the small ball played by the Topaz team is not a sign of cultural assimilation to American society, but rather is a subtle, unsettling imitation of hegemonic American culture. Topaz-style baseball mimics, but does not reproduce, the “American pastime” as American viewers might see it.

Naipaul's Magic Seeds: A Parody of Political Mimicry

As a colonial author, Naipaul is deeply concerned with the exploration of the nature of the colony from a cultural and a political perspective. Being of Indian descent, his interest in pondering over Indian history and understanding its cultural identity is central to his fiction. In Magic Seeds Naipaul moves from the colonial India under British rule where the protagonist, Willie Chandran, was born to a post-independence rural India besieged by a Maoist insurgent group whose aim was to fight poverty and be trusted by poor villagers. Drawing from Bhabha’s concept of mimicry which holds that the colonized seeks to copy the colonizer thus producing a subject who is almost the same, but not quite, (Bhabha, 1994:86). This paper seeks to read Magic Seeds as a fictional parody of political mimicry based upon the information on the movement provided by Dipanjan and Debu in India: A Million Mutinies Now. Following Willie Chandran’s trials and tribulations as a member of a Maoist guerrilla in India, Naipaul dissects the divorce between foreign political discourse and Indian cultural heritage.

Understanding students’ mimicry, emulation and imitation of genre exemplars: An exploratory study

Guided by the Vygotskian concepts of mimicry, emulation, and imitation, this study examines how eight Chinese EFL students modeled from genre exemplars when composing their first academic papers in university. The students were enrolled in a “Cultural Tourism Studies” course at a university in south China. The course was delivered in a co-teaching approach with an embedded six-week EAP workshop. Given the short time frame of the workshop, an ESP genre-based approach was adopted, and genre exemplars were used to scaffold the students' understanding of two focal genre features (i.e., citation and organization). At the end of the course, text-based interviews were conducted to understand how the students made sense of and used the genre exemplars in the composing process. The analysis of students' term papers revealed a varying amount of mimicry, emulation, and imitation of the target genre features. The introspective and retrospective accounts of students' engagement with the exemplars suggested that imitative learning was multifaceted, dynamic, and varied within and between individuals. These findings challenge the dichotomous characterization of exemplars as either an enabling scaffold or a constraining shackle. The paper also discusses how the tripartite Vygotskian framework is a useful heuristic for EAP instructors to assess the extent to which genre exemplars are attuned to students’ zone of proximal development, and how genre exemplars offer fluid affordances in the process of object-, other-, and self-regulation.

The Thanatosis of Enlightenment

The article analyzes methodological errors Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer’s Dialectic of Enlightenment, particularly their incorrect use of the concepts of mimicry and mimesis. The author of the article maintains that the leaders of the Frankfurt School made a mistake that threatens to undermine their argument when they juxtaposed mimesis and the attraction to death, which has led philosophers to trace back to mimesis the desire for destruction that is found in a civilization constructed by instrumental reasoning. The author reviews the arguments of the Dialectic of Enlightenment and emphasizes the unsuccessful attempt to fuse Freudian and Hegelian methods, which exposes the instability of opposing scientific reasoning to “living” nature. Some amusing quotations from Roger Caillois, who refused to think of mimesis as something entirely rational, are also brought to bear. As Brassier gradually unfolds Adorno and Horkheimer’s thesis, he indicates the consequences of their mistake, which confined thinkers to the bucolic dungeon of “remembering” the authentic nature that they cannot abandon because they have denied themselves access to both reductionist psychological models and to phenomenological theory as such. Brassier delineates the boundaries of this trap and notes the excessive attachment of the Dialectic of Enlightenment to the human. Brassier goes on to describe the prospects for a civilization of enlightenment: a mimesis of death in both senses (death imitates and is imitated) finds its highest expression in the technological automation of the intellect, which for Adorno and Horkheimer means the final implementation of the self-destructive mind. However, for Brassier it means the rewriting of the history of reason in space. This topological rewriting of history, carried out through an enlightenment, reestablishes the dynamics of horror more than mythical temporality: it will become clear that the human mind appears as the dream of a mimetic insect.

POLITIK IDENTITAS DALAM PERSPEKTIF POSKOLONIAL STUDI KASUS HIP HOP DANGDUT GRUP NDX A.K.A

Hip hop dangdut is music identity of NDX A.K.A group. Hip hop dangdut that became popular in society also bring the pros and cons for some groups. Political identity in this research investigates background in choosing music dangdut and hip hop that integrated in NDX’s songs. Political identity used to see the factor that played a role in formation of hip hop dangdut, but not fully realized by NDX group. Political identity in formation of hip hop dangdut then analyzed in textual and contextual to answer the contestation of hip hop dangdut in postcolonial perspective. The concept postcolonial in this research is criticized dominance or the form of leadership culture (hegemony) conducted by capitalists. Hip hop dangdut formed because of the hegemony of media in popularizing hip hop that occurs massively. Contestation on hip hop dangdut identity is analyzed using the concept of mimicry and hybridity to see ‘in-between’ space or third space that can be described the position of hip hop dangdut. Negotiations between hip hop and dangdut is a form of hybridity that takes place in ambivalence, which is mimicking and mocking, and not entirely subordinated to the cultural discrimination that occurs to the strategy of globalization. The performance and NDX music that performed on stage shows the cultural identity negotiations between hip hop and dangdut that formed in the third space.

Playing against empire

ABSTRACTThis paper uses the concept of mimicry to explore the ways in which the tensions of empire were ‘played out’ through the West India Regiments’ performance of military music and cricket. Both tools and products of the British Empire, cricket and military music could be used at cross-purposes and gained meaning and ideological significance in practice. Attention to the cultural practices of the West India Regiments sheds significant light on the connections between early twentieth-century social change and the dynamics of nineteenth-century colonialism. Moreover, it opens up new – and possibly counterintuitive – connections between Caribbean military history and scholarship on the social and cultural forces that have shaped Caribbean society.

Om Postkolonialisme, Migrasjonsprosesser Og Hybride Identiteter. En Lesning Av Eva Scheers Vi Bygger I Sand (1948)

Abstract This article examines what one might call migration literary features in the Jewish Norwegian author Eva Scheer’s novel Vi bygger i sand (1948). I will investigate themes and sections that in different ways emphasize the migration experience of the characters within the novel. The focal point of the analysis is the migration experience in itself, what it means to be forced to move from one country to another and having to learn how to live in a different country and community, perceived identity and identity issues, prejudices, anti-Semitism and the fear of persecution. Because of this chosen focal point, I will use postcolonial theory in my reading of the novel, emphasizing Homi K. Bhabha’s concepts of mimicry and hybridity. What does it mean to belong to a nation? Is it possible to become Norwegian while keeping parts of your homeland’s identity? With the altered migration pattern of recent decades, such issues make the novel relevant even today.

Subaltern Architectures: Can Drawing “Tell” a Different Story?

This article considers the potential of drawing for studying subaltern architectures. The subaltern architectures under discussion are a series of markets in Cape Town, South Africa, which are occupied by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants from across the African continent. These are spaces that would usually fall outside typical architectural studies, as they are contested sites, often difficult to access and not found in formal spatial archives. This article asserts that these markets have a particular spatial value to their populations. It proposes that postcolonial studies and the concept of mimicry offer the potential to recognize the spatial value of these markets while remaining cognizant of the power dynamics at work in the process of researching subaltern spaces. One of the primary methods discussed is the use of architectural drawing as a means to study the often overlooked and unseen spatial practices of refugee markets.

How postcolonial is post-Western IR? Mimicry and mētis in the international politics of Russia and Central Asia

AbstractScholars of International Relations have called for the creation of a post-Western IR that reflects the global and local contexts of the declining power and legitimacy of the West. Recognising this discourse as indicative of the postcolonial condition, we deploy Homi Bhabha’s concept of mimicry and James C. Scott’s notion of mētis to assess whether international political dynamics of a hybrid kind are emerging. Based on interviews with Central Asian political, economic, and cultural elites, we explore the emergence of a new global politics of a post-Western type. We find that Russia substantively mimics the West as a post-Western power and that there are some suggestive examples of the role of mētis in its foreign policy. Among Central Asian states, the picture is more equivocal. Formal mimicry and mētis of a basic kind are observable, but these nascent forms suggest that the dialectical struggle between colonial clientelism and anti-colonial nationalism remains in its early stages. In this context, a post-Western international politics is emerging with a postcolonial aspect but without the emergence of the substantive mimicry and hybrid spaces characteristic of established postcolonial relations.

Parallels and Incongruities between Musical and Verbal Behaviors

The study of music in behavior analytic accounts constitutes a poorly addressed area of application due to conceptual incongruities in the field and a general lack of common ground between the disciplines of music and behavior analysis. This paper will examine the suitability of Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior in describing various musical behaviors and propose clarifications of verbal behavior constructs to account for the conceptual similarities and differences between musical and verbal behaviors. The musical concepts of mimicry, relative pitch, and absolute pitch are also discussed from the perspective of a verbal behavior analysis. These are presented as examples of how presumably innate musical abilities remain subject to operant principles of behavior modification and how certain conventions of music may suggest novel functional relations that could expand the existing categorization of operants.

The challenges facing the global south: perspectives from the Philippines

International Relations scholarship highlights the differences of the countries in the global south. The postcolonial histories of countries herein give rise to unique experiences that push them to consolidate their states at the soonest time possible even as they are inextricably integrated in an international system that is biased towards the great powers. This double pressure either makes or break a state, and it is this tension that is the focus of the special issue. This concluding article offers a bird’s-eye view of the nuances of the differences of the global south and the problems associated with it. I argue that while the differences may indeed be unique, not seeing beyond those is problematic. In line with this, I first acknowledge the differences the global south represents. I look at how the International Relations concepts of state, rational choice, and the international system are seen as inapplicable to the workings of the global south, and how this “misfit” is detected not only in the dynamics of Philippine foreign policy, but also in its relationships with various regional powers like the United States and China. I then turn to the problems associated with seeingonlythe differences of the global south. I highlight the concepts of mimicry and hybridity before examining the cases of the Philippines’ labor conditions, human security for migrant workers, and disability-related issues. In all these, caution, mindfulness, and the need for dialogue are therefore called for.

Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work: The case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius

Resistance at work can take many forms and be theorised in multiple ways. In this paper, I use postcolonial theorist Homi Bhabha's concepts of mimicry, ambivalence and hybridity to explore non-traditional forms of resistance among Indo-Mauritians working in the hotel industry. I employ a two-stage qualitative research approach by conducting focus groups in eight hotels in Mauritius followed by focused ethnography with 20 Indo-Mauritians. The findings reveal that the Indian diasporic community is actively engaging with its past (India) through the materiality of its home, its sacred space and its use of Bhojpuri to communicate. By unfolding and maintaining its difference, it is constantly demarcating its personal space from that of the Other. As this behaviour extends to the workplace, salient forms of non-traditional resistance surface in rural regions.

Viral apoptotic mimicry.

Apoptotic cells clearance, or efferocytosis, is an essential and highly conserved cellular process mainly based on the recognition of the phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) exposed on the surface of apoptotic bodies by the phagocyte. Since a decade, several studies have shown that many viruses can hijack this biological process by exposing PtdSer on their viral envelope to facilitate infection. This apoptotic mimicry concept has been recently strengthened by recent discoveries showing that multiple enveloped virus families bind directly or indirectly to PtdSer receptors in order to initiate their infectious cycle. This review focus on recent advances in this topic and discuss about PtdSer receptors function, especially TIM (T-Cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin domain) and TAM (Tyro3, Axl, Mer) families, during infection and viral entry.

Varalica uzvraća pogled: rekonceptualizacija drugog u djelima suvremenog indijanskog umjetnika Jamesa Lune

The Trickster Returns the Gaze: Reconceptualizing the Other in the Work of Contemporary Native American Artist James Luna The paper analyzes the use of humor in the work of Luiseno artist James Luna. Utilizing the media of performance, photography and installation, using himself as the object of representation, Luna has created a recognizable artistic style that addresses the complex issues of American Indian identity and representation. His installations The End of the Frail (1990-91) and The Artifact Piece (1987, 1990) both point at the constructed nature of Native identity. Whereas the former employs satire, self-stereotyping, parody and humor to expose and confront the colonial myths, distorted attitudes and pictographic representations of Native Americans, the latter addresses the issues of Native absence and invisibility in the dominant culture. Representing himself as an artifact to provoke laughter, shock and discomfort, in The Artifact Piece Luna clearly disclosed the relationship between Western institutions of knowledge and the culture of the spectacle. Both installations draw attention to the tie between imperialism and material forms of production and representation, indicating the still ongoing institutional investment in Native allegorization through commodification and scientific practices, the fact that even today Native American identity is compromised by the colonial discourse and its disciplinary practices and imagination. Using Bhabha’s concepts of mimicry and hybridity, Bakhtin’s theory of humor and Vizenor’s trickster holotrope, our analysis discusses the subversive potential of Luna’s auto-ethnographic project, itspotential to deconstruct the meta-narratives of Otherness and colonization, and create new spaces for social dialogue and cultural survival.

Riverbend's blogosphere: mockery and menace in colonial discourse

This paper explores how Riverbend's blog/book Baghdad burning resonates with representations of Bhabha's conceptualization of the Other through the concept of mimicry which disrupts colonial discourse. Riverbend, the pseudonym of the blogger of Baghdad burning launched 17 August 2003, generates two representations of mimicry. The first is the new Iraqi governing members who, ‘hand-picked by Bremer’, represent how mimicry slips into mockery. To Riverbend, those governing members are puppets with colonial masks who project themselves as Iraqi nationalists. Their interest in Iraq is in fact a continuation of the colonial pretensions. Second, Riverbend resists the colonial discourse by utilizing mimicry as likeness with menace to both the colonizers and their mimic men. As she uses the empowering language of the colonizer as well as western humour and knowledge of pop culture to accentuate resistance, Riverbend eventually becomes a menace to the colonizer because she ‘is almost the same, but not quite’. Through the lens of mimicry as a colonial mode to legitimize authority, Riverbend becomes the voice of dissent or of resistance using cyberspace to expose both the colonizers and their mimic men as part of the ongoing colonial discourse which is both pretentious and dehumanizing.