Modern Concepts Research Articles

Contexts for integrating classical music in vulnerable educational environments

Intersectional intervention on educational policies in 21st century society is noted as a viable alternative in disadvantaged educational settings. In this direction, a well-reasoned educational policy facilitates access to education and knowledge for a significant number of students. The vision of each teacher, and in general of an educator, must be aimed at comprehensive educational policies, consistent with educational ideals and the agreed school curriculum, the skills of each educator being evident in the way they can adapt and apply classical or modern educational strategies or concepts, capable of producing much needed change in the evolution and school performance of the beneficiaries of this social service. The involvement of music education in the formation of the modern pupil's personality can be the foundation on which to build an equitable and inclusive education system, providing pupils with valuable opportunities to develop cognitive, social and emotional skills.

STRATEGI KOMUNIKASI PARADOX COFFEE AND ROASTERY DALAM MEMBANGUN BRAND IMAGE MELALUI MEDIA SOSIAL INSTAGRAM

The communication strategy in building the company's brand image is part of the demands of PR practitioners to adapt to digitalization developments and utilize new media. In responding to these demands, Paradox Coffee and Roastery is present in the community and responds to these demands based on what the community needs. This is done by publishing informative and educational content via the Instagram account @paradox.creative with the aim of influencing stakeholders to follow and visit their coffee shop. The purpose of this study was to determine the communication strategy of Paradox Coffee and Roastery in building a brand image through Instagram social media. The theory used in this study is social media engagement theory and the concept of communication strategy. This study uses a type of qualitative research. The results of this research consist of 4 strategy stages, including: 1) Stage of getting targets and opportunities, 2) Stage of content creation, 3) Stage of Audience Engagement, 4) Stage of evaluating the program being run, Through the Instagram account Paradox Coffee and Roastery creates and packages informative and educational content through Instagram feeds and stories which contain information and engagement content so that it gets intense interaction when the publication is made, the strategy chosen by Paradox Coffee and Roastery can increase its positive image in the community as the first local coffeeshop to come with a modern and minimalist concept.
 
 
 Keywords: Communication Strategy, Publication, Social Media, Instagram.
 

Исследование стрессоустойчивости старшеклассников

The article presents the rationale for studying the stress resistance of an individual in high school age, as well as the possibility of influencing its development. The authors’ definition and understanding of personality stress resistance in the context of modern concepts and theories is given. The work itself is devoted to studying the characteristics of stress resistance in high school age using the test by T. Ivanchenko et al. “Inventory of stress symptoms”, the test “Probability of Stress Development” by J.H. Taylor adapted by T.A. Nemchin, self-assessment test of stress resistance by S. Couchen and G. Willianson, methods for determining the dominant state of L.V. Kulikova. The results of diagnostics of high school students’ stress resistance, likelihood of stress development in them, inventory of stress symptoms and dominant states, as well as correlation relations of the studied variables are presented. An analysis of the effectiveness of the program developed by the authors to increase the stress resistance of an individual in high school age, implemented in a secondary school, is pro-vided.

Democratic republicanism and political competence in treatments of radical Enlightenment

ABSTRACT This article argues that what was understood as democracy in the eighteenth century differs fundamentally from modern democracy. While modern democratic states take locally born or naturalized personhood as the criterion of citizenship, eighteenth-century advocates of democracy demanded proof of political competence to allow participation in politics. While the requirement of competence to engage in any activity is not unreasonable, if defined, as it was by most Enlightenment thinkers, as a combination of independence, cultural standing and wealth, it is clearly elitist. Enlightenment criticisms of birth and status as criteria of political standing should not be mistaken for demands for broadly inclusive, modern conceptions of equality and democracy. Rather, most Enlightenment thinkers and publicists, fully aware of the implications of widespread and debilitating poverty, expressed reservations about granting the ‘people’ an effective role in politics. Far from being ‘radical’, Enlightenment political theory called for the replacement of an elitism based on status and privilege with an elitism of ability and wealth.

The specter of race in global Covid-19 responses: the future is decolonial.

The Covid-19 pandemic reified pre-existing inequalities predicated on anti-Black racism, imperial geographical cartography, and the violent language of biomilitarism. In this reflective essay I deploy tools of historical sociology to underscore the importance of race, racism, racialization, and global responses to pandemics. I considerer the following questions. First, how can world society develop ideas and concepts for the imagination of a post-imperial global health regime? Second, can alternative futures be imagined if the monopolistic control of power, global scientific processes and knowledge regime is framed around a problematic lexicography of a Eurocentric totalizing project of being human? Lastly, if there is a scientific consensus that we need alternative futures, what kinds of knowledge is needed to bring about a post-imperial liberated order? The future of global health regime is a decolonial one predicated on a new biopolitics. I provide four paradigmatic approaches to subvert imperial global health: (i) pivoting ecocide in the imperial global health regime; (ii) abandonment of a Eurocentric conceptualization of racial hierarchy and modernity; (iii) disbanding the commodification of public health; and (iv) organizing a new world order through health reparations.

Prevention of Osteoporotic Disorders with Foxtail Millet (Setaria Italica)

Objectives: 1. To review the effect of foxtail millet in Bone health. 2. To review Asthivikara according to Ayurvedic science. 3. To review about ayurvedic and modern concept of Foxtail Millet and Osteoporosis. Materials and methods: All the research work regarding foxtail millet, Osteoporosis, Bone health, Sandhankarma has been searched from science direct, PUBMED, scholar articles. Various classical text of ayurveda and modern science has been reviewed. Discussion: foxtail millet possesses Madhura (sweet), Astringent (Kashaya) rasa, Guru guna (heavy), ruchya property (increases taste), Sheeta veerya (cold potency), brumhana karma (nourishing), sandhankar (healing) property. It is rich in Vitamin B12, protein, good fat, carbs and dietary fibre content. Besides copious amounts of lysine, thiamine, iron and niacin, it also offers abundant amounts of calcium. Osteoporosis was first considered to be an age-related disorder characterized by low bone mass and increased bone fragility, thereby putting the patient at risk of fractures. Studies have reported an increased risk of developing osteoporosis in patients with various inflammatory conditions. Bound polyphenols of inner shell (BPIS) from foxtail millet bran can display anti-inflammatory effects Conclusion: Foxtail millet diet consumption will help in prevention of osteoclastic activity i.e. bone resorption process and may promote the activity of osteoblastic cells i.e. bone forming cells. It can promote anti-inflammatory effect. But according to Ayurveda, its consumption should be limited to once a day to prevent vitiation of Vata Dosha. So mass awareness and large scale research study is required for significant result.

Dysfunctional family as a determinant of mercenary and forcible crimes of minors and young people

The article is devoted to the problems of criminological determination of mercenary and forcible crimes of minors and youth. The author defines dysfunctional family as one of the main determinants of mercenary and forcible crimes among minors and youth.
 The article characterizes the influence of adversity in the family, defects of family upbringing on the formation of a young personality.
 The author analyzes modern criminological concepts regarding family problems as determinants of juvenile and youth crime and notes that the aggravation of problems of family dysfunction against the general background of poverty and constant need, moral and social degradation that occurs in families, lead to extremely negative consequences.
 It is a well-known fact that the intensity of crime is particularly high among minors and young people from disadvantaged families. Basically, drunkenness, drug addiction, and prostitution thrive in these families, there are no moral foundations, elementary culture. All this affects the formation of the character of the individual, because the influence of the family, upbringing is of decisive importance.
 Negative socio-economic and political processes significantly weakened the importance of the family institution as a social institution that protected children and youth. The majority of juvenile criminals were brought up in dysfunctional, single-parent families with a critical financial situation, and were witnesses of scandals and fights.
 Parents who lead an immoral lifestyle, are indifferent to the interests of the child, are unable to provide the proper conditions for the normal psychophysical development of the child, and the deterioration of the financial situation of families leads to the inaccessibility due to the increase in the prices of using the benefits of civilization and, combined with discomfort in the family, provokes minors spending more and more time outside.
 The article provides a criminological description of the modern aspects of family dysfunction, which are associated with military actions and the temporary occupation of large territories, and also complements the classification of dysfunctional families, which is developed today by criminological science.

Topical issues of therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune disease characterized by ulcerative destructive processes in the mucous membrane of the colon. Despite advances in the pharmaceutical industry, its prevalence in the world is increasing every year. The etiology of UC is currently unknown to the end. According to modern concepts, ulcerative colitis is considered as a multifactorial disease, in the pathogenesis of which genetic determinism, disorders of the intestinal microbiota with a decrease in populations of anaerobic bacteria in combination with the trigger action of environmental factors are discussed. With high probability, the leading pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease are associated with the polarization of the Th2-type immune response, which is characterized by the synthesis of IL-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13, which is regulated by STAT-5 and Gata-3. During the development of the disease, Th17, a type of immune response, is also involved in the immunopathological process, but with the participation of transcription factors STAT-3 and ROR-yt and the synthesis of IL-17, IL-2, IL-6, IL-26 and IL-22, as well as chemokine CCL20. Diet and lifestyle are part of the global guidelines for the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis. Derivatives of 5-aminosalicylic acid are used as basic therapy preparations: combined preparations and preparations of pure 5-aminosalicylic acid. Nevertheless, the administration of systemic glucocorticosteroids is indicated to control the activity of the disease. However, as our practice shows, they are effective, but only at the first attack and subsequent 2-3 relapses of the disease, followed by a high incidence of hormone resistance. To date, there are modern medicines with a different mechanism of action, allowing achieving stable remission and improving the quality of life of patients. Among them, JAK -tofacitinib inhibitors are of particular interest in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. This is the first oral drug capable of inducing and maintaining steroidal remission. The choice of a particular drug is determined by the experience of use, cost and national recommendations.

Current Aspects of Regenerative Endodontics: A Systematic Review

Relevance. The modern concept of endodontic treatment in most clinical cases involves extirpation of the pulp with the loss of its plastic, trophic, sensory, and protective functions. In this regard, the search for ways to recreate lost cells and the main substance of the pulp and periodontium to replace the intraradicular space with “vital” tissue. Regenerative endodontics based on the principles of tissue engineering and offers techniques for restoring damaged tissues of the pulp-dentin complex based on the use of stem cells, growth factors, and an organic matrix. Aim. Systematize information presented in scientific articles about research conducted, opportunities and development prospects in the field of regenerative endodontics. Materials and methods. A search of literature sources was carried out in the PubMed, dissercat.com, elibrary database.ru, cyberleninka.ru, by keywords, “regenerative endodontics”, “stem cells”, “growth factors”, “pulp-dentin complex” with a choice of article types “Clinical Trial”, “Meta-Analysis”, “Review”, "Systematic Review". Results. After analyzing the literature review, an idea was obtained about the current stage of development of regenerative endodontics, preclinical and clinical studies on the restoration of the pulp-dentin complex. Clinical cases based on the triad of regenerative endodontics are presented, as well as an algorithm for performing these therapeutic procedures. Conclusions. Regenerative endodontics is a rapidly developing discipline whose clinical advances are primarily related to the treatment of immature tooth roots, which results in continued root development. Subsequent scientific research is aimed at obtaining significant results in the treatment of a fully formed permanent tooth, which will ensure a unique restoration of the immunological, sensory and protective properties of the pulp-dentine complex.

Muscarinic Cholinoreceptors in Skeletal Muscle: Localization and Functional Role.

The review focuses on the modern concepts of the functions of muscarinic cholinoreceptors in skeletal muscles, particularly, in neuromuscular contacts, and that of the signaling pathways associated with the activation of various subtypes of muscarinic receptors in the skeletal muscles of cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals. Despite the long history of research into the involvement of muscarinic receptors in the modulation of neuromuscular transmission, many aspects of such regulation and the associated intracellular mechanisms remain unclear. Now it is obvious that the functions of muscarinic receptors in skeletal muscle are not limited to the autoregulation of neurosecretion from motor nerve endings but also extend to the development and morphological rearrangements of the synaptic apparatus, coordinating them with the degree of activity. The review discusses various approaches to the study of the functions of muscarinic receptors in motor synapses, as well as the problems arising when interpreting experimental data. The final part of the review is devoted to an analysis of some of the intracellular mechanisms and signaling pathways that mediate the effects of muscarinic agents on neuromuscular transmission.

Digitisation of Administration and Legal Basis in Kosovo

Background: In contact with modern technologies, public administration transforms, adopting a new look and changing its legal nature to become an electronic public administration. In addition, we can also observe the use of information technologies in the activities of courts. In electronic public administration, which is based on the use of information and communication technologies and the Internet, the underlying working element is information and personal data of citizens. However, new technologies also carry numerous risks for the security of information and personal data used by administrative bodies and courts in their work, which may lead to the infringement of citizens' rights and the public interest. The demand for adequate protection of personal data in relation to administrative authorities stands out as an important need of citizens in modern society, that we tried to illustrate on the example of the Republic of Kosovo. Methods: The methodology employed in this research involves the methods of description, comparison, legal analysis and analysis of data and information collected within the context of Kosovo. The legal analysis in this paper focuses on the content of the constitutional and legal framework for public administration control instruments. The legal analysis pertaining to public administration control instruments is also widely used to clarify the implementation of laws and principles in practice within Kosovo. Through this method, it is intended to highlight the problems during the applicability of the legislation. The descriptive method used in this paper was intended to reflect the current state of public administration control instruments in Kosovo. This article provides an overview of legal mechanisms that can be implemented to stimulate digital administration in developing countries. These legal mechanisms include the development of appropriate legal frameworks for e-administration, protection of intellectual property rights, privacy and data protection laws, and cyber security laws. Results and Conclusions: Electronic public administration in Kosovo represents an altered and modern concept of public administration that has changed the way and purpose of performing state affairs. Technically, it is based on using the Internet and information and communication technologies to conduct regular state affairs and forecast the situation in various social fields. These technical elements have also influenced its legal nature, facilitating administrative bodies in expediting their duties and enhancing the execution of their responsibilities. This evolution fosters a more direct interaction between Kosovo citizens and their state, allowing citizens to gain insight into state affairs that directly affect their rights and interests.

일반교육(general education)으로서의 초등교육의 개념

Objectives This study discusses the nature of elementary education as general education from the perspective of modern elementary education.
 Methods This study was conducted through a literature review and was reviewed with a focus on data collected through various information searches, such as domestic and foreign books, dissertations, and papers published in academic journals related to research on the basic characteristics and concepts of elementary education.
 Results As a result, elementary education as general education is an education that is conceptualized as encom-passing character, intelligence, and the competencies that have recently been emphasized in the historical con-texts of education. First, elementary education as general education is education that respects human values and creates human identity. Second, elementary education as general education is an education that lays the founda-tion for acquiring knowledge needed in a changing modern society, developing a more comprehensive per-spective based on the acquired knowledge, and enhancing intelligence in the course of life. Third, elementary ed-ucation as general education is a competency-based general education that strengthens competencies in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, which has been recently emphasized.
 Conclusions Elementary education as general education needs to focus on the practical aspects of education rather than the theoretical aspects of liberal education or liberal education, so that knowledge such as skills, abil-ities, and attitudes can be utilized more effectively and comprehensively beyond simply theoretical knowledge. Practical competency-based elementary education is the modern concept of general education.

Endovascular occlusion of the left atrial appendage in atrial fibrillation: modern concepts and prospects (review)

Despite the increasingly widespread use of endovascular left atrial appendage occlusion (ELAAO) in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the choice of optimal tactics for performing the procedure, especially subsequent antithrombotic therapy, remains poorly understood. This review was conducted with the aim of critically assessing current ideas about the safety and effectiveness of ELAAO in AF. The results of the most important clinical studies of ELAAO in patients with AF, the provisions of current clinical recommendations for this procedure are discussed. The available data on the possibilities of antithrombotic therapy after ELAAO and the prospects for future research in filling gaps in the evidence base for this technique are reviewed.

Clinical significance of behavioral type “a” in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis

According to modern concepts, rheumatoid arthritis is a classic psychosomatic disease that leads to a decrease in the quality of life of patients and their early disability. To date, few foreign and domestic studies have examined the relationship between behavioral type “A” and rheumatoid arthritis. The clinical significance of behavioral type A in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been studied to determine new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches. As part of a one-stage (cross-sectional) study, 74 people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis were examined during the year, which were represented by two groups, in accordance with the diagnosed behavioral type. The first group consisted of 22 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with behavioral type A, and the second group consisted of 52 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with behavioral type B. All patients received standard basic and anti-inflammatory therapy in the form of methotrexate at a dose selected individually. The duration of adequate basic therapy corresponded to the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in both groups. Patients with behavioral type A were characterized by lower immunological activity, manifested, among other things, by a lower level of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide and C-reactive protein, whereas the frequency of erosive lesions was higher. The presence of behavioral type A in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic damage. A personal negative quality, i. e. , hostility, which is included as one of the characteristics of behavioral type “A,” has a reliable direct relationship with the number of erosions, and significantly, its value directly correlates with the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, the stratification of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, according to the presence of behavioral type “A,” demonstrates the clinical and laboratory features of the disease and may be important for the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches and the provision of therapeutic and preventive interventions in these patients

What neuro-otology specialists need for better care of dizzy patients: a national survey.

A substantial fraction of dizzy patients are assessed by neurologists and ear-nose-throat (ENT) physicians. With the differential diagnosis being broad and often different specialties involved, we aimed to assess the interaction with generalists from the specialists' perspective to identify limitations and needs and to define strategies for improvement in patient care and education by the specialist. One hundred eleven board-certified neurologists (n = 62) and ENT physicians (n = 49) working in Switzerland participated in an online survey. Here, we focused on limitations faced in the diagnostic workup and treatment of the dizzy patient and potential strategies to improve the standard of care and the interaction between generalists and specialists. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. We hypothesized that those specialists applying modern concepts in history-taking and bedside examination techniques reach a specific diagnosis more often and request fewer referrals. Specialists indicated higher confidence in reaching a specific diagnosis for patients presenting with acute dizziness than episodic/chronic dizziness (80% vs. 60%) at the first consultation. Knowledge of the timing-and-trigger concept [odds ratio (OR) = 0.81 (0.67-0.98), p = 0.034], as well as of subtle oculomotor/vestibular signs [OR = 0.80 (0.68-0.94), p = 0.007] was predictive of the self-reported probability of reaching a specific diagnosis in patients with episodic/chronic dizziness, while no such differences were observed in the care of acutely dizzy patients. Further referrals of acutely dizzy patients were significantly higher in neurologists than in ENT physicians (17% vs. 10%, p < 0.001) and in specialists located in the Latin part of Switzerland [OR = 2.84 (1.63-4.93), p < 0.001], while this was not the case for patients with episodic/chronic dizziness. Identified unmet needs included regular communication between physicians (27%/53%; always/often true) and sufficiently detailed information on the previous workup from the referrals (27%/53%). Specialists expressed most interest in hands-on courses/workshops, webinars, and practical guidelines for education. In our survey, bedside state-of-the-art assessments were key in reducing the fraction of unclear dizzy cases. Several gaps were identified that should be addressed. Specifically, referring physicians should provide more comprehensive details regarding urgency, prior diagnostics, and treatment. Specifically, when promoting the knowledge of neurologists and ENT physicians, this should be preferentially done by offering a combination of hands-on courses and webinars.

The rise and fall of Marxism in Ethiopia: a critical analysis of emancipatory paradigms

The article identifies three factors that contributed to the failure of Marxist ideology as a paradigm of emancipation in Ethiopia. In a nation that is defined by a complex process of nation building and centuries of interdependence among different cultural backgrounds, Marxism was introduced as a revolutionary practice that promises a radical break with the past. Through an analysis of the historical context within which such an ideology was introduced in the Ethiopian context, it will be argued that Marxism failed to provide an alternative epistemic foundation for an emancipatory practice since it was trapped under an elitist thinking, was developed as a conception of instrumental modernization that is antithetical to existing values and also constituted a utopian ideal that was not grounded in a proper historical consciousness. With the recognition that Marxism failed to serve as a foundation of an emancipatory practice in Ethiopian soil, there is a need to look for a new paradigm of emancipation that is grounded in a social ontology that is cognizant of the complex history and the relations of interdependence that gave birth to Ethiopia’s contemporary predicaments and has the capacity of hosting a public sphere that can develop dialogical encounters.

When wasn't modernism? Reflections on the stone age

ABSTRACT In The Politics of Modernism, Raymond Williams pointed out that as a category for understanding the new, modernism was thoroughly ideological. This article addresses the problem of modernism's exclusivity and the ways in which it associates the new, and by extension the present, with certain qualities and privileges as well as with coloniality in general. Building on recent expansions of modernism by Susan Stanford Friedman and David Damrosch as well as on a general turn against historicism in the literary humanities, it suggests the value to reading modernism in relation to prehistory. Thinking in terms of the memory of things, the persistence of landscapes and materials, offers a way in which we can arrive at an untimely conception of modernism: a conception that is meaningful and useful beyond the limited scope of conventional constructions of the field. In illustrating this argument, the essay discusses the Maryhill Monument as well as the sculptural work of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Kurt Schwitters, Carl Andre, and Thomas Hirschhorn. The essay concludes with a consideration of Williams's awareness of the revisionary potentials of prehistory in relation to modernism in his last, unfinished, novel, People of the Black Mountains.

Precarious employment as a prerequisite for career surfing

The subject of the study is the conceptualization of the phenomenon of career surfing and precarization of labor as a prerequisite for its manifestation. The object of the study is the phenomena of precarious employment and career surfing. The authors consider in detail such aspects of the topic as the role of career surfing in the perspective of the concept of fluid modernity; multidimensional manifestations of career surfing, as a result of which generalization the types of precarization are highlighted (change of job, type of work, sphere of work, directions of professional or career development; search and evaluation of vacancies or employers, areas of professional training and/or educational institutions; transnational career surfing); the ambivalent nature of career surfing, including both positive and negative manifestations; the interrelationships and qualitative differences of career surfing with the phenomena of social surfing and labor mobility. To achieve the goal, conceptual and theoretical analysis, subject-categorical analysis, systematization, generalization of scientific research results and social practice data were used. The design included solving the following tasks: identification of essential features and varieties of career surfing manifestations; differentiation of career surfing with a number of similar concepts characterizing the instability of career development; systematization of the causes and problems of studying career surfing. The main conclusions of the study are: 1) Career surfing is a multifaceted phenomenon that consists in changing the trajectory of professional career development. The types of career surfing include changing and/or searching for: a job, position, type of work, profession, specialty, sphere or direction of professional or career development. Thus, precarization of labor illustrates the manifestation of career surfing; 2) In methodological terms, career surfing is a social and psychological construct that has deep connections with the constructs of social surfing, mobility, fluid modernity, etc.; 3) The reasons for the expansion and development of career surfing are diverse and include: transformation of workplaces and types of work (including digitalization), the development of flexible forms of employment, the expansion of geographical and social migrations, etc.; 4) Career surfing is ambivalent in its social role and includes both constructive consequences (for example, coping with situations of career and social uncertainty) and destructive ones. The novelty of the research lies in the author's generalization of the results of the theoretical and methodological analysis of the studied phenomena and the justification of the definition of career surfing.

Interactive Design and Optics-Based Visualization of Arbitrary Non-Euclidean Kaleidoscopic Orbifolds.

Orbifolds are a modern mathematical concept that arises in the research of hyperbolic geometry with applications in computer graphics and visualization. In this paper, we make use of rooms with mirrors as the visual metaphor for orbifolds. Given any arbitrary two-dimensional kaleidoscopic orbifold, we provide an algorithm to construct a Euclidean, spherical, or hyperbolic polygon to match the orbifold. This polygon is then used to create a room for which the polygon serves as the floor and the ceiling. With our system that implements Möbius transformations, the user can interactively edit the scene and see the reflections of the edited objects. To correctly visualize non-Euclidean orbifolds, we adapt the rendering algorithms to account for the geodesics in these spaces, which light rays follow. Our interactive orbifold design system allows the user to create arbitrary two-dimensional kaleidoscopic orbifolds. In addition, our mirror-based orbifold visualization approach has the potential of helping our users gain insight on the orbifold, including its orbifold notation as well as its universal cover, which can also be the spherical space and the hyperbolic space.

Saikaku's Evanescence

Abstract: This essay explores how Ihara Saikaku's new form of fiction— ukiyo-zoshi —both adapts and adopts traditional Japanese aesthetics. Saikaku's Five Women Who Loved Love (1686) is a paradigmatic example of the modern conception of ukiyo , which inverts the traditional Buddhist sense of ukiyo , written with a different character, to express the ephemeral, often erotic pleasures of the floating world, rather than sadness in the face of its transience. I argue that, though the modern pleasures of ukiyo are the drivers of the plot, the imagery and the traditional aesthetic pleasures associated with the Buddhist sense of the transience of a floating world run throughout the stories. Saikaku's characters are often presented as avatars of classical characters and in turn they often end up generating additional stories. Characters and stories alike are nodes in a cycle of infectious stories, versions of earlier stories that seed further stories and so transmit the evanescent pleasures of love in a self-conscious circulation of stories. The older resonance of the floating world sounds through its modern meaning. Saikaku ironically invokes the Buddhist significance of the floating world, but he may also ironically suggest the limitations of its modern pleasures. Saikaku's modernity inheres in this double irony.