Contemporary Humanities Research Articles

Bulgarian Studies in the Field of Contemporary Humanities

Bulgarian Studies in the Field of Contemporary Humanities

Memory as Part of an Event, and Events as Signification of Memories: Focusing on Philippe Claudel’s Brodeck’s Report

This paper attempts to reconceptualize memory as an event from a theological perspective, drawing on the recent dialog between memory studies and Critical Event Studies. To this end, it analyzes the narrative and themes of the 2007 novel Brodeck’s Report by Philippe Claudel, classified as a third-generation Holocaust (narrative) writer in France, within the framework of event studies. The novel has been praised for successfully depicting the tragedy as a universal event transcending spatial–temporal specificity by utilizing the genre of allegory while minimizing references to the historical and geographical specificity of the Holocaust. Extending this evaluation, this paper particularly focuses from a theological perspective on how the protagonist and narrator, Brodeck, simply names the subject of his report—a past event that happened to an unidentified other (Autre) called the ‘Anderer’—as ‘Ereignis’ (event). This is noteworthy because Ereignis is not only the most famous concept representing late Heideggerian philosophy but also holds significant importance in post-Heideggerian modern philosophy as the speculative source of the ‘evental turn’, which, along with the ‘material turn’, constitutes one axis of the ‘ontological turn’ in contemporary humanities and social sciences. In this regard, this work, which narrativizes the universality of the Holocaust, provides interesting implications for the possibility of a disjunctive synthesis between memory studies in the humanities and social sciences and theological event studies. Above all, it stimulates a reconsideration of the conventional dichotomy between memory and event—namely, the commonplace premise of “events that occurred in the past” and “present memories of past events”—as revealed in the definition of memory studies as “naming pasts, transforming futures”. Thus, this paper explores the possibility of reconceptualizing the moment of memory as part of the ongoing event itself from past to present, and the event as a process of symbolic construction of meaning through memory.

The Artistic and Ideological Framework of Funerary and Mourning Ceremonies for Polish Monarchs in the 16th Century: A Study on Reconstructing the Visual Aspects of Funeral Rites

The issue of royal deaths, along with studies on the ceremonial framework, the artistic and ideological aspects of their funerals, the rituals of power succession, and the public manifestation of dynastic power, represents a significant area of research in contemporary humanities. This article explores the origins and evolution of mourning and funeral ceremonies for Polish monarchs, and subsequently, based on various sources, examines the fixed and variable elements of the funerals of Sigismund I the Old (r. 1507–1548), Sigismund II Augustus (r. 1548–1572), and Stephen Báthory (r. 1575–1586), which followed a ceremonial protocol established in 1548. Additionally, it addresses the challenges of reconstructing the visual aspects of these ceremonies, with particular attention paid to their artistic and ideological components and their connections to the funerary traditions of other European rulers.

Historia – nauka w dyskursie kryzysowym

The paper is an attempt at metasearch reflection on the current discursive positioning of disciplinary history in relation to methodological issues focused on its scientific status in confrontation with historical Pyrrhonism. This attempt is developed in the following threads: tropes of the crisis discourse and tropes of the modernisation discourse – towards (the concept of) research and learning history from the perspective of consilience and the methodological expansionism of the contemporary humanities. The question arises as to whether disciplinary history has a distinguished scientific status, and therefore an important cognitive and axiological function among other areas of historical research, or whether it is rather an instrument of power that manages symbolic violence. Current revisionist discourses in the areas of anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and memory studies follow this path, and methodologists are concerned with the question of their consequences for the discipline of history. One of them is that contemporary Pyrrhonism focuses on questioning the cognitive and axiological value of European (Western) history in the face of the "history‑resistant pasts" discourses within the framework of the postcolonial criticism and the indigenous turn. Hence the contextual reference to the narrative of historical Pyrrhonism from the 1970s, including the retreat from national‑centric historiography (in the model of neo‑historicism), the entry of other disciplines into the field of historical research, and the displacement of disciplinary history from its centre. Currently, this should be considered in relation to the postulate of the sovereignty of the discipline of history, and, on the other hand, the phenomenon of post‑disciplinary transgression in humanities towards a multi‑, inter‑ and transdisciplinary model in new orientations and research programs. In connection with this, the ultimate goal of the considerations here is to defend the conciliatory perspective in multidisciplinary historical research and the concept of its multilateral presence.

The Limits of Philological Reading – Some Observations on the Internal Limits in The Humanities

The article deals with the problem of the boundaries in contemporary humanities – if “everything is a text” and the process of assimilation and interpretation of new meanings is fundamentally open and infinite, then do we have any grounds to distinguish between different kinds of understanding of the cultural phenomena surrounding us? The central thesis of the article is that precisely those claims that are theoretical in nature should be read and discussed in a way that is alien to the philological perspective. However, this is not necessarily a problem – the internal heterogeneity of humanitarian thinking may be an advantage considering the point of development reached in the “camp” of the natural sciences.

IVAN FRANKO’S SHORT STORY “AT THE WOODSHOP”: THE FOLKLORE CONTEXT

In the short story “At the Woodshop,” while outlining the trials a village boy faces in adapting to the urban environment, Ivan Franko added a remarkable layer of oral lore. He employed the songs and narratives popular among the Drohobych craftsmen to explicate how the schoolboy from Nahuievychi village came to understand his surroundings and got accustomed to the city life. The writer revealed numerous common features and a significant number of variations between the folklore of Nahuievychi and Drohobych. He particularly noted the active circulation of craftsmen’s narratives, known as ‘workshop stories,’ which reflected the traditional way of life of the working class and became a unique legacy of urban culture. For example, one story recounts the tale of a master watchmaker who suffered because of his skill. Additionally, Ivan Franko focused on a particularly popular group of spiritual songs, mostly church carols known as ‘pastoral songs,’ which originated in printed hymnals. These works, richly embellished with everyday details and marked by a straightforwardness of expression while preserving significant poetic appeal, were in high demand among the townspeople of Drohobych and held leading positions in their modest and generally unpretentious repertoire. In addition to direct references to the oral texts heard in the suburbs of Drohobych in the 1860s, the writer provided a detailed description of family life, highlighting the obvious signs of predominant female element in this Halychyna town. Considering the subject area of contemporary humanities, these observations fall within the competence of cultural anthropology. Franko, as a master of literature, demonstrated not only the keen observation characteristic of a true belle-lettrist but also the ability to comprehend and explain the genesis of a complex cultural phenomenon.

Research on the Core Issues of Modern Political Philosophy and the Critical Perspective of Marxism

Modern political philosophy engages in in-depth discussions on core issues such as justice, freedom, and equality, while Marxism critically analyzes these issues, emphasizing their socio-historical context and class foundation. The study of Marxist political philosophy in contemporary China should not only be rooted in the concrete practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics but also actively respond to the core issues of modern political philosophy. Furthermore, it should engage in profound dialogue with Western political philosophy traditions, ancient Chinese political philosophy, and contemporary humanities and social sciences, while adhering to the fundamental theoretical premises of Marxism. Through this process, Marxist political philosophy can achieve theoretical innovation, deepen its critical analysis of socialist society with Chinese characteristics, and serve as an integral part of the construction of contemporary China's mainstream ideology.

Thoughts on contemporary humanities scholarship in Nigeria

In his article ‘African universities and the challenge of postcolonial development’, Jeremiah Arowosegbe discusses the trajectory of universities in postcolonial Africa, drawing particularly on the experiences of public universities in Nigeria. Arowosegbe accounts for the state of the institutions against the backdrop of ‘hostile material conditions and uncongenial political control’, which continue to ‘undermine institutional autonomy and the integrity of scholarship’. This think piece reflects on the particular case of the state of humanities scholarship in Nigeria in the face of persistent onslaught on academia.

Roman Ingarden’s Ontology and Non-anthropocentric Humanities: On (Non-)Obvious Relationships

The discourse on non-anthropocentric humanities has an essentializing and ontologizing character, allowing connections to be made with Roman Ingarden’s own ontology. The problems considered by researchers such as Bjørnar Olsen and Graham Harman appear to allign with those of the Polish philosopher. Concepts problematized in both non-anthropocentric discourse and Ingarden’s theory include self-containedness, autonomy and independence of the object from the cognizing subject, together with the manner in which the object itself is endowed as a subject with its own merits. Although functional questions (how things act as non-human actors in reality and what relations they form with human actors) seem to be the most important for modern researchers, the essential points they raise allow for a better understanding of what conditions objects require for their action and even causality. Introducing the discourse of non-anthropocentric humanities into the context of Ingarden’s ontology could allow, among other things, for the clarification of certain concepts. In this way, the return to things, a subject hitherto lacking its own vocabulary, can be perceived as a significant new discourse within contemporary humanities.

An artist’s biography: Individual and personalised cultural marker

Here is your text with the extra spaces removed: In contemporary humanities, there is a pressing need for studies that would interpret civilisational achievements through the lens of the life and creativity of their creators. The purpose of this article was to highlight the specifics of an artist’s biography from the perspective of reflecting key cultural concepts. The implementation of this study has become possible through the involvement of several general scientific methods, including analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, and generalisation. It has been demonstrated that the master’s biography is an anthropological phenomenon, a source of insight into the creator and their works, and a product of the scholar’s (biographer’s) activity. It represents a multidimensional content domain that encapsulates the spiritual achievements of an era. The master’s chronicle reflects the fulfillment of their higher purpose, i.e., the creation of artistic artifacts that have become a phenomenon of homo sapiens. At the same time, it reproduces the microcosm of the character’s epoch, records the leading principles of the era, serves as a means of perceiving and interpreting multifaceted achievements, and appears as one of the ways in which contemporary humanitarian knowledge develops. The master’s chronicles are an ontological narrative where the unfolding plot, climax, declines, dynamic twists, and meaningful events illustrate the artistic time and space of a unique individual’s life, marking the key cultural concepts of the epoch. The practical significance of the results lies in the fact that the proposed research can be used in the development of lecture courses on the theory and history of culture, personal studies, and biographistics. Certain aspects can be applied in educational activities, including lectures, masterclasses, and projects dedicated to the study of contemporary civilisational processes.

Okruchy egzystencji na płótnie i na papierze. O spotkaniach z trzema obrazami Caravaggia oraz innych polonistycznych inspiracjach

The article reflects on the essence of contemporary humanities in the educational dimension and emphasizes the importance of multidimensional dialogue based on four pillars: relationships, empathy, critical thinking and cultural context. Referring to Olga Tokarczuk’s category of a sensitive narrator, the author of the study postulates the need to educate a sensitive reader and viewer, as well as paying special attention to empathetic education. She presents the topos of homo viator as an anthropological category and in the context of three paintings by Caravaggio: Basket of Fruit, The Burial of Saint Lucy and The Raising of Lazarus, as well as a short story by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz titled The Maidens of Wilko considers various types of journeys that people experience in life, stressing in particular the existential dimension of the human life. The author emphasizes the value of knowing the biographical context in the process of interpreting the proposed cultural texts, as well as proposes specific methodological solutions for working with the discussed cultural texts.

Eco-Thrax: Anthrax Narratives and Unstable Ground

Abstract Numerous articles predicting pandemic futures identify threats tied directly to a warming planet. One notable example is the threat of once-stable pathogens held in ice shelves being released into the world. Bacillus anthracis, or anthrax, presents as the key bacterial threat emerging from melting permafrost. Such a threat reads like a fictitious horror brought into direct proximity with the real. Exploring perceptions of microbes across time and the resonance of specific tropes in television and eco-horror in the context of anthrax reveals an unstable theoretical and ecological landscape characterized by shifting human/biological relationships. Untangling this relationship more than 20 years after the last great anthrax-related challenge – the “Amerithrax” incident – and in recognition of the impact of COVID-19 on contemporary environmental humanities, it becomes possible to think of contagion as more than an epidemiological threat. Instead, contagion, as related to anthrax, can be identified as a window across time and place, one which assists in rethinking relationships to ecologies and environments. Two theoretical frameworks, the “outbreak narrative” as proposed by Priscilla Wald and the “hijacker model” introduced by Hannah Landecker, are deployed as lenses to introduce and think differently anthrax’s contemporary condition.

Wardens of fate – forgotten, repressed. On literaryrepresentations of the Holocaust. Selected texts published in Polandin the nineteen forties and fifties

The text examines whether we can fi nd in literary works published shortly after the Second WorldWar any attempts to diagnose Polish entanglement in Shoa. The analysis tries to take into accountnumerous works of contemporary critical humanities and arts. So called ”Polish witness” of Shoawas traditionally considered in common discourse “helpless”, because of the Nazi terror, becausethey were not seen as representative for their culture but as individual cases. Today we can seethem – in the light of exactly the same texts – as co-perpetrators, because our social, cultural andhistorical knowledge is today much deeper and broader.

Knowledge transfer, not just true beliefs: virtue epistemology as a philosophical basis for education

Introduction. Modern pedagogical practice is being reformed due to systemic changes in the ways of social interaction. Knowledge transfer is being significantly modified under the influence of technical innovations, although it remains traditionally one of the main tasks of the educational process. The development of artificial intelligence, neural networks and other analytical computer systems shows that propositional knowledge is not the privilege of the human mind. This state of affairs changes the idea of knowledge as such. In this regard, the participants of the educational process face the task of revising the philosophical basis of modern learning in terms of finding a new definition of knowledge. It is also necessary to develop new methodological recommendations that would correspond to modern epistemological theories of knowledge, belief and understanding. Materials and research methods. The article uses the methods of conceptual analysis and comparative study characteristic of philosophy. The research materials are sources on theory of knowledge, education and also on applied epistemology. Results. Virtue epistemology is one of the most actively developing theories of knowledge in contemporary philosophy and humanities. It is based on the idea that knowledge cannot be an accidental belief, but must be the merit of a cognitive agent. This approach solves many problems of the philosophical theory of knowledge and creates a subjectoriented view of the nature of the cognitive process. This attitude allows us to use virtue epistemology in debates about applied issues, including those related to the explanation of the tasks and content of education. Discussion. A feature of the analysis within virtue epistemology is attention to cognitive skills (reliabilism) and sustained intellectual dispositions (responsibilism) in their relationship to the process of formation of true beliefs. Virtue epistemology defines knowledge through the notion of merit in the manifestation of subjective qualities, so the student's motivation and the context of belief formation should be taken into account when developing specific methodological recommendations. Such an approach explains why standardized testing cannot serve as the sole and primary means of assessing learners. At the same time, the general semantic peculiarity of the notions of virtue allows us to appeal to examples of individuals as ideal types of certain qualities (this is called exemplarism). At the same time, it is necessary to explain why these traits are the excellences that make their bearer better in epistemic terms. Conclusion. In explaining the knowledge transfer, pedagogy can be based on the philosophical principles of virtue epistemology. Such integration enriches both disciplines: pedagogy gets a conceptual scheme adequate to the modern social and technological situation, and epistemology gets a practical application.

Do stories need critics? Environmental storyism and the ends of ecocriticism

ABSTRACT Story, storytelling, and storying are exceptionally privileged concepts in contemporary environmental arts, humanities and social sciences research. This provocation does not set out to exhaustively describe the function of story across so large and diverse a scholarly array. It aims instead to characterise the particular, widespread tendency to posit the making of new stories, or the transforming of extant stories, or the ‘storying’ of a particular issue, place, or dilemma as the ultimate ends of environmental humanities work. We call this tendency ‘storyism’. In its broadest sense, our project attempts to construct a transdisciplinary genealogy of ‘storyism’ in relation to environmental concerns, as well as to comprehend its institutional and disciplinary orientations. For the limited purposes of this paper, we explore how ecocriticism, a field primarily interested in reading, interpreting and critiquing story, relates to the methodological innovation we describe. We hypothesise that ecocritical discourses have ironically undermined their critical values by producing and reproducing a storyist teleology which understands the generation of more, new narratives as ultimately, if not singularly, useful. We conclude by suggesting some ways in which literary ecocriticism can break out of this habit while still participating in the wider interdisciplinary field.

Insurgent envelopment: The emergency blanket and scenes of exposure at border zones

AbstractCritical engagement with spaces of exposure is an important research agenda in the contemporary social sciences and humanities. Developing and extending this agenda, this paper offers an account of how scenes of exposure at border zones are mediated materially, aesthetically, and politically by forms of envelopment. Specifically, it discusses the geographies of exposure and envelopment that unfold through the use and re‐use of the emergency blanket at these zones. Fabricated from metallised polymer films, emergency blankets are used commonly to provide thermal protection for bodies at risk of exposure in a range of situations. More than functional, however, these objects also have a distinctive aesthetic allure. By attending to the material and aesthetic qualities of the emergency blanket, this paper explores its visibility and significance in scenes of exposure at border zones. Highlighting how the blanket is deployed as a device of minimal comfort, the paper then considers artistic works that repurpose this object as part of a creative critique of conditions at these zones. Drawing on the work of Stacy Alaimo and Ronak Kapadia, among others, the paper develops the concept of insurgent envelopment to understand how artists use the emergency blanket in works that simultaneously foreground, disrupt, and reimagine relations between exposure and envelopment.

A kiedy (u)kradną nam słowa…

The paper addresses issues related to the growing social phenomenon that has disturbing consequences for practice – in this case, everyday academic life in Poland. It consists of the critical categories of contemporary humanities; its “first words” are given content very distant from their original, traditional meanings. The meanings of these categories are often reversed, given secondary meanings or even made meaningless. As a result, many words are used as empty labels, fashionable words intended to add dignity to the speaker. The article’s author, referring to the metaphor of “stealing” words, raises three specific issues. Firstly, it presents a register of “stolen” words, three of which are the subject of detailed analysis – evaluation, quality, and dialogue. The second issue is a detailed analysis of the mechanisms governing changes in the meanings assigned to each of these categories and the effects associated with using “stolen” words in the everyday life of academies and dormitories. Finally, the issue of the “perpetrators of the theft” was raised. The author claims that one of them is the “seventh enemy from the seventh world of the field” – an entity that creates the everyday life of academic life, regardless of its place in the university’s social hierarchy.

Metadisciplinarity at the intersection of modern philosophical and philological practices

The article explores the relationship between inter-, trans-, and polydisciplinarity in contemporary humanities. It highlights philosophy's role in fostering critical thinking and methodological reflection. The phenomenon of intersubjectivity/interculturality is discussed in today's network society, emphasizing the ongoing exchange between individual consciousness and interpersonal perception within metadisciplinary philosophical studies. The article illustrates the practical application of metadisciplinarity through a PhD program at Kyiv National Linguistics University, advocating for the reintroduction of philosophy into modern education. It proposes an interdisciplinary segment, "Philosophy of Science and Methodology of Humanitarian Knowledge," integrating philological and professional teaching with philosophy to cultivate reflective and critical skills. The program aims to equip postgraduate students with knowledge of logical, methodological, and epistemological shifts, applicable in teaching. Ultimately, it asserts that combining specific scientific knowledge with philosophical principles in education shapes a flexible and deep conceptual framework, enhancing modern scientific and philosophical discourse. This multimodal approach to metadisciplinary philosophy fosters innovative paradigmatic trends.

Innovating the humanities, reimagining the future: empirical evidence from virtual reality practice in China

ABSTRACT The influence of digital technologies on culture and the liberal arts is a global phenomenon. To contribute a non-Western perspective to such debates, this article considers the uptake of virtual reality technology in Chinese humanities education via the policy lens of a higher education reform called New Humanities Education, which was issued by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China in 2018. The paper draws on the concept of a ‘techno-cultural imaginary’ to show how the humanities and STEM fields have merged and have contributed to the task of national rejuvenation in the past decade. Drawing on interviews with virtual reality practitioners in universities and industry, the results indicate two ideological shifts in humanities education in China: The first is a shift from praising scholar-officials (shi) to praising academic entrepreneurs; and the second is from valuing knowledge to valuing power. The article argues that those being cultivated and nurtured in the contemporary Chinese humanities education system are expected to become pragmatic problem-solvers rather than critical thinkers.

The Splendour and Misery of the Anthropological Crisis: a Myth of Contemporary Russian Philosophy

The concept of the anthropological crisis is very popular in contemporary Russian humanities: the Russian Scientific Electronic Library (Elibrary.ru) includes more than 10,000 publications with the keyword “anthropological crisis”. On the contrary, Google gives links to Russian publications only when searching “anthropological crisis”. This keyword has no reference in the famous online book catalogue Worldcat. org. Nowadays, English-speaking scientific communities still explore the crisis in anthropology as a discipline. The difference between the anthropological crisis and the crisis in anthropology seems essential. The crisis of a scientific discipline is not a crisis of human nature. Modern Russian scholars, including the late Vyacheslav Stepin, find many features of the anthropological crisis in the successes of genetic engineering and modern medicine, as well as in the growing psychological pressures that people face. Russian-language scholars find traits of the anthropological crisis in many fields, including studies of memory, bioethics, pedagogics, literature, and economics. Others, such as Vyacheslav Stepin and Boris Pruzhinin, point to the loss of a sense of meaning in life as a sign of the anthropological crisis. The problems of self-identity are also marked by Russian authors as a mark of that crisis. Sergey Averintsev felt that human beings lack human nature. Pruzhinin supposes humans cannot predict the consequences of genetic engineering for their nature as a species. But all these trends have nothing in common with the anthropological crisis. Genetic engineering helps to improve human health and self-realization. Certainly, we cannot envision all the possible consequences, but this is true of any scientific discovery or breakthrough. Cyborgs are an inevitable step towards healthier and smarter humans. Existential problems are universal since all humans are endowed with self-consciousness. Self-identities have been in constant flux since the birth of complex societies, especially since the industrial revolution strengthened alienation. The growth and volume of information flows are not threats to humans, as there is no need to memorize all the data in the world, and there are multiple network and personal filters which block garbage. The anthropological crisis seems a myth in contemporary Russian-language humanities in general and philosophy in particular.