Ethnocentrism Research Articles

Analytical exploration of the Mycenaean glass world via micro-PIXE: a contribution to our knowledge of LBA glass technology

During the Late Bronze Age, the Peloponnese with its palatial centers becomes the heartland of the Mycenaean world, resulting in an idiosyncratic material culture within the archaeological record, with glass constituting undoubtedly an important agent gaining prominence from the 15th cent. BC onwards, at the time when the palaces start rising and turning out to be characteristic to the Mycenaean material culture of the palatial elite. In this paper, the chemical composition of eleven (11) glass beads and relief plaques from three tombs of the necropolis in the area of Palaia Epidavros, Argolid in Greece have been studied to discuss aspects related to the nature of technology and provenance of fifteenth to eleventh century BC dated Mycenaean glass jewelry. The study resulted in the chemical fingerprinting of the collection by means of micro-PIXE succeeding in highlighting interesting technological aspects and assigning a likely origin of the studied samples. Importantly, since part of the assemblage had been studied in the past with the application of SEM–EDS and pXRF, the use of mPIXE enabled an enhanced discussion on glass related topics by comparing the results obtained.

Концерт в голливудских короткометражных мультфильмах «золотой эры»

The article is devoted to the representation of classical music concert in Hollywood cartoons of the 1930s — 1950s. A concert as a symbol of the academic musical culture was well-known to the American cinema audience. The author of the article studies how the cartoons creators rethought the main elements of a concert ceremony using both the general stereotypes related with the world of classical music and the familiar images of American life of the first half of the 20th century. Special attention is focused on the development of a typical concert repertoire in cartoons and its relation to the category of popular classical music. The article gives a detailed analysis of concert types, features of a concert space, the appearance and behaviour of soloists, orchestra players, and conductors, and the evolution of these elements during the Golden Age of Hollywood cartoons. The conclusion is made that a concert in cartoons becomes an ideal object of parody and carnival play which mirror the conflict between high and low art that exists in the mind of the audience and work as assimilation mechanisms for the artistic experience of the elite culture. The methods of history, art studies, and cultural studies are used in the research.

文化交往与认同

Chinese Buddhism has played an undeniable role in the construction of ethnic communities through the process of communication, shaping, and reconstruction in the development of various ethnic groups in Yunnan. The dissemination of Han Buddhism in Yunnan has promoted the communication between Han culture and ethnic minorities; Ethnic minorities engage in rational communication between the culture and understanding of Chinese Buddhism, reflecting the process of ethnic integration and cultural consciousness. This study examines the cultural identity factors of various ethnic minorities in Yunnan in their communication with Chinese Buddhism, in order to analyze ethnic unity and strengthen the sense of Chinese national community. Local governments, chieftain elites, civil society, and different ethnic groups, through the absorption of Han Buddhist culture, are closely related to minority cultures, moving from inequality to equality, from heterogeneity to homogenization, and jointly constructing an ethnic culture with the strengths of a hundred schools of thought, integration and inclusiveness, melting into a Chinese culture with a sense of national community.

Hungary’s Nobel Triumph

The article examines the scientific potential of Hungary and other Central European countries through the prism of international recognition of the achievements of the scientific and cultural elite of the region. The author comes to the conclusion that, in comparison with other European countries, immigrants from the region of the former Austria-Hungary made no less important contribution to world science than their neighbors on the continent. However, a distinctive feature is that few of them have achieved such significant recognition while living and working in their country. The fate of scientists and cultural figures turned out to be dependent on many factors, including primarily political, and to a considerable extent also economic, which forced scientists to leave the country in search of freedom of scientific search and literary creativity, financing of their research. Only a few were guided solely by the desire to work at the most famous universities, but in the end, their successes led them to the leading scientific unities of the world, which allowed them to claim such a high assessment of their work as the Nobel Prize.

Democratizing Taste on Classical Music for All

The right of every citizen to access cultural heritage, such as classical music, has been widely pointed out by international organizations. However, there are certain barriers that impede members of vulnerable groups from enjoying the benefits of this type of music, namely cultural elitism. Some authors have stated that the taste for classical music depends on the social class. Nevertheless, our research has found evidence that demonstrates that it is not so in nine different contexts. We present here results of Dialogic Music Gatherings (DMG), that demonstrate that everyone can enjoy classical music. Thus, the purpose of this article is to analyze the impact the DMG have had on widening participants’ access to classical music and increasing the taste towards this music from very diverse age and socioeconomic groups. To that end, a survey study was conducted among nine education centers from elementary to adult education. Data has been analyzed through the Communicative Methodology by defining the transformative and exclusionary elements in relation to the access and taste towards the classical music. Results suggest these participants have accessed classical music and increased the taste towards this music after participating in the DMGs, regardless of their social and cultural background.

The impact of cultural elite on public opinion formation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The intellectual elite has an important position and a great interest in all societies, especially in the integrated societies and the developed societies globally, they are told the mind of society, and for this reason, this research is entitled (the influence of the intellectual elite on public opinion in the Kurdistan region- Iraq), this research is an attempt to define the intellectual elite in general and the intellectual elite in Kurdistan region in particular. The researcher wants to point out that the national duty and responsibility falls on these elite at different stage. Therefore, the aim of research is to determine the role, influence and interest of these elite on the Kurdish society, and also wants to determine the level of influence and ability of these elite on public opinion. At the same time, it tried to identify and clarify all the obstacles that have become an obstacle to these elite and the reasons for reducing their efficiency and activity in Kurdish society.To answer the research questions, the researcher used a descriptive and analytical method, the descriptive method use to introduce the concepts and terms used in the research, as well as the analytical method for analyzing the acquired information. It is clear that the research community is Kurdistan region. In addition to the written and available sources, the researcher benefited from intellectuals and university professors by meeting with them, and here he reached to an conclusion : that the intellectual elite in Kurdistan region was not able to be at all required level in bad conditions, crises, political and social problems by affecting public opinion and proving its impact. On the one hand, this is a subjective reason and belongs to the Kurdish intellectuals themselves, and on the other hand, the political environment of the region is not an appropriate environment.

Does left populism short-circuit itself? Podemos in the labyrinths of cultural elitism and radical leftism

ABSTRACT Podemos’ initial left populist strategy and electoral success have been the subject of much academic debate. However, amid the party’s rapidly declining numbers at the polls, scholarly attention towards the Spanish party has been on the wane. Based on a discussion of the existing literature and a mixture of qualitative methods, this paper attempts to capture the distinctive features of the early populist gamble and two internal elements that progressively short-circuited it. The first is related to the cultural elitism of Podemos’ leadership, a phenomenon observed especially within the faction of Íñigo Errejón, former number 2 of the party. The intellectualist distinction of many of its members proved to be a repressive instance that jeopardised the populist practice. The second is instead the return to a radical left fold, which is instead to be attributed to Podemos’ former leader Pablo Iglesias and his successor Ione Belarra. Party factionalism, strong leftist symbolism and the promotion of identity politics stand here among the most visible factors that negated the initial transversal approach. In different ways, those elements re-established the previous symbolic space that Podemos’ populism had been trying to supersede and sabotage the possibility of securing a broad and durable popular identity.

Federation to Maspul Ethnicity: A Constructionist and Historical Explanation

Objective: This research aims to explain the history of the formation of Maspul ethnicity, to describe the characteristics of cultural diversity, and to explain the dynamics and reproduction of its contemporary cultural uniqueness. Theoritical framework: Through the application of the perspectives of constructionism, historical particularism and specific ethnic historical studies. Method: With reference to the research objectives, this study uses a qualitative ethnography method to collect present and past socio-cultural data which is the root and basis for the development of Maspul ethnicity's life. Result: The research founds at least three findings. First, the contemporary Maspul ethnicity and the three sub-ethnicities of Enrekang, Duri, and Maiwa are the transformations of the Maspul Federation and the kingdoms in the mountain. Second, the diversity of the contemporary Maspul culture which is distributed in the three Maspul sub-ethnicities originates the old cultural diversity that characterizes the Maspul Federation which was an ethnic unity at that time. The old cultural elements that still survive from each ethnic group are language (in terms and dialects), traditional institutions, traditional ceremonies, art, games, traditional food, local knowledge, folklore, and mythology. Thrid, Since the last few decades most of Maspul's cultural elements have changed although several others being preserved with attractive new forms of packaging. Conclusion: the Maspul Federation which transformed into Enrekang Regency is not only seen as a phenomenon of political history, but it is also a historical phenomenon of ethnic and cultural history.

Beethoven Imagines India: Personal Calling and Social Duties, 1815–1816

ABSTRACT Beethoven’s diary entries for 1815–16 reveal the composer’s strong interest in India. They also present puzzles: How much can the intellectual historian tease out of a handful of notes? What can they teach us about his inner life? And what do they teach about cultural transmission in an age of revolution in Europe and British colonial expansion? Scholars have thus far dismissed his interest as romantic fantasy. Closer examination, however, reveals Beethoven’s serious engagement with the Sanskrit play Sakuntala and the Bhagavat Gita. At a moment of personal crisis, he found in them the balance of personal calling and social duties that he sought in his own life. Beethoven’s cultural context was the admiration for Indian letters of Herder, Schiller, Goethe and Friedrich Schlegel, as mediated through a survey of Indian civilisation by an enlightened monarchist geography professor, E. A. W. Zimmermann. In an era of status anxiety for Germany’s cultural elite, India was portrayed as a utopia of rule by the educated; its ethos aided Beethoven’s quest to reconcile artistic calling and service to humankind. Insights from Pierre Hadot and Michel Foucault further the article’s analysis of Beethoven’s search for a satisfactory way of life.

The Question of Doxa: D. H. Lawrence's Influence on Deleuze and Guattari's Aesthetics

Abstract: In this article I investigate D. H. Lawrence's influence on the development of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's aesthetics, by focusing on the notion of doxa and its relation to art. Deleuze and Guattari's understanding of art as a struggle against opinion emerges from their engagement with Lawrence and gives rise to a form of cultural elitism dating back to Plato. After historically contextualizing their negative attitude toward doxa, I identify a different, Aristotelian tradition, which stresses the positive functions of doxa and offers more nuanced understandings of art, as well as opportunities for the formation of a more inclusive canon.

Russian Political Propaganda Media Discourse: Definition of the Concept, Structure and Boundaries, Characteristics of Subjects

The relevance of this article is due to the practice of broadcasting ideas about the basic political and ideological constants of the state and power, which is widespread in modern Russian political propaganda media discourse. The article presents an overview of the research on propaganda, political propaganda, its properties, methods. The study revealed the theoretical heterogeneity of the concept of "political propaganda", general signs and patterns of this phenomenon. The research task is to summarize the results of the scientific discussion, offer our own definition of the political propaganda discourse of the mass media and describe its structure. The author developed the definition of the political propaganda discourse of the mass media. In modern Russian mass media, there is a clear polarization of the discourse under study: it seems possible to single out state and opposition subdiscourses, or varieties, of political propaganda media discourse. The article presents an analysis of the field structure of the Russian political propaganda discourse using the example of the characteristics of the subjective and genre-format organization of one of its varieties — the state political propaganda media discourse. The authors carried out zoning and systematization of the media activities of the subjects of the state propaganda media discourse. The study found that the role of "pivot", core texts for this variety is played by texts created by the subjects of political communication and broadcast in the media. The totality of multi-genre and multi-format media products of professional journalists and representatives of the cultural elite of Russia, distributed through various media channels, constitutes the near-core zone of this discourse. On the periphery media texts are created by non-professional journalists and users. The content-thematic principle becomes unifying for the political propaganda discourse of mass media: it is a single ideological system with a characteristic set of concepts, values, and assessments. The article outlines the vectors for further study of this phenomenon.

Consociational politics as a mediating effect in strengthening ethnic unity among youth in Malaysian public universities

This study analyses the role of consociational politics as a mediating effect in enhancing ethnic unity among youth in Malaysia, with reference to the university students, through educational policy, economic system and religious practice. The research focuses on ethnicity due to its persistent influence on election outcomes over the previous two decades. Besides, a significant number of voters choose to base their political choices on the party that resonate with their ethnic interests. For this study, it involved a survey of 373 students from two Malaysian public universities, namely University of Malaya and the National Defence University of Malaysia. The obtained data are subjected to descriptive analysis as well as structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. The results indicate that all three domains are significant in strengthening ethnic unity among youth, and this finding has national significance since it demonstrates the efficacy of this strategy in safeguarding Malaysia's diverse population The study's findings demonstrate that the grand coalition, as a fundamental component of consociational politics, possesses the capacity to cultivate a political alliance comprising many ethnic groupings, ultimately earning the confidence of the broader populace, particularly the younger generation. This facilitates the ascendance of a politically diverse party with individuals from various ethnic backgrounds to take over governance of the nation. Hence, the successful promotion of racial peace among the youth in Malaysia can be attributed to the implementation of a consociational strategy within the country.

Staging Hillula: Ariel Bension and Avraham Zvi Idelsohn in early twentieth-century Jerusalem

ABSTRACT The writer, Zohar scholar and Zionist activist Ariel Bension (1880–1932) has attracted attention of late from scholars seeking to recover an alternative vision of Zionism with Mizrahi roots in Ottoman Palestine. Yet the instrumentalization of Bension’s biography for the politics of identity in present-day Israel has led to a flattening effect whereby Bension is divorced from his manifold ties to European and global Jewish culture. In this article, we demonstrate those complex transnational and multidisciplinary dimensions of Bension’s life, theatrical oeuvre and thought through a reconstruction of his brief collaboration on a Hebrew musical play and film project with music scholar, composer and educator Avraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882–1938). Presenting newly discovered archival documents, we explore both the tangled array of social identities present in the early Zionist cultural elite and the emergence of a shared global Jewish imaginary in a moment of profound historical change.

Exploration of Exopolysaccharide Producing Bacterial Cultures from Various Drought Affected Region

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are extracellular macromolecules secreted by microorganisms play a vital role in improving soil aggregation as well as enhancing the water holding capacity of the soils. This study focuses onto the isolation and characterization of bacterial strains capable of producing Exopolysaccharides (EPS) from drought-affected soil regions across different districts of Tamil Nadu. The core objective revolves around the molecular identification of elite cultures and pivotal genes, responsible for EPS production namely dex (dextransucrase) by using the primer pair WConDex fw and WConDex rev at an amplification size of 1037 bp size. A total of 72 bacterial cultures were isolated from 67 soil samples that are capable of secreting EPS using specific medium.

Features of Digital Public Art of the Twenty-First Century: Art of Physical and Virtual Space

The purpose of the article is to identify the peculiarities of contemporary practices of digital public art as one of the new forms of art of the twenty-first century that actively interacts with urban space. Research methodology. The method of systematic analysis and synthesis (to consider digital public art practices as part of contemporary art), the method of cultural and historical analysis (to study the trends in the development of public art at the early twenty-first century), the typological method and the method of comparative analysis (to identify the features and typology of digital public art practices, as well as to determine their differences). Scientific novelty. Contemporary digital practices of public art are studied. Artistic interventions of media art in public space as a means of social intervention are considered. On the basis of comparative analysis, the differences between the practices of digital public art as an independent subgenre of public art created, managed, and distributed in cyberspace are revealed. Conclusions. Digital public art is a unique form of contemporary art existence outside the artistic infrastructure, which is created and disseminated in public space through cyber technologies in order to problematise various topical issues of both the art of the early twenty-first century and the space in which it is presented. At the present stage, digital public art objects are an integral part of the urban space. Despite the availability of new technical means of presentation, public art remains a connection with conceptual issues (identity creation and inclusive community participation). Digital practices of public art in line with the aesthetics of postmodernism, according to which it is important to overcome the vacuum, a certain isolation of artistic practice, and to understand ontological states. Demonstrating the idea of accessibility of the cultural collage of the contemporary space, they illustrate the tendency of transgressive processes of the boundaries of cultural form, the convergence of mass and elitist culture. The main characteristics of digital practices of public art are interactivity, technology, dynamism, attractiveness, and sociality.

近年来中国民族团结理论研究述评与展望

Since 2014, the research results on the theory of ethnic unity and its policy practice have been increasing year by year, showing two orientations. One is to summarize and refine the correct path of solving ethnic problems with Chinese characteristics based on the Chinese practice of Marxist ethnic theory, and the other is to explore ethnic unity as a form of human connection. As the Party Central Committee’s understanding of ethnic unity is gradually returning from the political field to the social field, the exploration of the essence and mechanism of ethnic unity should become a focus of attention in the academic community in the future.

The Chinese Government is Committed to Implementing the Policy of Equality Among All Ethnic Groups in China

This unified, multiethnic nation was formed by all of China's ethnic groups. The long-term presence of a unified multi-ethnic state in Chinese history greatly facilitated interactions between different ethnic groups on the economic, political, and cultural levels, strengthened their loyalty to the government and their identification with Chinese culture, and increased the cohesion force, vitality, and creativity of the Chinese nation, giving rise to the unification and diversity of Chinese civilization. Through education and advertising, the state makes a lot of effort to advance interethnic harmony. Ethnic unity education has been a part of both civic ethical education and the broader Chinese cultural and ideological creation process.

A Study on the Social Practice Teaching of College Students Going to Rural Areas and Training Mandarin in Guanghui Village of the Yi Nationality in Mabian

With the deepening of rural revitalization, “Language Poverty Alleviation” is the cultural dilemma facing China’s three continents and three regions. Popularization of Putonghua concerns ethnic unity, social stability and the construction and development of socialist cause. The subject of this survey is the “Survey Report on the Status of National Common Languages and Characters in Guanghui Village of the Yi Nationality in Mabian”. Based on the social situation and the present situation of learning in Mabian County, this social practice selects 15 volunteers who majored in primary school education (undergraduate) of Geely College to go to Mabian to help the primary school students in Guanghui Village of Mabian Yi Autonomous County to carry out the teaching practice of pushing and popularizing, such as game teaching，questionnaire survey, Interviews, On-the-spot investigation, To fully understand the current situation of the left-behind children of Yi nationality in the village using the national common language. Mastering and accumulating questionnaire data and first-line sample information. analyzing the learning effect and influencing factors of the research object, which it helps the work of “village revitalization” has put forward practical improvement programmes.

The food culture of the Iron Age nomadic elite from the ‘Valley of the Kings’ in Tuva: radiocarbon dating, stable carbon and nitrogen analysis of the Chinge Tey barrows (Turan-Uyuk Basin, Russia)

Subsistence strategies of Eurasian pastoral populations have been broadly studied in the archaeological literature. The 'Valley of the Kings' in Tuva, Russia, has captivated archaeologists with its remarkable collection of large burial mounds, containing lavishly equipped tombs of nomadic kings, warlords, and aristocracy. These barrows bear witness to the ancestral connections between the deceased leaders, highlighting the alliances among prehistoric nomads in Central Asia. In this research, we present comprehensive radiocarbon dating and δ13C/δ15N isotopic data from the Chinge Tey barrows, which represent the burial sites of 12 high-ranking individuals. The chronological alignment of both Chinge Tey monuments with the Arzhan 1 and Arzhan 2 reference frames sheds light on their historical context. This study delves into intricate aspects of ecological adaptability, pastoral food practices, social hierarchies, and nomadic mortuary rituals. Analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes indicates potential connections between the barrows in the 'Valley of the Kings' and diverse nomadic cultures, suggesting that dietary habits among neighboring populations may have exhibited significant variation.

Local values in local political culture and democracy; A review of hermeneutics among local elites

The reforms provided space for local elites, both traditionally based (Bangsawan) and political elites (Bureaucrats-Politicians) to contest in the arena of local democracy. It is in this arena that the value of the political culture of local elites is tested whether it can strengthen democracy or on the contrary weaken democracy in the midst of the process towards its death.(Ziblatt, 2019) where democracy, which actually places the people as the main focal point, becomes "blunted" by political oligarchy and personal elite domination (Fatah & Deni, 2019).(Fatah & Deni, 2019). Using Gadamer's Phenomenological and Hermeneutic Methods, this research analyses the actions of local elites in interpreting the local values of Jou Se Ngofa Ngare in the 2020 Ternate City Regional Election Arena. This research aims to find the meaning of Jou Se Ngofa Ngare local values in strengthening the cultural values of local politics and democracy. The results of the study revealed that [1] The meaning of local values in local political culture and democratic values is interpreted by local elites through the process of history, pre-understanding (prejudice), tradition and value authority of leaders (Sultan / Kolano) and cultural symbols [2] The stronger the meaning and application of local values, the stronger the meaning and application of the relationship between leaders (Jou) and the people (Ngofa Ngare) in strengthening local political culture and democratic values.