Cultural Studies Research Articles

Dunhuang Intangible Arts in the Perspective of Pedagogy and Cultural Studies: Innovative Practices of Intercultural Education and Construction of Cultural Identity

Dunhuang Intangible Arts in the Perspective of Pedagogy and Cultural Studies: Innovative Practices of Intercultural Education and Construction of Cultural Identity

Techno-digital policing and speculative fictions: Towards a criminology of the future

Techno-digital policing and speculative fictions: Towards a criminology of the future

INTERDISCIPLINARY DICTIONARY: MEETING OF HUMAN PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE WITH PSYCHOLOGY

Relevance. The authors present the encyclopedic edition of 2022 - an interdisciplinary dictionary that intersects research fields and methodological approaches of a number of humanities. In this case, such sciences are philosophical anthropology, philosophy of culture and cultural studies, as well as psychology. Methodology. The basic heuristics of the categorical analysis of the concepts and philosophical practices presented in the dictionary is the author's original metaanthropological approach, which involves a level interpretation of the phenomenology of existing and new terms and techniques of working with the client. Among the main ones, the dictionary includes such terms as "psyche", "psychoanalysis", "philosophical psychoanalysis", "androgynous analysis", "philosophical art therapy", "aphorism therapy", etc. Results. In the context of psychological understanding, the reader may be most interested in dictionary articles devoted to philosophical psychoanalysis and androgynous analysis. The term "philosophical psychoanalysis" describes the modern domestic direction of psychoanalysis, which developed thanks to the efforts of the authors based on the original methodology of philosophical anthropology as meta anthropology. Its essence consists in the specialist's organization during psychotherapeutic work of a special psycho developmental practice of a consistent transition of the client from the everyday worldview to the personal one and further - from the personal one to the philosophical one, which actualizes constructive material changes in a person. From the standpoint of metaanthropological vision, the text also presents the understanding of human immortality and beauty and the practice of androgynous analysis. Androgynous analysis (from the Greek Andros – man, gin – woman) is the theory and practice of research and deep correction of the existence of the individual and relationships between people through the use of the strategy of interaction of the existential dimensions of masculinity and femininity as spirituality and spirituality.

Localism and attitude, ‘it’s all good’: a surf tourist’s story analysis of simultaneous contradictory prosocial and anti-social interactions at an off-limits place

ABSTRACT Localism is framed as intimidatory anti-social behaviour designed to persuade tourists that a surf spot is off-limits. Hitherto, cultural studies have combined a top-down intersectionality lens with a priori Western-centric negativity to explain the consequences for those who ignore the warnings. Thus, there is a paucity of studies explaining why surfers experience nothing of consequence in these off-limits places. A critically balanced and complex analysis of localism is emerging in sport tourism literature. However, generalizations that entire places are off-limits for surf tourists prevail. Accordingly, in this innovative accidental ethnography of localism at a categorically off-limits surf spot on O‘ahu’s South Shore, I adopt a talk-story methodology to provide a micro-level grounded analysis of empirical observations explaining the prevalence and consequences of the constant contradictory choice between anti-social and prosocial behaviours that locals and tourists make in every interaction. Findings draw attention to the anti-social and prosocial behaviours performed simultaneously by locals and tourists, and the experiences of tourists with similar intersectionality identities, but distinctly different attitudes. The article concludes by asking the reader to consider the complexity of contradictory choices, before making a moral judgement on performances of localism and deciding whether and why places are off-limits.

A Typology and Lead Isotope and Cultural Exchange Study on Bronze Knives from Shuangyuan Cemetery, Chengdu City, Southwest China

Background: Bronze knives, which have been excavated in large quantities and acquired hierarchical significance, are essential artifacts in Shu State in Southwest China. Building upon previous typological analyses of bronze knives, it is hypothesized that Shu culture may have imported foreign-style bronze knives. However, further demonstration of the provenance of metal materials, the typology of knives, and the cultural exchange necessitates a comprehensive examination through the lens of scientific analysis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in the manufacturing processes and metal resources of Shu bronze knives with various cultural styles and whether bronze knives in the foreign styles were imported or locally imitated. Methods: In this study, the typology, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used to analyze twenty-four bronze knives unearthed from Shuangyuan cemetery, a cemetery of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, Southwest China. Results: The results of the study show that the knives of Shuangyuan Cemetery can be classified typologically into five types, encompassing both local and foreign styles. The predominant alloy composition of these knives is lead-tin bronze, characterized by a notably high tin content. Lead isotope ratios indicate that metal materials from the South China geochemical province and Yangtze geochemical province were mainly used to manufacture the bronze knives unearthed from the Shu state Conclusion: While the majority of foreign-style knives with ring-shaped heads were likely imported from neighboring regions like Chu state, distinctively styled type D and type E bronze knives appear to have been locally imitated by the Shu, showcasing a blend of external influences and indigenous innovation. The combination of typology and scientific analysis of the bronze knife may shed new light on the study of the Shu culture of the Eastern Zhou period.

Implementation Studies Documentation in Media and Culture Studies

Documentation is like a time machine as it facilitates the process of returning to history for future generations. ,The objective of this paper is to review the documentation in media and cultural studies. This paper discusses the importance of implementing documentation to create a culture that contributes to education. . Using digital literacy is one of the ways of documentation to strengthen media and culture as the community needs a culture that has rich literature and references to science. In media and cultural studies, documentation can be performed in various ways such as, archives, newspapers, magazines, books, videotapes, and audio. This can provide valuable information and data for understanding media and culture in the past, present, and future. Documentation also helps in understanding the changes in media and culture, influence the media on culture, and vice versa. Documentation helps researchers to identify various elements important in media and culture, such as messages conveyed, values carried, and patterns formed behavior. This study uses a method in the documentation that covers the election inclusion and exclusion criteria, in Indonesia. Keywords: study documentation, media, culture

Gratitude predicts prosocial tendency through psychological resilience—cross-sectional study in Arab cultures

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between gratitude and prosocial tendency and the potential mediating role of psychological resilience in this association. Six hundred and seventy-six Saudi Arabia and Egyptian students completed the Gratitude Scale, Prosocial tendency Scale and Psychological Resilience Scale. The results showed no significant differences in gratitude, prosocial tendency and psychological resilience according to culture or gender in both countries. Moreover, gratitude positively correlated with prosocial tendency and psychological resilience. Furthermore, the results revealed that psychological resilience significantly mediated the association between gratitude and prosocial tendency. We conclude that gratitude predicts prosocial tendency and psychological resilience plays a mediating role in this association among Arab societies.

Cultural Tourism Prospects of Bhaleswor Mahadev of Chandragiri Area, Kathmandu

This paper makes an attempt to examine prospects of cultural tourism of Bhaleswor Mahadev in Chandragiri area of Kathmandu by applying cultural heritage studies perspectives. It is a cultural study of completely qualitative nature. Throughout the world, the tourism industry has been an economic generator including conserving the heritage sites. The study area is Chandragiri municipality - 4 and the major historical and religious sites in the foothill of Mahabharat hill range of Chandragiri. Bhaleswor Mahadev temple is situated on the top of the Chandragiri hill in the southwest of Kathmandu valley in 13 km. The shape of the hill looks like a Bhale (rooster) and Nilkantha Mahadev stayed in this hill for some time and at that time heard the sound of rooster so this Mahadev is called Bhaleswor Mahadev. Due to this temple, pilgrims and tourists are increasing day by day to go to Chandragiri hill through cable car. Bhaleswor Mahadev temple and Chandragiri cable car add more benefit in promotion of cultural tourism of Chandragiri area. One can easily go to worship Bhaleswor Mahadev through cable car within twelve minutes. One can observe spectacular view of the Himalayan range of Annapurna range, Langtang range, Everest and other mountains like Cho Oyu, Gaurisankhar etc from the top of the hill. Chandragiri cable car is the second commercial cable car of Nepal. Chandragiri area is very important from historical, cultural and archaeological point of view. The other major historical and religious sites of Chandragiri area in the foothill of Mahabharat hill range are Mahalaxmi Temple, Chandanvarateswor Mahadev, Matatirtha and Machchhe Narayan. These sites give more importance in the development of cultural tourism of Chandragiri area. Despite these studies, there is still hardly found scholarship of cultural tourism prospects of Bhaleswor Mahadev in Chandragiri area, Kathmandu. Therefore, this paper aims to address the gap of cultural tourism of Chandragiri area.

Preface: 6th International Conference on Art, Design and Cultural Studies (ADCS 2024)

6th International Conference on Art, Design and Cultural Studies (ADCS 2024) was held during April 13-14, 2024 in Wuhan City, China, and this conference was a great success. The conference provides a useful and wide platform both for display the latest research and for exchange of research results and thoughts in Art, Design and Cultural Studies. The success and prosperity of the conference is reflected high level of the papers received. The aim of ADCS 2024 is to provide a platform for educators, sociologists, designers, writers, historians and graduate students from different cultural backgrounds to present and discuss research, developments and innovations in all fields of Art, Design and Cultural Studies. It provides opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas and application experiences, to establish business or research relations and to find global partners for future collaboration. We would like to acknowledge all of those who supported 6th ADCS. Each individual in addition, institutional help was very important for the success of this conference. Especially we would like to thank the organizing committee for their valuable advices in the organization and helpful peer review of the papers. It was a fully synchronized online conference that had live Q&A, participants jointly listened to presentations, and attended other live events associated with the conference. Each speech lasted for 30 minutes, including 5 minutes for Q&A. and for other sessions, there was 20 minutes for each presentation, including 5 minutes for Q&A. The interaction session was made the real experience to the participants and they had good exposure with the foreign university students and delegates. We would like to thank all the author submitted papers to the conferences and thank you all the reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing articles. Finally, it is a great honor to thank you all of behind staff who made their constant effort to make sure the conference process can go smoothly and the proceeding team who have dedicated their constant support and countless time to bring these scratches into this volume. Shanhong Zhu, Jiayu Liang Conference Committees

Gendered keywords as entry points: the construction and evolution of nüpin and nüxing-xiang in Chinese Internet literature

ABSTRACT China’s Internet literature (CIL) epitomises one of the most vibrant platformised cultural sectors in China and is characterised by a distinct gender demarcation. This paper critically revisits the history of its gendered development by identifying nüpin (women’s channel) and nüxing-xiang (women-oriented) as keywords in China’s cultural sphere. Drawing from platform studies and cultural studies, the study examines the power dynamics underpinning the construction and evolution of nüpin and nüxing-xiang, and the implications for their normalisation. My research finds that nüpin is established on patriarchal assumptions that prescriptively confine women’s literature to certain genres as a point of difference for market competition. Additionally, while nüxing-xiang started as a community identity, it later became incorporated into the nüpin effect through the increasing convergence of CIL and multimedia sectors. By unveiling how individual platforms, users, market forces, gender norms, and power relations intersect to shape the trajectories of these keywords, this article lays the groundwork for interventions to challenge the prevailing gendered binarity in CIL.

AI hype, promotional culture, and affective capitalism

AI hype, promotional culture, and affective capitalism

Perceptions on the Ethical and Legal Principles that Influence Global Brain Data Governance

Advances in neuroscience and other disciplines are producing large-scale brain data consisting of datasets from multiple organisms, disciplines, and jurisdictions in different formats. However, due to the lack of an international data governance framework brain data is currently being produced under various contextual ethical and legal principles which may influence key stakeholders involved in the generation, collection, processing and sharing of brain data thereby raising ethical and legal challenges. In addition, despite the demand for a brain data governance framework that accounts for culture, there is a gap in empirical research and actions to understand how key stakeholders around the world view these issues using neuroscientists who are affected by these ethical and legal principles. Therefore, using the research question how do ethical and legal principles influence data governance in neuroscience? we attempt to understand the perceptions of key actors on the principles, issues and concerns that can arise from brain data research. We carried out interviews with 21 leading international neuroscientists. The analytical insights revealed key ethical and legal principles, areas of convergence, visibility, and the contextual issues and concerns that arise in brain data research around these principles. These issues and concerns circulate around intimately connected areas which include ethics, human rights, regulations, policies and guidelines, and participatory governance. Also, key contextual insights around animal research and ethics were identified. The research identifies key principles, issues, and concerns that need to be addressed in advancing the development of a framework for global brain data governance. By presenting contextual insights from neuroscientists across regions, the study contributes to informing discussions and shaping policies aimed at promoting responsible and ethical practices in brain data research. The research answers the call for a cross cultural study of global brain data governance and the results of the study will assist in understanding the issues and concerns that arise in brain data governance.

Etnobotani dan Etnoekologi: Sebuah Perbandingan

Ethnobotany was proposed by North American botanist John Harshberger in 1895, its emergence aimed to understand the relationship between humans and plants in the environment where they live. While ethnoecology was first introduced by the German philosopher Friedrich Ratzel in 1866, the emergence of this study aims to understand the interactions between humans and their environment. This article attempts to explain developments, review the comparison between ethnobotany and ethnoecology, and see their relevance in Indonesia. The literature study method was used in the process of compiling the narrative in this article. The results of this research show that ethnobotany and ethnoecology have similarities in data collection methods, use of the language spoken by the research subjects, and both study nature. While the difference is that ethnobotany focuses more on the study of plants and ethnoecology focuses on studying the environment, the next difference concerns the nature of objects, ethnobotany discusses living objects, while ethnoecology can discuss living and inanimate objects. Apart from that, ethnobotany and ethnoecology are very relevant when applied in Indonesia, because they can provide new alternatives for cultural studies in Indonesia.

GENDER EMPOWERMENT: INTERFACE WITH GEOGRAPHIC SPACE AND SUSTAINABILITY

The objective of this work is to analyze empowerment based on gender and racial equality in Brazilian society. We have performed documental and quantitative research using data extracted from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Center of Educational, Cultural and Community Action Studies and Research and Union Socioeconomic Statistics and Studies Department databases. The data indicates that girls present greater age-grade distortion than boys, and the black population is at a disadvantage compared to the white population in higher education from ages 18 to 24. Black women are at a disadvantage in relation to black men, as white women are with white men in terms of inclusion in the Brazilian workforce and average salaries. In addition, they are under-represented in managerial positions, and there is a disadvantage in terms of gender in every state in Brazil. Black women suffer the most social inequality in the workforce. This study considers the criterion of race, because black people make up more than half of the Brazilian population. The female and racial geography, it points out that social and racial inequality is a compromising factor for achieving the goal of the 2030 Agenda.

The influencer in the age of climate change: the authentic role model for sustainability

ABSTRACT In the age of climate change, the Instagram influencer is still a popular role model for ways to navigate the modern world, and they present us with their visual practices of self-presentation as well as their activism, lifestyle, and business model. However, conspicuous consumption – once a hallmark of success – is now being challenged, and perhaps a paradigm shift is building with the new breed of climate influencers with engaged expertise and ethical vigilance. The aim of this paper is first to identify climate celebrities and then to focus specifically on macro influencers, such as activists or actors, and on micro-influencers, such as entrepreneurs. The article examines how they communicate climate change applying different strategies on Instagram while remaining authentic, using concepts from research on social media within studies of celebrity culture and in climate celebrity communication Second, we demonstrate a shift taking place in the way climate change is communicated: from traditional legacy-media advocacy by celebrities to activists and entrepreneurs performing sustainable everyday practices on social media. This work will contribute directly to how we analyse both the macro and micro-climate influencer as a role model in the age of climate change, providing solutions for coping, engaging and taking action.

Chemoreactome screening of aquacobalamin and heptamethyl ester of cyanoaquacobyrinic acid cytotoxic effects on tumor cells with experimental confirmation on BT-474 and A549 cell

Background. The search for an effective and safe pharmacotherapy for tumor diseases includes the evaluation of the action of candidate molecules on various types of tumor cells. Vitamin B12 and its derivatives are promising molecules whose properties can be controlled through chemical modifications.Objective: conducting in silico chemoreactom screening and in vitro experimental study of aquacobalamin and heptamethyl ester of cyanoaquacobyrinic acid (HECСA).Material and methods. Chemoreactome screening was carried out on the basis of a problem-oriented theory of chemograph isomorphism analysis, which is an extension of the algebraic approach to machine learning and recognition problems. Trainable algorithms for calculating chemical distances between molecules were used, on the basis of which the values of half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) were calculated. Screening was carried out for 470 cultures of human tumor cells, including SNB19 (astrocytoma), HCT116 (colon cancer), HeLa (cervical carcinoma), BT-474 (breast duct carcinoma), and A549 (lung carcinoma) cell lines. Dicyanocobyric acid heptamethyl ester ((CN)2Cby(OCH3)7) was obtained by boiling a solution of vitamin B12 in methanol with sulfuric acid (1.0 M) for 4 days. HECСA ((CN)(H2O)Cby(OCH3)7) was obtained by vacuum drying an aqueous solution of (CN)2Cby(OCH3)7 (pH 4.0 and 25 °С). The ester structure and purity were confirmed by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance data, elemental analysis, and MALDI-ToF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight) mass spectroscopy. Experimental studies of tumor cell cultures were carried out using the MTT testwith aquacobalamin and HECСA on cell lines of immortalized (telomerized) fibroblasts (Fb-hTERT), lung carcinoma (A549), and breast duct cancer (BT-474).Results. Chemoreactome screening of the effects of molecules on tumor cells made it possible to obtain estimates of cell growth IC50 for 470 tumor cell lines. Depending on cell line and vitamin B12 derivative molecule, IC50 values varied in a fairly wide range: from 15 to 2000 nM. In vitro studies on cultures of two human tumor cell lines (BT-474 and A549) and telomerized Fb-hTERT fibroblasts confirmed the cytotoxic effect of aquacobalamin and its hydrophobic derivative HECСA. It was shown that aquacobalamin had weak cytotoxic properties in the concentration range of 3.125–200 µg/l (IC50 > 200 nM), and HECСA significantly reduces the survival of BT-474 and A549 tumor cell lines at high concentrations (100–200 µg/l, IC50 about 100 nM).Conclusion. Correspondence was shown between the results of in silico chemoreactome screening and in vitro cell culture studies: IC50 values for HECСA were significantly lower than for aquacobalamin, and the conversion factor from chemoreactome estimates to experimental ones was almost the same (2.64 for BT-474, and 2.63 for A549). The results of chemoreactome screening for other tumor cell lines can be used to plan further cell experiments with vitamin B12 derivatives.

Queer print culture and German studies

Queer print culture and German studies

Stars, Anti-Stars, Anti-Star-Stars

The phenomenon of stars and celebrities in media cultures – and especially in popular music cultures – seems to be omnipresent. At the same time, there is an astounding lack of analysis and research on these media personalities and personas, and international celebrity studies only recently a developing new field. Similarly, these kinds of observations are still very rare especially in German sociology as well as communication, media, culture and popular music studies. In this article, I therefore want to concentrate on the foundations of studying stars and celebrities within the attention economies by undertaking a theoretical transmedia-cultural framing of media personas and suggesting a typology. This ensuing typology of stars, anti-stars, and anti-star stars – especially within popular music cultures – demonstrates how stars and celebrities and their quantities and qualities of success and peer-group specific values coming form programs of (media and music) culture can serve as persona-seismographs of socio-cultural change between tradition and innovation.

Hard yards, vulnerable bodies: Tenderness in two recent prison films from Argentina and Chile

Prison literature from Latin America has been a topic of growing interest for literary scholars of and from the region in recent years. This reflects wider attention in cultural studies dedicated to ‘heterotopias’ or ‘other spaces’, while building on the work of sociologists who have studied prisons and prison reform in countries there. Less has been written, however, about films set in penitentiaries. Building on recent work (Podalksy) that examines the depiction of feelings and emotions in cinema, as well as writing on depictions of the Latin American jail on page and screen (Whitfield, Aguilar) this article addresses the cinematic portrayal of a perhaps unlikely feeling, tenderness, in two prison films from the Southern Cone, one fictional, El Príncipe (Sebastián Muñoz, Chile, 2019), and one documentary, Rancho (Pedro Speroni, Argentina, 2021). In both films, feelings traverse the body–mind divide and cross between people, while portrayed with what we shall argue is a form of filmic tenderness.

Adipose Stem Cell Response to Borophosphate Bioactive Glass

Silicate and borate bioactive glasses have been reported to create alkaline conditions by rapidly releasing ions when reacting in aqueous solution. At certain levels, this alkaline solution can negatively affect cell viability. Adding phosphate ions to the glass composition can control the degradation rate of bioactive glasses and create a neutral pH environment. This study evaluated a series of borophosphate bioactive glasses (BPBGs) with nominal molar compositions 16Na2O-24CaO-xB2O3-(60-x)P2O5, where x = 0, 40, or 60. The phosphate (X0) glass (PBG) produced an acidic solution when dissolved in water; the borate (X60) glass (BBG) produced an alkaline solution, and the BPBG glass produced a pH-neutral solution. These three glasses were evaluated using adipose stem cells (ASCs), a cell population known for their therapeutic abilities. The effects of each glass on the pH of cell culture, ions released during degradation, and on ASC functions, including viability, migration, angiogenic ability, differentiation, and protein secretions, were evaluated. The X40 BPBG created a physiologically neutral pH in cell culture media after 24 h. The X0 phosphate glass promoted ASC migration, while the highly alkaline X60 borate increased the angiogenic ability of ASCs. These results indicate that BPBG can be used safely in cell culture studies and customized for specific biomedical applications.