Cultural Universe Research Articles

Europa i jej wyobrażone granice w medialnym dyskursie chorwackim po 2012 roku

Europe and Its Imaginary Borders in the Croatian Media Discourse after 2012 Today Croatia is one of the countries situated on the border of the European Union. It joined the EU in 2013, i.a. already after the financial crisis of 2008 and just before the permanent crisis resulting from the indebtedness of the Southern peripheries of the EU, revealing of the humanitarian situation of migrants at the Mediterranean and Balkan borders of the Union, as well as a rise in xenophobia in numerous member states. Therefore, imaginary borders of Europe in the Croatian media discourse after 2012 can be a significant research field. This paper presents preliminary results of an analysis of a large corpus of articles from the Internet issue of a daily newspaper Večernji list from October 2012 until October 2017. The analysis is focused on the linguistic modelling of the notion of Europe (especially in the context of the European integration) and its limits (especially in the context of migration). A brief background concerning the cultural history of the notion of Europe in the Croatian cultural universe is also provided.

“Vem passando de geração para geração”: as práticas de cuidados de mulheres quilombolas

Objetivo: investigar como foram construídas socioculturalmente as práticas de cuidado entre mulheres de uma comunidade quilombola. Método: pesquisa qualitativa, descritiva, com vertente antropológica, desenvolvida com mulheres quilombolas. Os dados, produzidos a partir da técnica de grupo focal, foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo temática, conforme a proposta operativa. Resultados: foram apresentadas os cuidados desenvolvidos e compartilhados durante os diferentes ciclos de vida da mulher quilombola. A menarca, gravidez, parto, puerpério e a menopausa foram evidenciados como processos que demandam ações específicas e são realizadas a partir dos recursos existentes no contexto familiar e comunitário. Conclusões: as práticas de cuidados foram construídas a partir dos valores historicamente presentes no universo cultural desta comunidade quilombola. Elas representam ações repassadas intergeracionalmente entre as mulheres, as quais são representadas como os principais cuidadores dentro do contexto domiciliar e familiar, mas também entre os indivíduos que são cuidados por elas.

Universals and Particulars of Ceremonial Culture: Natural and Human Congruity of the Traditional

Introduction. The article discusses the state of preservation of universal and unique components in the structure of the traditional ceremonial culture of the Yakuts (who call themselves the Sakha), which is relevant in the modern society operating in the context of progressing processes of urbanization and globalization. The purpose of the research is to study the ceremonial traditions of the Sakha from the point of view of the principle of human congruity of culture and to structure this stratum of ethnic culture in accordance with the three substances of the spirit, soul and somatics of man. Materials and Methods. The work was carried out on the basis of cultural methodology using the methods of included observation, comparative analysis and generalization of the results of applied research and the author’s field materials. Results. The author has established and structured the elements of an integral novenary system of universals of the ceremonial culture of the Yakuts (Sakha). It has been revealed that these elements of traditional culture are generally preserved and function in a modern ethno-society to different extents of activity. It has been corroborated that, depending on the internal and external factors of cultural genesis, these components can be activated or pushed into the shadows, alienated from the people at different historical times; but something once created in a culture never disappears but remains in the cultural memory of the people. It has been proved that the latter happened to the ceremonial traditions of the Sakha, when in the post-Soviet time it became possible to openly perform both festive and daily rites and naturally follow the traditions of the ancestors when a person feels the need to do so. Discussion and Conclusion. Rites are historically shaped by ethnic communities for the purpose of naturally congruent existence and prosperous life in a given cultural landscape, as well as necessary components of the inner culture of the individual. The work is of practical significance for the structural and functional analysis as well as diachronic-synchronous study of the modern existence of the ceremonial culture of any ethnic group.

Habermas and the Universe of Cultures

Habermas and the Universe of Cultures

Contribution of Serhii Krymskyi to the Ukrainian Philosophy of Ethnoculture

Due to its entry into the course of globalization, Ukraine has seen intensification of ethnocultural processes since the mid-1980s, observed, among else, in the social and humanitarian sphere. Thanks to the creativity of prominent historians, cultural scientists, and philosophers, a new branch of social and humanitarian knowledge, the Ukrainian philosophy of ethnoculture, was acquired during this period. The article deals with the systematic contribution of one of the founders of Kyiv philosophical tradition, the Ukrainian philosopher Serhii Krymskyi (1930–2010) to the contemporary Ukrainian philosophy of ethnoculture through the identification of key aspects of the area of social and humanitarian knowledge that have been covered in the creative heritage of the scientist. Emphasis is put on dealing with such aspects as the use of cultural philosophy as a method of exploring national culture and ethnic history; revealing deep spiritual foundations of the Ukrainian culture (archetypes); revealing the cultural universality of the Ukrainian Baroque phenomenon; analyzing the specificity of the national mentality; comprehending spirituality in the aspect of the national idea and strategic orientation of the future ethnocultural and sociocultural development of Ukraine. Such significant phenomena in the Ukrainian cultural history are also emphasized: the phenomenon of Kyiv, the phenomenon of St. Sophia Cathedral, the phenomenon of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, which had become the objects of scientific interest of the philosopher. It is argued that revealing the heuristic potential of Serhii Krymskyi’s philosophical pursuits in the field of Ukrainian philosophy of ethnoculture may become a sound basis and material for further development and implementation in the social and humanitarian space of Ukraine.

Interaction of Peoples and Cultures and the Problem of Intercultural Communication of Youth

The article is devoted to the analysis of the interaction of peoples and cultures and the problem of intercultural communication of youth. In our opinion understanding of cultural universals and intercultural differences by young people, as a socially active part of society, is fundamental in building a dialogue of cultures in any communication. Dialogue of cultures put interaction at the level of self-awareness in the context of the culture with which the participant communicates. The dialogue of cultures as a means of creating intercultural competence reveals the creative potential of the subject of communication and becomes an integral component of the social and cultural sphere in Russia. We made the conclusion that it is important to understand the need to preserve ethnic and cultural identity, without which normal psychological well-being of a person is impossible, and the development of multiculturalism. These trends should be reasonably and harmoniously combined with each other. Only a person with an ethnocultural identity is capable of ethnic and cultural tolerance, living in a modern, increasingly globalizing world.

Maria Szymanowska as a recital pianist‑composer of the Romantic epoch

Maria Szymanowska as a recital pianist‑composer of the Romantic epoch

Dona Maria Baia: uma escritora de si

Esta proposta adentra no universo da cultura popular, das narrativas e poéticas orais, apresentando uma personagem com uma potência criadora singular: Maria José Dantas das Mercês, Dona Maria Baia, sexagenária, agricultora, residente no Assentamento Rose de Santa Luz-BA e detentora de um modo de produção artístico-cultural que apresenta escrituras, “escrevências e feituras” de poesias, letras de música, contos, artesanatos e culinária alternativa. Objetiva-se mostrar como os (a)fazeres poéticos desta personagem, em específico os cânticos e cantorias, ajudaram a produzir outras subjetividades para si e para outras mulheres, interferindo no coletivo comunitário. Metodologicamente, estamos empreendendo uma análise e exploração documental, a partir de acervos institucional cedidos para a pesquisa, o qual aliamos os estudos da literatura e cultura popular pela via da crítica cultural, levando em conta uma perspectiva autobiográfica, os estudos de gênero, de subjetividades e de feminismos. As poéticas, escrituras e performances socioculturais desta personagem tem favorecido uma desconstrução de uma identidade prescrita para ela e outras mulheres, desencadeando outros modos de vida e outra percepção de si, que se desenha como resistência às condições adversas de subalternidade em seu habitat social e ao patriarcado e suas interseccionalidades.

Kulturowe spojrzenie na programy powszechnych szczepień ochronnych wczoraj i dziś

Cel badań: Celem badania było wskazanie kulturowych mechanizmów utrudniających wdrażanie programów powszechnych szczepień ochronnych oraz ujawnienie ich szerszego geograficzno-historycznego tła.
 Metoda badań: Badania wpisują się w nurt folklorystyki oraz antropologii kulturowej i jej subdyscypliny – antropologii medycznej. Analizie poddano treści wierzeniowe, na które składają się materiały ikonograficzne, zasoby elektroniczne bibliotek dotyczące historii profilaktyki szczepiennej oraz dostępne w Internecie wypowiedzi przeciwników szczepień, stosując podejście interpretatywne, które odwołuje się do systemu wiedzy, wartości i kategorii analitycznych, jakimi posługują się badani, celem odkrywania sensu ich działań.
 Wyniki badań: Analiza antropologiczna warstwy folklorystycznej przekazów o szczepieniach obnaża braki oficjalnych programów i kampanii proszczepiennych, nie uwzględniających żywotności oraz roli struktur mitycznych w stosunku do decyzji podejmowanych w kwestiach zdrowotnych. W przekazach tych uwidocznia się tradycyjny sposób postrzegania zjawisk zdrowotnych (choroby, epidemii), kategoryzacji przestrzeni (opozycja orbis interior/orbis eksterior), kolorów i ciała (jako odbicia makrokosmosu), profesjonalistów i technologii biomedycznych. Okruchy dawnego myślenia wierzeniowego, choć już nie tak mocno jak dawniej, nadal dają o sobie znać w nowoczesnym i laicyzującym się społeczeństwie zachodniego kręgu kulturowego, które gubi się w natłoku szumu informacyjnego nowych odkryć i szybko zmieniających się technologii oraz nagłaśnianych przez media afer w służbie zdrowia dotyczących fałszowania lub nieodpowiedniego przechowywania szczepionek.
 Wnioski: Folklor szczepionkowy jest próbą oswojenia chaosu, jaki towarzyszy szczepieniom jako technologii biomedycznej, poprzez przełożenie jej na wciąż czytelny dla ogółu język kulturowych skojarzeń, wierzeń i symboli. I choć nie niweluje do końca tej ambiwalencji, albo strachu przed szczepieniami, pozwala myśleniu potocznemu znaleźć dla nich miejsce w kulturowym uniwersum.

El Pastaza y el Upano, dos ríos tropicales que conectan los Andes a la Amazonía

El Amazonas, llamado Marañón aguas arriba, nace en los Andes y se alimenta de los manantiales de la cordillera y los sedimentos arrancados a las laderas de la montaña. Los valles del Pastaza y del Upano son cabeceras de ríos que alimentan al Marañón. Solo 70 km de distancia los separan y drenan aguas no navegables al bajar de los Andes ecuatorianos. Pese a estas semejanzas, la comparación de los desarrollos sociales entre los dos valles muestra contrastes y puntos comunes que niegan los determinismos geográficos. Al mismo tiempo revelan el peso de las tendencias evolutivas regionales en el destino de las sociedades que los habitaban. Más allá de las notables diferencias geofísicas, los dos valles han tenido desarrollos precolombinos distintos aunque comparables. En efecto los períodos más antiguos, estuvieron claramente relacionados con los mundos amazónico y andino a la vez, mientras que los periodos más recientes, anteriores a la llegada de los europeos, marcan la formación de un universo cultural amazónico separado del mundo andino.

Почему «Дельфины»? О промежуточных итогах работы над коллективной монографией (Why ‘Dolphins’? About the Intermediate Results of the Work on the Collective Monograph)

Russian Abstract: В этом обзоре подводятся некоторые итоги работы над коллективной монографией по материалам бесед о сакрализации прекрасного в философской рубрике «София культуры» электронного журнала любителей русской словесности «Парус». Препринт монографии «Спасут ли мир дельфины? Русские беседы о сакрализации прекрасного» опубликован на платформе SSRN. Пропагандируемый диалогический метод этического вопрошания прошел в работе апробацию и принес свои результаты. По крайней мере отдельные филогенетические и онтогенетические универсалии русской культуры можно обозначить уже на этом этапе бесед. English Abstract: This review summarizes some of the work on a collective monograph based on conversations about sacralizing the beautiful in the philosophical rubric “Sofia Culture” of the electronic journal of the Russian literature lovers “Parus”. Preprint of the monograph “Will the dolphins save the world? Russian Conversations on the Sacralization of the Beautiful” published on the SSRN platform. The propagandized dialogue method of ethical questioning was tested in the work and brought its results. At least, separate phylogenetic and ontogenetic universals of Russian culture can be identified already at this stage of the conversations.

Comunicación de Masa en Siglo XXI Argentina: una colección orientada por Héctor Schmucler

Nos proponemos reconstruir y analizar la colección Comunicación de Masa, una serie orientada por Héctor Schmucler en la editorial Siglo XXI Argentina entre 1972 y 1973. Desde el prisma de la historia intelectual nos interrogamos por las prácticas editorialistas de los principales promotores de los estudios en comunicación y cultura en América Latina. La perspectiva contribuye a dar cuenta de las condiciones sociales de emergencia de este campo de saberes tanto como la participación de este conjunto de discursos especializados en un universo político-cultural más amplio. La colección Comunicación de Masa pone de relieve una serie de fenómenos y procesos: la existencia de una red transnacional que conectaba en el período formaciones culturales emergentes (en la que Schmucler oficiaba como promotor y articulador); la significación que la “cuestión” comunicación/cultura asumía en la coyuntura argentina y latinoamericana en los años 1972-1973; la existencia de una zona del mercado editorial que funcionaba como espacio de profesionalización y de especialización disciplinar a la vez que como plataforma de experimentación e intervención política en la cultura.

Toponym as a Part of Phraseological Units: Semantic Aspect (Based On the German, English and Russian Languages)

The article is devoted to the analysis of the internal form and functioning of phraseological units with the toponymic component in the German, English and Russian languages. The relevance of the study is due to the focus of modern linguistic research on the study of the cultural factor in the language. Toponym as a component of a phraseological unit is one of the universals of culture and performs the function of storing and transmitting traditions, history, and culture of a people, that is why it is a special linguistic sign. The problem of the national-cultural component of the toponym meaning helps to reveal the peculiarities of the phraseological world-image of the ethnic groups of the analyzed languages. The scientific novelty of the work is that it studies the culture-bound features of phraseological units with the toponymic component from the standpoint of the linguocultural approach to the study of collocations. This approach allows to reveal the historical and cultural nature of the toponymic component and to identify the peculiarities of the formation of these units, which contain culturally significant information. In addition, in this paper, based on the classification proposed by V. P. Zhukov, the studied phraseological units are divided into subgroups according to their motivation.The theoretical significance of the work is in a detailed study of phraseological units with the toponymic component, which contributes to the further development of onomastic phraseology. The practical significance of the work is determined by the opportunity to use the materials of this study in lectures and seminars on lexicology, linguoculturology, intercultural communication.

Antecedents of attachment states of mind in normative-risk and high-risk caregiving: cross-race and cross-sex generalizability in two longitudinal studies.

Longitudinal investigations of relatively large typical-risk (e.g., Booth-LaForce & Roisman, 2014) and higher-risk samples (e.g., Raby et al., 2017; Roisman et al., 2017) have produced evidence consistent with the claim that attachment states of mind in adolescence and young adulthood, as measured by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), are associated with the quality of caregiving experienced during childhood. None of these studies, however, has examined whether such associations are consistent across sex and/or race, as would be expected in light of the sensitivity hypothesis of attachment theory. We examine whether sex or race moderates previously reported links between caregiving and AAI states of mind in two longitudinal studies (pooled N=1,058) in which caregiving was measured either within (i.e., observed [in]sensitive care) or outside (i.e., childhood maltreatment) of the normative range of caregiving experiences. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses in both longitudinal cohorts provided evidence that maternal insensitivity and experiences of maltreatment were prospectively associated with dismissing and preoccupied states of mind in adolescence, as hypothesized. Moreover, these associations were generally comparable in magnitude for African American and White/non-Hispanic participants and were not conditional on participants' biological sex. Both maternal insensitivity and the experience of maltreatment increased risk for insecure attachment states of mind in adolescence. Moreover, our analyses provided little evidence that either participant race or participant sex assigned at birth moderated these nontrivial associations between measures of the quality of experienced caregiving and insecure attachment states of mind in adolescence. These findings provide support for the sensitivity hypothesis of attachment theory and inform the cultural universality hypothesis of attachment processes.

Culture Change and Affectionate Communication in China and the United States: Evidence From Google Digitized Books 1960-2008.

Humans are born with the ability and the need for affection, but communicating affection as a social behavior is historically bound. Based on the digitized books of Google Ngram Viewer from 1960 through 2008, the present research investigated affectionate communication (AC) in China and the United States, and its changing landscape along with social changes from collectivist to individualistic environments. In particular, we analyzed the frequency in terms of verbal affection (e.g., love you, like you), non-verbal affection (e.g., hug, kiss), and individualism (indicated by the use of first-person singular pronouns such as I, me, and myself) in Chinese and American books. The results revealed an increasing trend for AC in recent decades, although the frequency of affection words was lower in Chinese than in American books. Further, individualism was positively related to the frequency of affection words in both Chinese and American books. These results demonstrate the effect of cultural changes on AC, in that affection exchange becomes popular in adaptation to individualistic urban environments. These findings exemplify a cross-cultural difference in the expression of love and the cultural universality of social change in Eastern and Western societies.

How Much Do Sources of Happiness Vary Across Countries? A\xa0Review of the Empirical Literature

This article presents a review of empirical research exploring cross-national differences in the correlates of subjective well-being (SWB). I start by giving an overview of the concept of SWB across psychological, sociological, and economic literature. Measures of SWB have good cross-cultural validity, yet there is currently little consensus regarding the cultural universality of the definition of happiness. An overview of existing empirical literature points toward robust cross-national differences in mean levels of SWB that are associated with national differences in wealth and other socioeconomic, political, and cultural factors. The degree to which individual-level variables are associated with SWB is also subject to cross-national variations. Many individuals’ characteristics contribute to happiness to the extent that they are beneficial, socially desirable, and aspired to in a particular sociocultural context. These results are discussed in light of two theoretical approaches (institutional and fit hypotheses). Directions for future research are proposed.

Cultural knowledge of forests and allied tree system management around Mabira Forest Reserve, Uganda

The cultural universe is sometimes confusing, surprising and murky, so many cultural maps get drawn, discussed and envisioned. A study was undertaken around Mabira Forest Reserve in central Uganda to identify the trees and shrubs culturally managed on-farm, assess the cultural practices of forest and tree system management and determine the relationship between farmer gender and forest and tree system management. We engaged 203 farmers in focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews to collect data. Qualitative data were jointly evaluated with farmers; quantitative data were analyzed in SPSS 20.0. The results showed a high likelihood for involvement of local people in tree or forest management for economic gain, as timber and fast-growing species were highly ranked. Food and medicinal species were also regarded as important, suggesting high prospects of integrating them into the local farming system or protecting them in the forest. Numerous cultural practices (including rituals, trenching, bark slashing, ring barking, spot weeding and use of organic manure and pesticides) of forest and tree system management were acknowledged. However, their knowledge was mixed and unclear about distinct cultural and supportive arrangements for natural forest and tree restoration. While gender was not a significant cultural attribute for knowledge of the forest and allied tree system management, age substantially affected farmer propensity for various timber products. Also farmer’s family size influenced the collection of tree wildings and fodder. We encourage considering gender disparities and livelihood needs including income, during selection of cultural practices for forest and tree restoration.

The Cultural Universals in Avengers: Endgame

Anthropology NewsVolume 60, Issue 3 p. e147-e150 May/June Online Content The Cultural Universals in Avengers: Endgame Theodore K. Gideonse, Theodore K. GideonseSearch for more papers by this author Theodore K. Gideonse, Theodore K. GideonseSearch for more papers by this author First published: 31 March 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/AN.1179AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume60, Issue3Special Issue: AnimaliaMay/June 2019Pages e147-e150 RelatedInformation

Traditional Referentiality in Felix Khensay's Literary Contribution

This paper borrows the concept of traditional referentiality from Oral Traditional Theory and applies it to interpret the songs of Felix Khensayof Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines adapted by contemporary pop music enthusiasts as performed by a Bontok band called the Petune and other national choral groups with special kind of improvisation and fusion. It also informs briefly who Felix Khensay as a distinctive Bontokcomposer, his songs written in a Bontok language, his melodic and poetic styles, and patterns, and also the evocative application of his songs that became referentially meaningful in the memories of the Bontok community. The paper then installs traditional referentiality(TR) as a concept framed from the lens of Oral Tradition Theory and anchored on Michael Drout’s Meme Based Approach and applies it to the common songs produced by the Petune band and also as a winning piece of a national choral competition in the Philippines. It also explains and illuminates the operations of anaphoric repetition and pattern-recognition on the musical texts of Khensay’s selected two songs. Through textual analysis, this paper contributes making an initial assessment of Khensay’s songs’ functions viewed as cultural universals in the traditional referents that are significant to the Bontok community.

Gender factor in the expression of politeness in Farsi

ABSTRACTThis paper focuses on the role of gender in the expression of politeness in the Iranian language, Farsi (Persian). Expressions of linguistic politeness are believed to be cultural universals. Farsi is known for the complexities of its politeness system, called ‘ta’aroff’, which reflects social hierarchies. This study employs a questionnaire interview and dialogical text analysis (ta’aroff expressions count) to explore whether the production and perception of ta’aroff differs across genders. The questionnaire contained demographic information and statements related to attitudes to ta’aroff. The participants were also requested to create dialogues based on a presented shopping prompt scenario. Iranian women (30) and men (30) of two age groups (20–29 and 40–59 years old) participated in the study. The results show statistically significant differences in the attitudes to ta’aroff in that men’s attitudes to ta’aroff are generally more positive than women’s. In the shopping prompt dialogues, women produced fewer ta’aroff expressions than men. There were also some differences found in the use of specific ta’aroff expressions across genders. The results suggest that gender should be considered a factor influencing both ta’aroff use in speech production and the attitudes to ta’aroff.