Cultural Terrorism Research Articles

Crossroad of Culture: A Contested Space of Culture and Cultural Terrorism - Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Aisha Nabi

Crossroad of Culture: A Contested Space of Culture and Cultural Terrorism - Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Aisha Nabi

“Ibu-Ubu” boyhood initiation rites and the conservation of cultural heritage in Afikpo, southeastern Nigeria

PurposeThe study explores the nexus between Ibu-Ubu boyhood initiation and the conservation of cultural heritage in Afikpo, Southeast Nigeria. The study is motivated by the rarity of such cultural conservation through initiation rites in an age of Christian-inspired culture terrorism against Igbo traditional religion, arts and relics.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted cultural anthropological research method. The boyhood initiation rite was studied through participant observation of the initiation between September and November 2017. As a cultural anthropological study, oral evidence was derived from the men who had undergone the rite. Through the oral evidence, interpretations were given to the material culture, monuments and heritage that have been conserved through Ibu-Ubu initiation rite.FindingsThe study discovered that amid the deluge of Christian-motivated culture terrorism and erosion of Igbo cultural arts, relics and heritage, the people of Afikpo have preserved most of their tangible and intangible heritage through the Ibu-Ubu boyhood initiation rites.Originality/valueThis study will assist in the reinvigoration of campaigns on environmental and heritage conservation in Igboland. It is sufficient to posit that Igboland is ridden with myriads of environmental and cultural terrorism, perpetrated by some Christian fanatics. The study reveals the relevance of the boyhood initiation rites in ensuring the preservation and conservation of Igbo cultural heritage in a century marked with fanatical Christian evangelism, culture-terrorism and destruction of both tangible and intangible heritages, which the Christians have labelled evil, barbaric and fetish.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF PALMYRA BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR IN SYRIA

In the article there is example of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, the article examines the problems of loss and preservation of the world historical, cultural, archaeological and architectural heritage in the context of modern local military confl icts. During the periods of Antiquity and the middle Ages, a complex of monuments, unique in composition and size, was formed here, combining ancient Eastern, Roman, Byzantine and Arab elements. During the ongoing acute armed confl ict in Syria, because of the purposeful actions of religious terrorist-extremist organizations, defi ned by the author as an "international historian of cultural terrorism", hesuffered catastrophic damage. An analysis of the scale of this damage, as well as the effectiveness of the efforts of the Syrian authorities, international organizations and the world community, shows that the preservation and restoration of Palmyra's heritage is possible because of painstaking, complex, joint work of all interested parties. Thus, the example of Palmyra showed the military confl icts in the Middle East, along with the actual destruction of entire states, the death of a huge number of people, the economic crisis, millions of refugees, was an attack on the heritage of ancient civilizations, which caused unprecedented loss of world cultural heritage in modern history. Now the world community faces a long and comprehensive joint effort to determine the damage, restore, and prevent further destruction and looting of the cultural heritage of Palmyra and Syria.

‘공포의 문화’에서 벗어나기: 타이완 현대사와 기억의 장소

본고는 현재 타이완 사회에 계속해서 건립되고 있는 2·28사건과 백색테러 관련 기념관의 전시와 그 기억-서사를 검토하면서 공포의 문화가 지배했던 자신들의 근현대사를 기억·기념하고자 하는 타이완 사회의 기억-실천이 가진 함의를 고찰한 논문이다. 1987년 민주화 이후 타이완 현대정치사의 최대 금기였던 2·28사건에 대한 공적 담론의 장이 열리면서, 과거사를 기억하고, 이를 기념하고자 하는 각종 기억-실천들이 전개되고 있는 것은 1980년대 이후 지속된 타이완 사회 민주화 운동의 한 결실이라고 평가할 수 있을 것이다. 그리고 그런 점에서 2·28기념관, 징메이·뤼다오 인권문화원구와 같은 타이완의 어둠의 역사를 주제로 하는 기념관은 테러, 나아가 죽음의 공간을 재현하면서, 이러한 테러와 공포에 맞서는 공적 내러티브를 만들어내고, 나아가 이러한 기억을 통해 억압된 과거의 진실을 재생한다는 의미에서 개개인에게 치유의 역할을 할 수 있다는 점에서, 가장 중요하면서 대중적인 기억의 장이라고 말할 수 있다.<BR> 하지만 이 기억의 장들은 2·28사건과 뒤이은 백색테러를 지나간 과거의 불행한 사건으로 치부하면서, 현재의 타이완 사회에서 이 사건들이 갖는 의미를 규명하는 데는 이르지 못하고 있다. 그 이유는 피해자에 대한 보상은 어느 정도 이루어졌지만, 여전히 학살 및 테러에 대한 진상규명 및 책임자 처벌 등 과거사 청산이 제대로 이루어지지 못했기 때문이다. 역사에 대한 직시보다는 인권과 문화의 기묘한 병치가 계속되는 타이완 사회의 기억의 장의 현주소는 지금 한국사회의 기억실천을 되돌아보게 해 주는 거울이며, 이러한 한계를 극복하고자 하는 공동의 노력이야말로, 20세기 동아시아를 지배해 온 공포의 문화에서 벗어날 수 있는 유일한 길이다.

Research on the Water Element in Bill Viola"s Video Artworks

Video art emerged in the 1960s, and it is an avant-garde form of art. In the past, video art was regarded as “unreasonable and mystified nonsense” and “cultural terrorism.” Today, it has been accepted and recognized by the majority of the art world, thanks to the ineffaceable contributions made by video artists such as Nam June Paik and Bill Viola. Today, Bill Viola is one of the most respected video artists worldwide. He is constantly exploring the combination of art and technology, ceaselessly breaking the boundaries between different disciplines and art, and pushing video art to the forefront of contemporary art. He began using video as medium in the 1980s and integrated his thoughts and life experience into his works. Moreover, he produced a series of Bill Viola-style video artworks. This paper begins with the “water” element, takes video artworks as an example, focuses on the artist"s emotional expression, explores the spiritual world in Bill Viola"s works, and analyzes the reasons for the popularity of his works.

Angela D. Sims, Lynched: The Power of Memory in a Culture of Terror. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016. Pp. 197. $29.95 (cloth); $24.95 (paper).

Angela D. Sims, <i>Lynched: The Power of Memory in a Culture of Terror</i>. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016. Pp. 197. $29.95 (cloth); $24.95 (paper).

Angela D. Sims: Lynched: The Power of Memory in a Culture of Terror. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016; pp. xvi + 197.

Angela D. Sims: <i>Lynched: The Power of Memory in a Culture of Terror</i>. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016; pp. xvi + 197.

The Culture of Terrorism Da'ashi and its Implications on Iraqi Society Medical Anthropology Study

The main theme of the research is the culture of terrorism and its implications in the Iraqi society-a study of medical anthropology in Tikrit. The most important cultural, social, psychological and health effects of the terrorist organization on the residents of Tikrit during the period of occupation. To reach the most important of these effects, and by staying in the study community for an appropriate period, and to reach important results.

A Culture of Violence? Women in Twentieth Century Bengal

Violence is one of the primeval instincts of human kind. It is not restricted by spatio-temporal frontiers and majority of human beings, irrespective of their gender, age, nationality, orientation, etc. are subjected to some form of violence during their lives. However, as the societal conditions have always enabled the subjugation of the “weak” by the “powerful”, violence against women has been identified globally as one of the most systematic and widespread human rights violations. Using three short stories authored by Jagadish Gupta, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, and Mahasweta Devi in twentieth century Bengal as case studies, this paper seeks to examine the diverse trajectories of violence perpetrated against women in the aforesaid period. Analysing particular modes of violence like dowry-based homicide, witch-hunting, and rape as political instrument of oppression, this study intends to qualify Michael Taussig’s thesis on “culture of terror” by situating it against the wider backdrop of the “culture of violence” and the discourses of resistance that simultaneously emerged in twentieth century Bengal.

Sims's "Lynched: The power of memory in a culture of terror" (book review)

Sims's "Lynched: The power of memory in a culture of terror" (book review)

REMEMBERING THE IMĀM YAḤYĀ IBN AL-QĀSIMMASHHADIN MOSUL

This article consists of a detailed account of themashhadof Imām Yaḥyā ibn al-Qāsim. The square-plan building, constructed on the cliff edge above the southern bank of the Tigris in the citadel of Mosul inc.637/1239, was destroyed in an act of cultural terrorism by ISIS on 23 July 2014. This is a study of the work of earlier scholars on the building, a reassessment of the structure and its regional context, and a number of hypotheses regarding the original appearance of the tomb. In addition, the wide-ranging sources of the formal and decorative elements of the building are examined. Themashhadwas the most richly ornamented of the medieval tombs in Iraq which had survived into the modern era, yet it had not been comprehensively studied in over a century. The remaining untranslated inscriptions are given in full, adding useful new information to the discussion regarding the important distinction between the ʿAlids versus Shīʿī associations of the building and its patron. Drawing on the limited published and archival images of the building, the internal appearance is reconstructed, and a series of new architectural plans and elevations are provided in order to preserve the memory of this important structure.

Negative spaces: Terrorist attempts to erase cultural history and the critical media coverage

The recent annihilation of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud by ISIS represents a disturbing trend in how some terrorist groups are trying to erase historical sites for the cultures they communicate. This study explores how one of these devastated spaces is still expressed in the media years after its destruction by examining another act of iconoclasm that occurred in 2001 when the Taliban annihilated the 1,500-year-old Buddhas of Bamiyan statues. The research explores the conception of negative spaces in communication and the means by which they are created through warfare and terrorism. A frame and critical analysis of popular magazines then assesses how the Bamiyan Buddhas’ identity has been transformed over time, and some of the journalistic practices that have enabled these renderings. The results reveal how the Buddhas have gradually become journalism’s touchstone for modern cultural terrorism, while in 70 percent of the coverage the site’s actual history has been replaced by the narrative of its destruction.

Terrorism as spectacle: It’s all for the audience

Abstract This paper analyses terrorism from the framework of ‘spectacle’ (Debord, 1995). In this context, ‘spectacle’ is a historical event that looks like a political drama, theatre, or even a play. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were played out as a script, mise en scène, and choreography. Terrorism can be a disaster or horror movie. This is made possible thanks to around-the-clock news and media images. Of particular importance is the ability of terrorism to command the audience’s gaze. As a spectacle, a terrorist act becomes a type of theatre; it is a performance to be seen. Electronic communications (television in particular) allow the immediate worldwide exposure of the terrorist spectacle. The purpose is to plant images – usually gory and frightening – in the audience’s collective memory. These images are seen, recorded, and usually unforgettable. The spectacle, then, becomes a ‘Culture of Terror’ (media images of horror and destruction).

Religion, Terror, and America: Pastoral Care in the 21st Century

The United States of America’s War of Terror has so radically affected life in the USA that American culture is experienced by many as a “culture of terrorism.” This description of American life might lead one to conclude that America’s culture of terror is a new experience in America. This article suggests that terrorism laid the foundation for the New Republic and is deeply embedded in the American experience. In order to truly care for the American soul, pastoral theology must address the terror resident within American daily life.

Surrealistic communication as symbolic terrorism: The example of Marcel Mariën’s theory of political campaigning

The article discusses communicative campaigning based on some ideas related to surrealism, arguably one of the most prominent and influential artistic avant-garde movements of the 20th century, and compares these ideas with relevant elements of Edward Bernays’ concept of propaganda, which is one of the main references of public relations research and public relations (PR) practice since the first half of the 20th century. Its main objective is to retrace the campaigning theory by Belgian surrealist Marcel Mariën, which moves between well-known campaigning concepts and cultural terrorist action. The article aims at analyzing the theory’s background in psychoanalytic theory and its vision of society in order to compare the different theories by Bernays and Mariën. Taking into account the well-known ‘revolutionary’ spirit of surrealism and its attribution as a kind of ‘cultural terrorism’, the question arises, whether Marcel Mariën’s surrealistic campaigning theory represents a kind of anti-propaganda terrorism? The article provides a detailed and balanced analysis of the relatedness of communicative practices and social organization.

Chomsky’s Discourse on US Foreign Policy, Media and Human Rights Interface: Implications to Indian Media

The United States (US) is usually thought of as a nation representing freedom, democracy and human rights. However, as shown by Noam Chomsky and a few others, the US has turned out to be the most dominant imperialist nation as it is a ‘super power’ with immense political and economic clout. The US has been involved in human rights’ violations, Chomsky claims, with an intention of capturing markets for its goods and services, but has been successful in veiling it by shaping popular consciousness through its hegemony over popular media.&#x0D; Chomsky argues that the US has been preparing the ground for human rights’ violations by the use of ‘Propaganda Model’ which ‘filters’ reality in such a way as to give the ‘news’ that is perverted to serve the needs of the ruling elite. For instance, in many of the ‘news’ reports the weapons of mass destruction used by the US are attributed human traits while the citizens of the enemy nation are presented as nameless “aggressors” or “terrorists”.&#x0D; The relevance of the paper rests on working out the implications of Chomsky’s perspectives on the use of media by the US to serve its propagandist model and the implications of such tendencies to nations like India. The paper also tries to work out the possible way out of this impasse.&#x0D; Keywords: Culture of terrorism, human rights, media, propaganda model, US imperialism

Subverting the Master('s) Syllabus

Teachers who use “transformative teaching” in urban schools understand that…a generation of dispossessed youth in “urban” communities [are scathingly critical of U.S. miseducation], and that they must create curricula that are responsive to the articulated needs of young folk struggling to navigate the oppressive conditions of their everyday life. Education policies like “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” assume that what is being offered in schools is worth taking seriously, worth racing toward and not away from. However, policies like these, much like those of colonialists, aim at dispossession and dislocation; they seek the social control of young people through a form of cultural terrorism of the mind. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

Living with the Irreparable. A Critique of Derrida's Theory of Forgiveness

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1 Jacques Derrida's eulogy for himself, read at this burial by one of the his sons, translated into English by Gila Walker, Critical Inquiry 33: 2, Winter 2007, p.462 2 Jürgen Habermas, ‘Fundamentalism and Terror’, in Giovanna Borradori, Philosophy in a Time of Terror. Dialogues with Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), p.28. 3 If my hypothesis is right, this universal victimization could bring to an end the possibility that witnessing violence from a distance increases the spectator's sense of personal safety. This was Kant's optimistic conclusion when he claimed that the impact of devastating natural violence onto a viewer does not necessarily amount to an increase of fear. See Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgement, trans. Paul Guyer and Eric Matthews (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), p.129. ‘Seized by amazement bordering on terror, by horror bordering a sacred thrill,’ Kant wrote, ‘the spectator would not feel actual fear’. To the contrary, it is precisely his ability to register ‘that very power's might and connect the mental agitation with the mind's state of rest’ that reveals human superiority to nature. 4 Although this Manichean set of oppositions has by now been abundantly debated and denounced in its inappropriateness for political use, its normative impact is still pervasive. Suffice to mention the ‘accusation’ of affiliation with the Islamic faith moved during the 2008 Presidential Campaign against Barack Obama. 5 Jacques Derrida, ‘On Forgiveness’, in Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness (London and New York: Routledge, 2001), p.42. 6 Giovanna Borradori, ‘The Culture of Terrorism’, in Philosophy Today, Winter 2005, pp.397-407. 7 Jacques Derrida, ‘On Forgiveness’, p.28. 8 Jacques Derrida, ‘On Forgiveness’, p.28. 9 With good reasons, there has been considerable debate on how each brand of the Abrahamic lineage worked out the terms of divine forgiveness. Robert Gibbs points out, for example, how the Jewish notion of Teshuvah, or repentance, literally means ‘returning’, assumed as a turning around back to God and the neighbour who has been offended. For Gibbs, the Jewish tradition concentrates more on returning than forgiving, which entails that a premium is placed on the offer of an apology that grants one's return, rather than on the act of accepting the apology, which grants the sinner re-acceptance and re-entry in the community of faith. See Robert Gibbs, ‘Returning/Forgiving. Ethics and Theology’, in Questioning God, eds. John Caputo, Mark Dooley and Michael J. Scanlon (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001), pp.73-91. 10 Derrida, ‘To Forgive. The Unforgivable and Imprescriptible’, in Questioning God, p.53. 11 In conditional forgiveness Derrida does not differentiate between enabling conditions, including remorse and reparation, and instrumental conditions, such as personal salvation and political reconciliation. Whereas the enabling conditions make forgiveness depend on desert, the instrumental conditions make predicate it to a finality that transcends completely its transformative power. On this basis, it seems to me that instrumental conditions should be separated out from the enabling conditions. (see, Ernesto Verdeja, ‘Derrida and the Impossibility of Forgiveness’, in Contemporary Political Theory 3:1, April 2004, pp. 23–47). 12 Jacques Derrida, ‘To Forgive. The Unforgivable and Imprescriptible’ p.32. 13 Jacques Derrida, ‘On Forgiveness’, p.39. 14 Jacques Derrida, ‘On Forgiveness’, p.55. 15 I owe this crucial distinction to Kelly Oliver, who articulated it in her book, Witnessing Beyond Recognition (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2001). For a concise version of her argument see ‘Witnessing and Testimony’, in Parallax, vol.10, n.1 (2004), pp.78-88. 16 Duma Kumalo, Theforgivenessproject.com [3/10/2010]. 17 Duma Kumalo, Theforgivenessproject.com [3/10/2010]. 18 Jacques Derrida, ‘On Forgiveness’ p.59. 19 Anna Akhmatova, ‘Requiem’ in The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova, trans. Judith Hemschemeyer (Brookline MA: Zephyr Press, 2000), p.384.

Critical pedagogy in uncertain times: hope and possibilities

Foreword S.Aronowitz Introduction S.Macrine Dialogue with Ira Shor S.Macrne The Attack on Higher Education and the Necessity of Critical Pedagogy H.Giroux Teaching as Possibility: A Light in Dark Times M.Greene Imagining Justice in a Culture of Terror: Pedagogy, Politics, and Dissent A.Darder Critical Pedagogy and Politics of Class Struggle P.McLaren & N.E.Jaramillo Re-imaging Freire Beyond Methods D.Macedo Critical Pedagogy/Socialist Ed. in Britain D.Hill Corporatization of Education K.J.Saltman Toward a Critical Pedagogy of the Global N.De Lissovoy A Critical Pedagogy of Hope in Times of Despair R.Farahmandpur Afterword G.Fischman

Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

tellsherstory in first-person, peelingawaylayers ofchildhood confusionas shecomestounderstand the worldshelivesinandwhosheisin that world. Just as vividareitsother characters: Flo's mother, Martha, and father, Win;hergrandparents, Mimiand Grandpops; theirmaid, Zenie,herhusband, Ray,and their niece,Eva. EventhemoreperipheralMissJosephine , theGreats, Big Dan,MissKayLinda, andothers are exquisitely drawn,as is theSouth they inhabit inall itssmells, tastes, sounds,and complexcultural contradiction . I won't tell you what happens ,or how. OnlythatI believe The Queen ofPalmyrato be among thehalf-dozen great novelsofthese times. Thefreed spirit finds itsway outoftherug. Margaret Randall Albuquerque, NewMexico Maaza Mengiste. Beneath the Lion's Gaze. New York.W.W. Norton. 2010. 308 pages. $24.95. isbn 978-0-39307176 -4 Ethiopia twiceresisted Italy'scolonialcampaigns , holding ittojusta four-year occupation (1937-41). Yet the later history ofthis proud ancient state hassadlyresembled that ofits postcolonial neighbors: a weakened kingdomsupportedby the bourgeoisie à la Fanon,risingdiscontentamongtheyouthand poor,a military coup "forthepeople"that installs a totalitarian regime, inevitableresistance , anda newcycleof violence. Maaza Mengiste's riveting debutnovelunfolds in 1974,when theailingregime ofthelegendary butelderly emperor Haile Selassie suffers itsdeath-blow after underground footage ofEthiopian famine victims airson nationaltelevision. As student and military opposition intensifies, the military ousts the government. Promising a people's republic, theSoviet-influenced military junta known astheDerginstead crushesall opposition(including theformer emperor himself, whose Lear-like ruminationsMengiste hauntingly evokes),and spawnsa culture ofterror that encourages all tospyononeanother. Beneaththe Lion's Gaze traces theimpactoftheseeventson one middle-class family inAddisAbaba. Before thecoup,thepatriarch, Hailu, a quietlyresolutedoctorwith a dyingwifewhomhe triesto keep alivedespite herdesirefor peace,at first half-heartedly defends thegovernment against theharshcritiques of his younger son,Dawit,a studentrevolutionary . Yonas,theolder son, strivesto keep his wifeand small daughtersafe,whichearns Dawit'scontempt, whileMickey, the poor,fatherless boywholiveswithin their compound and has grown up withDawit,cravessecurity and so joinsthemilitary. Sara,Yonas's wife, whosemother fought fiercely againsttheItalians, longsonlyfor the well-being ofhersmalldaughter, and Dawit'sgirlfriend, Lily,shares hisopposition tothegovernment. ButtheendofSelassieempowers the Derg and triggers change within thesecharacters. Hailuhelps a horribly tortured girltodie,thus dooming himself toprison and torture until a ghastly mistake isuncovered . Dawit becomesincreasingly disenchanted withthe Derg, and Sara,likewise horrified atitsactions, putsherfamily at riskby helping himto collect and burybodiesthe military callouslytossesonto city roads.Mickey, meanwhile, at first a reluctant participant in thecoup, now enforces thenew rules.Lily, hqrìeìeh "ave.- ROBERTO ^^^HH ■ "ave.- ROBERTO ^^^HH m too,becomesa loyalist. Suggesting that intime theDergwilllearn "true socialism" andmaintaining that the people will farebetter underthe new system, sheacceptsa governmentfellowship formedicalschool in Cuba. A finalmoment of crisis forces Hailu,Yonas,and Dawitto actagainst their established characters , although, giventhepiecesset inplace,onemayforesee this end. Whilethecharacters inBeneath the Lion's Gaze follow predictable trajectories, Maaza Mengiste endowsthem withsufficient depth to claimour attention evenas we anticipate theiroutcomes. Despite deploying familiar plotdevices - for example, therivalry oftwobrothers, best friends who chooseopposite sides,and the requisitestubborn elderson thefringe whohelpoutwittheDerg - Mengiste vividly recreates thehorrors from whichher ownfamily fledwhenshewas four years old. Michele Levy North Carolina A&T University Mike Nicol. Payback. Roggebaai, South Africa/ London. Umuzi / Old Street.2008 / 2010. 333 / 432 pages. R170 / £7.99. ISBN 978-141520046-9 / 1-906964-16-0 Ata panelofcrime fiction writers at theCape TownInternational Book Fair, anauthor spokeofa trick that she had playedon hereditor. For a treatment ofhernextnovel,she retyped thefacts from a newspaper article abouta recent murder. The editorrejected thestory, callingit implausible. Therewould be too manyunlikely coincidences forthe readerto overcome. It would feel contrived. Suchis one ofthemanychallengesof writing in SouthAfrica today.Therealcrime - thecountry suffers from oneofthehighest murderratesin theworld - can prove infinitely morecreative and awful than themade-up stuff. Yet SouthAfrican writers like Mike Nicol have been takingthe genreseriouslyforyears.Nicol 's Payback, thefirst ofa trilogy, representsan inspired effort toweavea story from thefilaments oflanguage, class,andviolence that pervadethe city ofCapeTown. Inthe story, Mace Bishop(who is white)and Pylon Buso (whois black)runa security serviceforhigh-class tourists who wanttoenjoy thebeaches andnightclubs and avoid pettycrime.The twomacho mennowhavemortgages andfamilies, andwishtoforget their pastlifeofgunrunning fortheantiapartheid struggle. But it's not so 641WorldLiterature Today ...