Gender Distinctions Research Articles

TAŞKENT BÖLGESİNİN DAĞLIK ARAZİSİNDE BULUNAN GÖKTÜRK KAĞANLIĞI’NA AİT SÜNGEK MEZAR KURGANLARI HAKKINDA YAPILAN ÇALIŞMALAR

Makalede Özbekistan’ın Taşkent vilayetine bağlı Çarvak su barajı kıyılarında bulunan Batı Göktürk Kağanlığı dönemine ait Süngek mezarında sürdürülen arekolojik kazı çalışmaları ve burada elde edilen bilimsel sonuçlardan bahsedilmektedir. 2019 yılından beri gerçekleştirilmekte olan arkeolojik kazılarda elde edilen buluntular diğer iskan yerlerindeki buluntular ve ölü gömme gelenekleriyle karşilaştirilmiş ve genel benzerliklerin yanı sıra adı geçen mezarıdakı kendine özgülükler tespit edilmiştir. Adı geçen mezarlıkta insan ve hayvan kemikleriyle birlikte çeşitli biçimlerdeki seramik kaplar, demir yapımı çeşitli eşyalar ve iş aletleri bulunmuştur. Mezarlardaki insan kemikleri, özellikle insan kafatası üzerinde alınan ölçüler, bazı insan kemiklerinin bulundurulduğu yön ve tas kemiğinin durumu, cins ayırımına dikkat edilmiştir. Merhumların yaşını belirtirken de onların baş kemiklerdeki yarıkların kapanış derecesi, dişlerin yıpranması ve kemik boğumlarının oluşum sahfaları göz önünde bulundurulmuştur. Süngek’te elde edilen buluntular, Göktürk Kağanlığı dönemine ait yerel ölü gömme gelenekleri ve yerleşkenin bulunduğu bölge ahalisiniin iktisadî ve sosyal yaşam tarzı üzerine durulmaktadır. Süngek mezarının sakinleri yerel kültür elemanlarını kendinde barındıran hayvancılıkla uğraşan göçebe toplumların Eski Türk dönemine özgü yadıgarlıklar grubuna dahildirler. Mezarnın sahipleri komşu bölgeler: Çırçık – Ahengeran vadisi, Güney Kazakistan, Talas, Farğana ve Yedisu bölgelerinin sakinleriyle sıkı ilişkilerde bulunduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Süngek mezar kurganlarından elde edilen yeni buluntular, Orta Asya topraklarının miladi birinci binyıllığı ortalarında yaşayan toplumların kültürü ve tarihininin oldukça güncel ve aynı zamanda tartışmalı olan Kavunçı kültürünün historiografisi, Çırçık vadisi yukarı havzasının Erken orta çağlar döneminin etnik yapısı, hayvancı göçebe toplulukların ölü gömme gelenekleri ve dinî dünya bakış açıları gibi meselelerin incelenmesi için kaynak görevini yapacağı anlaşılmaktadır. Adı geçen tarihlerde Avrasya bozkırlarında olup biten migrasyon süreçlerinin incelenmesi ve daha anlaşılır olması yüzünden Süngek mezarı ve benzerlerinin ileride daha derin incelnemesi gerekmektedir.

NOTES ON GENUS SYSTEM AND GENUS INHERENCE PERSONAL NOMINA IN CONTEMPORARY GERMAN

In Contemporary Transnational German (CTG) there is no biological and linguistically consistent congruency alongside of genders. Usually three genders are defined in German: masculine, feminine, and neuter. However, there is also a distinctive Common gender, and many Epicenes can be found in German as well. Moreover, an additional Dubium, Incertain or Diverse gender may be distinguishable among up to six genders. Word endings in and by themselves don`t reveal grammatical gender thoroughly within current German. In addition, you have to consider set theoretical aspects, intersections and certain propositional connectives. Different aspects of German nouns, selected distinctions and relations between gender inherence and grammatical German gender on the other hand are addressed here from a systematic point of view.

Половые различия в морфометрических признаках чёрной лесостепной гадюки, Pelias berus nikolskii (Vedmederja, Grubant et Rudaeva, 1986) (Viperidae, Reptilia), из Воронежской области

We studied sexual dimorphism in the black forest-steppe viper, Pelias berus nikolskii (Vedmederja, Grubant et Rudaeva, 1986), inhabiting the Voronezh region. From 2008 to 2017, 118 snakes were captured, of which 84 were males and 34 were females. Body length, tail length, and five head measurements were taken from the individuals was calculated. Analysis of Covariance showed that males and females differed in all traits except the greatest width of the head and head length. Traits can also be subdivided into those with respect to each other that retain sexual dimorphism throughout the growth of the snakes, and those whose sexual dimorphism with respect to each other varies with body size. Discriminant Analysis showed that tail length makes the main contribution to the gender distinction: with the same body length, tail length will almost always be greater in males than in females. The width of the head at the eye level is of less importance: with the same tail length, the width of the head at the eye level will often be greater in females.

The attractive, the aggressive and the withdrawn student in the university: Social network and content analysis.

The aim of this study is to detect and analyse relationships of attractiveness, social power and aggressiveness in the PE university community. A sample of 197 PE university students from University of Thessaly, Greece participated in the social network study, answering about the relationships developed with their fellow students and providing demographic non-network data as well. After the extraction of results, 8 of them were interviewed to further clarify the motives and thoughts that underlie their behaviour regarding attractiveness, social power and aggressiveness. Social network analysis, carried out with Visone 1.1, statistical analysis, carried out with SPSS 26 and content analysis of the qualitative data – interviews, carried out with MaxQDA 2020 led us to the following conclusions: Scientific attractiveness is related to social power and vice versa, protecting from verbal aggressiveness. Aggressiveness is negatively related to attractiveness and social power. Argumentativeness is important for the position one holds in their network and argumentational deficiency may lead to marginalization. Gender, body characteristics and academic distinction affect attractiveness and aggressiveness emergence.

Sedentary and Bedouin Dialects in Contact: Remarks on the Dialect of Christians and Muslims in Kufur-Kanna

Abstract Kufur-Kanna is a Palestinian village that has always been in contact with Bedouins. Some of its inhabitants are also Bedouin. One can describe the dialect spoken by both Christians and Muslims in the village as a rural dialect of mixed type. It shows some Bedouin features, e.g. *q > g. The Bedouin features of Kufur-Kanna belong to the Syro-Mesopotamian group of dialects. One can describe several traits shared with Bedouin dialects diachronically as sedentary traits, e.g. the preservation of interdental consonants and gender distinction in the plural of verbs and pronouns. The dialect of Kufur-Kanna has the b-imperfect as other sedentary neighbouring dialects, while it differs from them in some features, e.g. the negation. It is characterized by the compound negation in addition to its absence in other forms that can be considered as a Bedouin feature.

Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Hair Serum

In the mammalian system, the hair follicle is known to be the most significant organ that determines appearance, gender distinction, give violent temperature protection, and plays a part in tone- defense. The youngish generation have begun to suffer from extreme hair loss problems due to numerous life- related changes similar as fatigue, anxiety, input of junk foods, use of diiferent hairstyling/ coloring styles, etc. The loss of hair isn't temporary in utmost cases, but it results in alopia. numerous people suffering from hair loss are in hunt of multiple treatments due to extreme anxiety and pressure, from tradition to traditional and remedial mending to the use of minoxidil and finasteride. To ameliorate hair growth and to help hair loss, hair root activation is needed. Herbal dress are still generally used by average citizens because of smaller side goods and lesser protection and safety profile. The present study was intended to use different sauces to formulate herbal hair serum for general purposes (hair operation).

The Socioemotional Skills of Women for Intelligence Performance in the National Intelligence Directorate in Colombia

Traditionally, security issues in Colombia have been operated by military institutions with a high percentage of male participation. Since the creation of the National Intelligence Directorate (NID) in 2011, this masculinized and militarized environment of security issues has been transformed by the creation of a civilian institution with 45.7% female participation in highly recognized profiles. The participation of women in the institution has exposed socioemotional skills that characterize their strategic role at the NID. To research how gender distinction in socioemotional skills influences intelligence processes within the NID, eight semistructured interviews were conducted with seven women and one man, and a specialized literature review on the building of socioemotional skills distinction by gender was carried out. There were three main results: first, the NID has gender parity because, being a civilian agency, it clashes with a masculinized tradition of other military-based national intelligence agencies; second, the representative participation of women in strategic roles within the NID demonstrates that their socioemotional skills are a useful resource for intelligence activity; third, on the one hand, the overexploitation of socioemotional skills and “smart intelligence” leads to overburdening women in their tasks and responsibilities on both professional and personal levels, but on the other hand, it is harder for women to show results and be recognized for their work in the Colombian Intelligence Community.

Hak-Hak Reproduksi Perempuan dalam Islam

Indonesia is known as a country with the highest Mother Mortality Rate in South East Asia. According to the Women’s Health Foundation (YKP) the main causes of death are bleeding (46,7%), Eclampsia (14,5%), and infection which can be treated quickly. In addition, AKI is also caused because pregnant women are helped by incompetent people. Women’s reproductive health problems should require the involvement and care of many parties, families, communities, religious leaders, medical experts, law officers, and policy makers. Actually, it is normal if the topic is about reproduction health because it is the main problem for the women. The reproduction organ and function is the main distinction between men and women. But then the point is not about the anatomy and physic only. It mainly about how to sue the unbalanced reality relationship that can cause the women is unhealthy in implementing their reproduction function.
 In Islamic history, there are so many interpretations (Tafsir) that written by the priests in order to explain Al-Quran. The interpretations sometimes contain opinions, ideas, or quotations that discuss gender distinction in interpreting Al-Quran that can result in gender discrimination in the tafsir literature that the Moslems get.
 The understanding of women reproduction rights that is socialized by the priests really helps the understanding of the protection and prevention of mother mortality in the society that still has strong belief of their religion. In Islam, women reproduction rights are the rights that must be guaranteed because of its reproduction function. Quantitatively, the rights are balanced with the men’s rights as doer of reproduction function.
 Nowadays, the religion interpretation plays very strategic role to reinforce gender equality. The interpretation of this women reproduction rights contains several rights that have to guarantee the reproduction function. Moreover, if we know very high risk that the women have in implementing their reproduction function namely pregnancy, giving a birth and breast feeding.
 Religion exists to give secure peaceful and blessing feeling and to reinforce justice. Now, it’s time for Al-Quran and Hadits interpreter are demanded to involve intensely in order to overcome the high rate of violence in social area and exclusively in domestic area, that full of violence to the women. Reinterpretation of theological view and understanding of the right is no doubt.

Addressing as a gender-preferential way for suggestive selling in Chinese e-commerce live streaming discourse: A corpus-based approach

This paper explores sellers' addressing behaviours in Chinese e-commerce live streaming discourse by focusing on the impact of gender. Data were drawn from a self-built corpus comprising 120 h of transcribed texts from live streaming on Taobao. By conducting a corpus-based analysis, we compared males' and females' keywords for addressing customers and their performative functions of suggestive selling. The findings show that: (1) both males and females use a small percentage of kinship terms; (2) males' ratio of address pronouns to nouns greatly surpasses females', but their frequency of ‘nín’ (deferential you) is much lower than females'; (3) females are more likely to consistently use nouns with the meaning of baby, whereas males prefer utilising diverse friendship terms; and (4) females frequently use a pattern of ‘thank/greet + baby’ to conduct ritual interactions more often than males. We argue that both males' and females' addressing behaviours function to promote successful selling; however, gender distinctions do exist in terms of their lexical choices and pragmatic uses of addressing words. The current study contributes to both pragmatics and the sociolinguistic study of gender and language.

Exploring Commensality in Sikh foodways

ABSTRACT The paper discusses the age-old concept of commensality but in a new light. This new guiding light is the religious foodways of the . Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak in the fifteenth century, and the followers of this faith are worldwide. A significant institution of the Sikh faith is Guru ka Langar, a free community kitchen voluntarily run by the community members where they eat together without any distinction of caste, creed, color, age, gender, ethnicity or nationality. This paper thus widens the scope of this complex topic by claiming that a complete lack of conviviality or any form of social engagement can also be a commensal setting by a common ideology or religious belief.

Genre et barbecue: genre, tradition, innovation et espace dans la série Netflix Chef’s Table: BBQ (2020)

Barbecuing is often highlighted as one of the most masculine forms of cooking. In this paper, I will analyse a recent Netflix documentary series, Chef’s Table: BBQ, with portraits of four different barbecue chefs, including two women. The barbecue chefs are from Australia, Mexico, and the US. The goal of the paper is to discuss how this documentary reframes our understanding of gender and barbecuing by including these highly acclaimed female barbecue chefs. The main argument of the paper is that despite the series’ celebration of female barbecue chefs, more subtle forms of gender distinctions are nonetheless apparent, notably in relation to mobility and how the male chefs are described as innovative and as individuals who go beyond their culinary roots, unlike the female barbecue chefs who are defined by immobility and tradition. In the discussion, it is argued that the series reflects two oppositional, but co-existing trends in contemporary food consumption: 1) the urge to be innovative, cosmopolitan, and hip and 2) a nostalgia for a more rooted, traditional, and locavore approach to food. It might be worth considering more generally how these trends are gendered in different contexts.

ЭВАКУАЦИЯ ДЕТЕЙ ИЗ БАШКИРИИ В 1921-1922 ГГ.

The article deals with the problem of evacuation of children from Ufa province and Little Bashkiria to other regions of the country during the famine of 1921-1922. The issue of re-evacuation of children to the republic is not affected. An analysis of the scientific literature has shown that there are three points of view in historiography regarding the number of evacuated children during this period. At the same time, the number of 11,859 people most often appeared in the sources. Taking into account the missing persons, more than 13 thousand children were evacuated in total. The evacuation took place in two stages: in September 1921 - January 1922, after which it was suspended due to lack of funds, then resumed in May 1922. On June 4, 1922, the evacuation of children was completely stopped on the instructions of Moscow. The geography of the destinations of the evacuated children was diverse. In the autumn of 1921, children were sent to Siberia, the Far East, the Middle Urals, Transcaucasia, Turkestan. Since December 1921, the western direction of evacuation began to dominate (Ukraine, Belarus, western provinces of Russia). Evacuation of children was associated with many organizational, financial, logistical, transport and other problems. The lack of clothing, shoes, uniforms, food restrained this process, led to a large morbidity and mortality of children on the way, especially in the initial period. In most cases, nothing was prepared at the arrival points for the reception of children. The plight of the evacuated children was noted in Pskov, Smolensk, Altai provinces, Chernihov, Turkestan, Batum, Tiflis. In Siberia and the western provinces, evacuated children were often distributed to peasants. In particular, in the Pskov province, children were forcibly distributed to peasants without any distinction of gender, age and nationality for a certain and indefinite period, only sometimes under contracts. The children evacuated to the Far Eastern Republic were in the best situation. In general, the arrangement of children's life in a new place was fraught with many difficulties.

Absence of Morphological Case and Gender Marking in Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish Worldwide

This paper demonstrates that the language of the post-War generations of adult Haredi (that is, strictly Orthodox), primarily Hasidic, speakers of Yiddish in the major Hasidic centers worldwide lacks morphological case and gender. Elicited spoken and written data from native Haredi speakers of Yiddish from Israel and the United States, aged 18–87, and limited additional evidence from Canada and Belgium, reveal a complete absence of distinction between masculine, feminine, and neuter genders as well as between the nominative, accusative, and dative cases. While some speakers make use of a variety of morphological definite determiner and attributive adjective forms, their use is not determined by case or gender distinctions. Most of the speakers in our study have an invariable determiner pronounced as /dɛ/ or /di/, whereas the earlier case and gender suffixes on attributive adjectives have been reanalyzed as a single attributive marker, /ɛ/. These findings are consistent with our previous work on the loss of case and gender in the Hasidic Yiddish of London’s Stamford Hill and support our proposal that the Yiddish spoken in (primarily Hasidic) Haredi communities can be considered a distinct variety of the language known as Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish.*

For Love of the Father: An Archetypal Exploration

Great stories articulate the movement of the individual and collective psyche and withstand the tests of time, location, cultural and gender distinctions. Through the study of myth, we recognize our shared humanity and the particularities that inform a life. As a depth psychotherapist, I come to archetypal stories with expectancy, hoping to re-cognize myself and my clients within the action of the other. The Biblical story of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25-35) offers the scholar boundless opportunity for theological, ethical and historical analysis. However, this story of familial relationships requires of me a different kind of telling. This essay is intended not as a scholarly examination of a myth, but rather as a mythic exploration of self. Using Jacob as my guide, I will explore how the archetypal movements of longing, envy and love; deception, separation and reconciliation inform and reveal underlying themes within my life story, and in particular, how my relationship with my father determined much of the course of my life.

An Introduction to Afrikaans Art Songs: A Guide to Lyric Diction

An Introduction to Afrikaans Art Songs: A Guide to Lyric Diction Christian Bester (bio) and Bronwen Forbay (bio) LANGUAGE AND DICTION BASIC AFRIKAANS GRAMMAR The second half of this two-part presentation (see "An Introduction to Afrikaans Art Song Literature: Origins and Repertoire," pp. 471–482) aims to provide singers and teachers with a basic overview of the formation and pronunciation of authentic Afrikaans vowels and consonants. Phonetic transcription rules using the IPA will help guide students and teachers in their correct application. Written Afrikaans utilizes the same twenty-six letters as the English alphabet. Afrikaans sounds closest to Dutch, but uses considerably simpler spellings by comparison, a characteristic that makes it more accessible than many other Germanic languages. Although Afrikaans shares many cognates with English, it is characterized by the frequent use of diminutives (inherited from Dutch), numerous diphthongs, a lack of gender distinction, and simplicity in its verbal system. Verbs are not conjugated, but remain the same within a specific tense regardless of person or number. This particular characteristic makes Afrikaans lyric diction considerably easier to master than other Germanic languages. Afrikaans is predominantly a phonetic language with a limited number of exceptions. Closed syllables are more common than open syllables.1 Where two dissimilar consonants or double consonants separate syllables, the division usually falls between the two consonants, resulting in the first syllable being closed. Exceptions to this rule include the consonant combinations: tr, kw, dr, kl, and kr, which are divided before the initial consonant.2 Word Stress Indigenous Afrikaans words generally receive stress on the first syllable.3 Prefixes and suffixes usually remain unstressed, while the root portion of a word is emphasized.4 Exceptions include either words of foreign origin, borrowed words where stress shifts to the final syllable, or separable compound words where stress shifts to the prefix.5 Since a number of exceptions exist for which no rule can be provided,6 the use of a reliable dictionary such as the Madeline du Plessis et al., Pharos Afrikaans-Engels Woordeboek (Pharos Afrikaans-English Dictionary) published in 2005 is highly recommended. Diacritical Marks The four diacritical marks in Afrikaans are: • Acute accent on é Indicates syllabic stress but does not modify the vowel.7 Example: dié [di] (this/that) [End Page 497] Note: Although the spelling of the example word is almost identical to that of the definite article die (the), the acute accent indicates not only that the syllable is emphasized but also that a different meaning of the word is present. • Grave accent on è Indicates that the vowel is stressed, open, and of long duration.8 It is found mostly over short exclamation words. Incidentally, there are only four indigenous Afrikaans words that are compulsorily written with a grave accent; dè [dɛ:] (take this); hè [ɦɛ:] (really?); nè [nɛ:] (n'est-ce pas?/ isn't it? /not so?/yes?); and appèl [aˈpɛ:l] (appeal).9 • Circumflex accents on ê, î, ô, and û All stress the syllable in which they appear and result in long open vowels pronounced [ɛ:], [ə:], [ɔ:], and [œ:], respectively.10 Examples: sê [sɛ:] (say); wîe [ˈvə:ʱə] (wedge); môre [ˈmɔ:rə] (morning/tomorrow) and brûe [ˈbrœ:ʱə] (bridges). The circumflex accent does not appear above a vowels in Afrikaans.11 • Dieresis This occurs on ë, ï, ö, and ü vowels.12 The accent does not function as a German umlaut as no vowel modification occurs. Called a deelteken [ˈdeᵊlˌteᵊkən] in Afrikaans, it serves as a divisional sign or vowel separator. This diacritical mark ensures that the second vowel in the word is not assimilated into the overall sound, but is sounded separately from the vowel preceding it. Syllabification occurs immediately before the dieresis. As a result, the vowel preceding it is always in an open syllable. Example: oë [ˈo:ᵊǝ] (eyes); haël [ˈɦa:əl] (hail) Note: The dieresis can occur on ä in rare circumstances when "in combination with a preceding a, to indicate the start of a new syllable, such as in lilaägtig, Kanaän, and a number of technical (mostly scientific) terms where a suffix starting with a follows a stem ending on a."13 Example: Aäron [aˈa:ron] Afrikaans Vowel Sounds Afrikaans has five pure vowel sounds...

The Swahili World

The Swahili World

Review: Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amanda L. Tyler

Review: <i>Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union</i>, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amanda L. Tyler

Performing Masculinity in the Hebrew Bible by Milena Kirova

Reviewed by: Performing Masculinity in the Hebrew Bible by Milena Kirova Andrew Montanaro milena kirova, Performing Masculinity in the Hebrew Bible (HBM 91; Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2020). Pp. xiii + 218. $85. An English rewrite of her two-volume Bulgarian work (2011 and 2017), Performing Masculinity brings Milena Kirova's keen literary criticism to bear on a wide range of biblical passages relevant to masculinity as conceived by the ancient authors. K. presents a perceptive commentary on a unique set of underexamined aspects of masculinity in the Hebrew Bible, including men's roles as shepherds, bandits, and builders. K. provides a valuable contribution to both masculinity studies and biblical studies. This volume comprises nine essays and an epilogue. Kirova employs an important methodological maneuver whereby she resists imposing categories employed by post/modern social sciences onto ancient perspectives without careful consideration. In this regard, her chapter on weeping (see below) can be seen as the most important since in it K. explicates her nuanced critique of the use of masculinity studies. K. makes the commonsense observation that males in hegemonic roles throughout the Hebrew Bible vary from one another in that they are celebrated for contradictory traits. She states, "[I]n the world of the Hebrew Bible we should better talk of hegemonic masculinities, rather than of a hegemonic masculinity, the way Raewyn Connell [Masculinities (2nd ed.; Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005), 76–77]) does in her attempt to define the new general situation in the postmodern world. . . . [B]iblical masculinity is a category much wider and inherently variable in a way that is unfamiliar to the modern Western world" (p. 150). She notes that pairs of conflicting traits (cruelty and mercy, honesty and trickery) are commonly seen as hegemonic "because biblical men, heroic or not, powerful or weak, have come into being after 'the image and likeness' of God. God and not man is the allencompassing matrix of human being" (p. 163; emphasis original). Kirova frequently returns to her premise that God is the ultimate male before whom all other distinctions among humans—including gender distinctions—become relativized. Important for this methodology and its application is a detailed examination of hegemonic masculinity as it exists in God; however, such an examination is absent from this study. Nevertheless, K.'s analyses will aid anyone interested in this work to engage more fully with the question of God's masculinity. The above premises and methodological concerns are demonstrated throughout the volume in relation to various topics, and in this way the reader gets a sense of K.'s method [End Page 115] in practice as she explores subjects such as the imago dei and bodily perfection, which make the Hebrew man like God (chaps. 1 and 2); humiliation and the "etiquette of unwillingness to become king," which are explained not as lapses in hegemonic masculinity but as necessary rituals for becoming king (chap. 3); and circumcision, such as in the Shechem massacre in Genesis 34, which, after explicating the "ass" theme, K. argues would have been part of an amusing story for the ancients—"the ethical aspect that causes shock to the modern reader simply did not exist" (p. 67; chap. 4). Further, K. explores the role of shepherds, drawing a trajectory ending in apocalyptic texts where God is shepherd (chap. 5). She argues that this results in a collapsing of gender distinctions: "The small differences between worldly men and worldly women are assimilated into the vast difference between man and God" (p. 121). Here the meekness and care of human shepherds make them more like God (and thus closer to the hegemonic). Next, K. examines David's bandit years against similar bandit-kings in Judges, and she argues that, through fairness and generosity, David transcends the category of bandit to become worthy of being king (chap. 6). In chap. 7, she focuses on the theme of weeping both as a manipulative act to elicit a response (particularly from God) and also as an expression of kindness, an attribute of God. She perceptively observes that, far from emasculating men, weeping can be an expression of an attribute that makes men more like God. Kirova further treats men in the role of...

Power Beyond Sex: A Foucauldian Reading of Lady Macbeth

Shakespeare’s most haunting tragedy, Macbeth, has been regarded as one of his best tragic trios. One of the most significant characters of the play – Lady Macbeth – often realized as the ‘antagonist’ of the play, is portrayed as the impetus and motivational factor behind Macbeth’s brief victory and, apparently, even his ultimum ruinam. With her actions within the course of the play, it becomes a daunting task to justify them without referring to the history of Lady Macbeth. Most of the past studies have focused on her earlier marriage and multiple miscarriages in order to condone her behaviour. The present research essay, however, reviews the play in a deconstructive approach and delves into a deep exploration of the representation of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s renowned tragedy. The study focuses on the influence of normalizing power and gender distinction upon the actions of the characters. It studies the theory of Normalizing Power (as given by Michel Foucault) and views it in the context of how femininity is depicted within Macbeth. It further reinvestigates the patriarchal dominance and looks at the existing power structures that subconsciously affect Lady Macbeth’s motivation, leading to the tragic fall of the characters. By visiting the play from the lens of power and femininity inherent in the subconscious mind of the readers, the research aims to portray Lady Macbeth in a different light, one that is not dominated by supporting ideologies of male dominance or the notion of power in the hands of the phallus.

CORRELATION STUDY OF IDEAL L2 SELF AND MOTIVATIONAL BEHAVIOR OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORS IN CHINA

In the field of Second Language Acquisition, most research has combined L2MSS with L2 motivational behavior currently. Based on the data got from questionnaire in which 104 non-English majors from China participated and SPSS data analysis, this paper aims to explore the current situation of ideal L2 self and motivational behavior of non-English majors, gender differences of both and the correlation between ideal L2 self and motivational behavior for non-English majors. The results indicated that both ideal L2 self and motivational behavior of non-English majors were at a higher level. There existed a significant gender distinction in the ideal L2 self of non-English majors, but there was no significant gender distinction in their motivational behavior. Moreover, the ideal L2 self of non-English majors was positively correlated with their motivational behavior, especially for girls.