Local Symbols Research Articles

The Campanile at Old Parkland, Dallas, Texas

The Campanile, a bell tower located on the Old Parkland campus in Dallas, Texas, was commissioned in 2018 by Crow Holdings as part of the development of a commercial campus with classical buildings and landscaped courtyards. Designed to house a large, newly commissioned bell, its architecture draws inspiration from America's early twentieth-century classical traditions. The 220-foot tower has three sections: base, shaft, and bell chamber, featuring traditional materials such as brick, limestone, and bronze. The project, completed in 2021 despite the challenges of the pandemic, involved skilled craftsmanship and incorporated local symbols, reflecting both classical and regional heritage.

Engaging Vernacularity and Identity Politics of Public Spaces to Promote Cultural Tourism: Art Festivals in Bandung, Indonesia

Public space has a vital role in defining the politics of identity. Art festivals in public spaces can increase the function of public spaces to negotiate cultural identity, characterized by vernacularity, and simultaneously use various local symbols and tourist attractions. This research discusses how art festivals in public spaces become a means for reconstructing cultural identity and promoting cultural tourism in Bandung City, Indonesia. This research employs qualitative research methods. Data collection is carried out through a literature study and field research using various approaches, including observations, interviews, and Focus Group Discussions with relevant stakeholders during JulyAugust 2023. Findings show that art festivals become a space where the politics of culture and cultural tourism meet different interests. At the same time, government policies appear to promote the preservation of vernacular culture and local traditions in order to improve tourism attractions. The paper concludes that the festivals serve as a significant place for cultural commodification, even if their primary goals are to celebrate cultural identity.

‟FERRIS WHEEL”: FEMALE SOCIAL MEMORY OF THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF HYDRAULIC WORKERS IN SIBERIAN CHERYOMUSHKI IN THE 1970S

The article is devoted to the analysis of female social memory about the life of the village of hydraulic builders and hydropower workers in Cheryomushki, Khakassia Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in the 1970s. The authors consider their main scientific task to be a special study of women’s memories of the life of that time as more topical and representative, than the men’s ones, in the study of the history of everyday life. Correlating memory of life in a new township in the 1970s with the memory of women who lived and worked in similar cities built at hydroelectric power stations a decade and a half earlier (Volzhsky, Kakhovka, Kuybyshev), revealed a number of differences in the axiosphere of different generations of women, as well as the severity of the reaction of residents of Siberian Cheryomushki to social transformations in Russia at the late 1980s and the 90s. Their local symbol was the destruction of the Ferris wheel, which had been built under Soviet rule in a local park, – a sign of lost hopes.

Research on the package design of longan product based on the theory of ‘locality’

An appropriate package design could illustrate the use of product and its origin, as well as the respect to the customers. This paper explores investigation research and the design method of cultural symbols of agricultural products in Guandu Village, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province using the theory of ‘locality’. To develop the agricultural products and the package design, authors investigated in Guandu Village locally and analysed the current situation of longan fruit by conducting in-depth interviews and exploring the local environment. The design method in this paper based on the theory of ‘locality’, authors deeply investigated the local people and culture. Then selected and translated the local symbols and patterns into design elements. The illustration of longan product and its package design – Guanduyuan, the brand name is shown at the end. Authors also proposed the innovated solutions to the sales of Guanduyuan brand.1

ФИГУРЫ САМОБЫТНОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ В ГЕРБАХ МУНИЦИПАЛЬНЫХ ОКРУГОВ УДМУРТИИ КАК ПОТЕНЦИАЛ ЭТНОКУЛЬТУРНОГО БРЕНДИРОВАНИЯ ЛОКУСА

Not only states, republics, districts and cities, but individuals and surnames (families) have the right to the coat of arms. At the same time, the territorial coats of arms reflect historical or cultural features, stereotypical ideas. The article examines the specifics of the figures on the coats of arms of Udmurtia’s municipal districts. It is safe to say that when developing regional heraldic symbols, creative groups selected figures and images based on the original history and culture or on the economic specifics inherent in this territory. The possible process of locus branding aimed at the formation of an ethnocultural image based on the study of the coats of arms of the Udmurt Republic’s specific districts is also touched upon. Images and descriptions of local symbols served as the material for the research. The figures on the coats of arms of the districts are aimed at creating an original ethno-cultural representation of a certain area in order to attract the attention of potential visitors and ensure tourist flow by giving the territory the status of a unique recognizable place.

The salafi da’wa movement in Jakarta from the perspective of media glocalization

Salafi is a transnational Islamic movement. In Indonesia, the spread of Salafism is influenced by graduates from the Middle East. As a conservative movement, the Salafi community in Jakarta has been different from its early days. Today they are a movement that enjoys modernity and negotiates its ideology. This research aims to investigate and analyze the occurrence of glocalization on the global ideology of the Salafi movement with local aspects in Jakarta, and to what extent this glocalization influences the transformation of their dakwah media to localize their ideology for acceptance on a local scale. This research uses the theory of glocalization through media by Jan Servaes and Rico Lie. The first concept of glocalization through media theory explains it from a transformationalist perspective. Second, this theory explains hybridization in glocalization. Third, it explains globalization, localization, and cultural identity. The three concepts in this theory become a reference in research related to the Salafi da'wah movement in Jakarta. The results of the discussion and analysis of the glocalization media of the Salafi da'wah movement in Jakarta show that in responding to globalization, the Salafi community at the Nurul Iman Blok M Square Mosque is transformationalist. They hybridize their global ideology by negotiating the Pancasila ideology which is a local ideology so that the process of glocalization of da'wah can be accepted by the local community. Through the media, one of their preachers also hybridizes ideology with a display that represents local symbols by wearing a black skullcap or national cap that is identical to the Indonesian cultural cap. Salafi communities in Jakarta also hybridize their fundamental ideology with media products as global or Western products in the context of media glocalization.

Ramification theory of reciprocity sheaves, II Higher local symbols

We construct a theory of higher local symbols along Paršin chains for reciprocity sheaves. Applying this formalism to differential forms, gives a new construction of the Paršin–Lomadze residue maps, and applying it to the torsion characters of the fundamental group gives back the reciprocity map from Kato’s higher local class field theory in the geometric case. The higher local symbols satisfy various reciprocity laws. The main result of the paper is a characterization of the modulus attached to a section of a reciprocity sheaf in terms of the higher local symbols.

DINAMIKA TAFSIR NUSANTARA

Interpretation of the archipelago is a manifestation of the assessment of the Qur'an by Nusantara scholars. The emergence of tafsir al-Qur'an in the archipelago cannot be separated from the process of evaluating and writing it down as part of the Ulama' efforts to understand and spread Islamic teachings. In this context, locality also colors various nuances of interpretation of the Qur'an, both in terms of interpreting the Qur'an in prayer rooms, mosques and Islamic boarding schools or in writing interpretations using local symbols in shapes such as pegon or Latin. In another aspect, the contribution of the influence of Middle Eastern Ulama influenced many Indonesian Ulama who made a genealogy of thoughts that shaped different tendencies in each season. The locality of Nusantara tafsir has different tendencies in each period. The dynamics of methods and approaches seem to encounter an anti-climax in the contemporary period with social-community nuances. The pattern of social relations between religious communities becomes the centrality in the thematic discussion of the verses of kafir, ahl al-kitab and non-Muslims which at first glance is a concept of the pattern of relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in theological and social aspects

Celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the Joining of Siberia to Russia in Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk: A Failed Act of Local Historical Politics

The article examines the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the annexation of Siberia to Russia in the key East Siberian cities – Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk – from the standpoint of communication science, local historical memory and historical politics, as a symbolic action designed to impose on local communities a certain set of narratives associated with the concepts of “Siberia”, “Russia” and “accession” as significant factors of local life. The purpose of the study is to analyze the significance for the local urban communities of Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk of the 300th anniversary of the annexation of Siberia to Russia as an essential act of local historical memory and an element of local historical politics. The methodological basis of this study is the tools of communication science: the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the annexation of Siberia to Russia is seen as a symbolic act of local historical politics, which was intended to impose on local communities a certain narrative (the key concepts of which are “Siberia” and “joining Russia”), and by the effectiveness of the implementation of which one can judge the self-perception of the urban East Siberian population. The study was carried out on the basis of archival materials (some of which are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time), materials of personal origin, local journalism and media materials. It is concluded that despite the active attempts of the regionalists and the local business elite to organize the celebration and communicative design of the anniversary as a symbolic act of local historical memory, the 300th anniversary of the annexation of Siberia as a significant narrative was shared by a very limited number of the population. The budgets of the event turned out to be sharply scarce, the dates were unclear until the last moment, and the preparations were chaotic. Contrary to the traditional interpretation of this event of 1881–1882, the 300th anniversary of Siberia as an attempt to form a local symbol was unsuccessful, which did not prevent interested subjects of socio-political communications (regionals, part of local elites and government officials) from presenting this event as significant for local life, doing this in fact according to the classical canons of historical politics.

The Greek Catholic Community and its Collective Memories

This article analyses the role of the Salvatorian and Chouerite monastic orders and their principal convents in producing collective memories among the Greek Catholic community in Lebanon. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Lebanon over the course of several months between December 2014 and 2020, I argue that the historical importance of both orders in the Patriarchate’s foundation and the popularity of some of their local symbols, priests and museums have transformed them into privileged places to transmit community memories. Last, these collective memories have contributed not only to constructing a Greek Catholic identity but also to maintaining this community within the Lebanese political-religious field.

A dose of public health and community pride: American local radio at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic

The March 2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States created an immediate need for news, information and interaction. Public health communication scholars recommended media strategies that emphasized accurate information about the virus and mitigation measures, providing access to experts, and using opinion leaders to relay recommendations to the public. Local radio is a critical medium during a crisis because it can inform the public while comforting listeners with reminders of community pride. This study analysed programming on four local talk radio stations in New Jersey, Minnesota and Rhode Island, documenting how the stations and their announcers served the public during those chaotic early days. Despite notable exceptions, these stations properly kept listeners informed about what their leaders were doing about the pandemic, while also calling upon local symbols and aspects of culture, comforting and reassuring listeners, and giving them a space to share their stories.

Local Language Symbols in S. Tamilselvi Novels

Literature creates, develops, safeguards and portrays the likes, dislikes, habits, culture and tradition of a society. When one analyzes the novels that are based on society, it expands itself into multifarious roles. The truth and the reality of societal life are researched based on many concepts known as anthropology, psychology, personality etc. When there is a change in the mind of a man, it reflects itself in society too. When the changes are not proper when they didn’t go as per morality, there occur numerous troubles and hence there is an imbalance in society. Human beings’ personality is affected badly due to this change in society. The family concept collapses and there occur innumerable problems among human beings and hence man has lost his quality of life. The six novels written by Tamilselvi have been taken for the research. This research intends to find out the themes behind her novels which are having a folklorebase. This research brings out the nature of the local habitat, folklore, custom and tradition.

The Local Dynamics of Nation Building: Identity Politics and Constructions of the Russian Nation in Kazan and Ekaterinburg

AbstractThis article explores the role of place-based identity politics in constructions of the Russian nation by nongovernmental actors in the cities of Kazan and Ekaterinburg. Departing from more established approaches to the study of nation building concerned with elite strategies and actions, it contributes to an emerging line of inquiry focused on the agency of mesolevel actors. Drawing on interviews and analysis of public communications, the article demonstrates that actors such as museums, activist groups, and religious institutions creatively employ mainstream discursive practices present also in state narratives to anchor the nation in local symbols. At the same time, they position themselves in locally specific identity cleavages concerning city, regional, and ethnonational minority identities. The findings show that the imbrication of local identity politics in their narratives can problematize nation building by exposing contradictions in federal discourses or troubling the association of nation and state. Emphasizing the importance of locally situated processes of constructing the nation in conjunction with other scales of belonging, the article argues that nation building in Russia is complicated by mesolevel practices of identity making that can simultaneously support and subvert it.

Food Symbol Economy in Tourist Destination: The Making of Local Symbol and Path Dependence

Food Symbol Economy in Tourist Destination: The Making of Local Symbol and Path Dependence

Wayang as Local Communication Media in Building Public Awareness of Environmental Crisis

A movement to conserve Gemulo water source conducted by FMPMA group uses cultural values through puppet performance (nanggap wayang) in Bulukerto, Bumiaji and Sidomulyo Villages, Batu City, East Java. Nanggap wayang is used to be a local communication media to inculcate environment conservation values, social movement, and development communication. This research used qualitative method and ethnographic approach aiming to analyze the role and contribution of leather puppet performance (nanggap wayang kulit) on the performance of Gemulo water source conservation movement initiated by FMPMA community and some related society elements. This research employed empirical findings and various literature review references in its analysis. The result of research shows that wayang is still capable of serving as local communication medium for modern community amid massive new media development. Wayang, as local communication medium, provides education, guidance, morality value, and Javanese symbol. The complexity of wayang function also represents collective behavior inculcating Javanese values. Philosophical story of very ecological wayang can enrich the right-on-target and sustainable conservation model. Wayang also becomes effective media of development communication, of change, of socialization, and of education, thereby triggering the development of consciousness and positive feedback from local people (community).

Shifting frames: balancing methodological inclusivity and policy relevance of feminist research

ABSTRACT Feminist scholars working in international development are often challenged to devise inclusive feminist methodologies and produce evidence-based policy recommendations to inform hegemonic policy processes. The quantitative hegemonic policy frames, however, stand in contrast with interpretative feminist approaches. Feminists face a choice between producing purely academic content or acting as mediators and insiders/outsiders in policy arenas. Feminists are thus called to bridge feminist and dominant policy frames and in this way disrupt hegemonic categories of analysis. This article is based on a case study employing two research methods to examine the activism of Indigenous women opposing the Fenix mine operations in Guatemala. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions confirmed practical recommendations directed at traditional decision makers, while photo elicitation interviews reflected structural and cultural frames demonstrating the deeper repercussions of the exploitative and institutionalized practices of the mining industry. Translating local symbols, norms, and cultural practices into the policy frames of decision makers, however, requires deliberate efforts by feminists. This work should not be undermined, neither in terms of the preparation of feminist researchers, nor in light of debates around collective feminist scholarship and collaboration among community-engaged scholars.

Arancini, Identity, and the Refugee Debate in Sicily

In August of 2018, the Italian national government prohibited North African passengers onboard the Diciotti from disembarking in Catania, Sicily. The ship had docked amid an ongoing debate over how Italy should respond to an increasing number of immigrants and refugees arriving to the nation’s shores. Pro-migrant Sicilians came to the dock wielding arancini--fried rice balls--which are emblematic of the island's history and culture, as a way to symbolically welcome the migrants onboard the Diciotti. Nationalist Sicilians came as well to counter-protest the pro-migrant group. This paper asks first, who are the opposing groups (pro-migrant and nationalist Sicilians) and why did they adopt arancini? Second, how does arancini become a symbol of welcome and at the same time inhospitality? Third, how does the encounter become a stage for the larger debate over the meaning of identity in Sicily? By shifting the focus towards the host population and how it contests the meanings of such important local symbols, we capture the complexities of reception and debates over how natives perceive and receive migrants.

Late-Fifteenth-Century Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and the Emergence of a Muscovite Dynastic Consciousness

This article examines the role played by the disputes for ecclesiastical jurisdiction between the late-fifteenth-century Metropolitan Sees of Kiev and of Moscow in defining the Muscovite rhetoric of princely power. Based on previous temporary ecclesiastical separations and on the Moscow-based Metropolitans' letters, it suggests that a possible acceptance of Grigorii of Kiev's jurisdiction in Novgorod was perceived as a possible threat in Moscow. Thus, when describing the 1471 attack, the official Muscovite chronicles transformed the Novogorodian struggle for autonomy into 'apostasy’. The result was a coherent narrative expressing an emergent dynastic consciousness, based on descent from Riurik, primogeniture and local symbols of Orthodoxy.

DeepRx: Fully Convolutional Deep Learning Receiver

Deep learning has solved many problems that are out of reach of heuristic algorithms. It has also been successfully applied in wireless communications, even though the current radio systems are well-understood and optimal algorithms exist for many tasks. While some gains have been obtained by learning individual parts of a receiver, a better approach is to jointly learn the whole receiver. This, however, often results in a challenging nonlinear problem, for which the optimal solution is infeasible to implement. To this end, we propose a deep fully convolutional neural network, DeepRx, which executes the whole receiver pipeline from frequency domain signal stream to uncoded bits in a 5G-compliant fashion. We facilitate accurate channel estimation by constructing the input of the convolutional neural network in a very specific manner using both the data and pilot symbols. Also, DeepRx outputs soft bits that are compatible with the channel coding used in 5G systems. Using 3GPP-defined channel models, we demonstrate that DeepRx outperforms traditional methods. We also show that the high performance can likely be attributed to DeepRx learning to utilize the known constellation points of the unknown data symbols, together with the local symbol distribution, for improved detection accuracy.

Штурмовик ИЛ-2 в архивном и архитектурном проявлении исторической памяти о Великой Отечественной войне 1941-1945 гг.

The article examines and compares archival documents from the Russian State Archive in Samara (RGA v g. Samara) and Monument to the Ilyushin Il-2 as components of the “site of commemoration,” which has become a part of historical and cultural code of the city. The example of perception of this national and local symbol of the war reveals features of and prospects for constructing historical memory; detailed written evidences, vivid visual images, large-scale architectural and urban planning solutions are used. The theoretical basis for the research is Maurice Halbwachs’ concept of “historical memory” and Pierre Nora’s “lieux de m?moire.” Russian and foreign scientists are developing these concepts within the frameworks of interdisciplinary “memory studies.” The important role in these studies belongs to historians. Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 became a backbone idea for our country. It gives meaning to the historical process in the 20th century, manifesting in numerous and various empirical data, events, and artifacts. The Ilyushin Il-2 became a significant “site of memory” in Samara for two reasons. Firstly, many documents on its creation are stored in the Russian State Archive in Samara and are available to researchers and constantly exhibited (on-line as well as real). Secondly, the Ilyushin Il-2 visually symbolizes Samara’s contribution to the Great Victory, as the aircraft, manufactured and restored here, became a center of the composition of the monument to military and labour glory of the citizens in the days of the Great Patriotic War. This monument was opened in 1973. Its last reconstruction was carried out in 2015–17 in order to preserve this unique historical relic. The aircraft-monument and written evidence on the history of its creation, destinies of inventors, production organizers, engineers, workers are situated not far from one other. The Constructor Ilyushin Square and the Memory Square, where the monument and the archive building stand, are connected by Moscow Avenue. It is not just a transport artery, but a pivot of historical memory uniting its documentary, material, and artistic incarnations into general cultural space, in which the Il-2 plays its important role as a "site of memory."