Cultural Meanings Research Articles

Japanese Women’s Body Politics, Focusing on Clothing/Textiles in Pre- and Post-World War II Japanese Culture on Film

When we attempt to read visual messages in styles of dress within mass media such as film, it can help enlighten understanding of ourselves and nuanced messages we portray from a diverse range of cultures. Explained in qualitative methods, this paper explores pre- and post-World War II Japanese transnational dress through Mizoguchi 1956 film Akasen Chitai (Street Of Shame) and Imamura 1961 Buta to Gunkan (Pigs and Battleships), comparing how the clothed female body is reflective of political shifts in pre- and post-WWII Japanese culture. In order to contextualize and thus gain a clearer understanding of Japanese culture from both Japanese and Western perspectives, it is necessary to reflect on some of the history of Japan’s textiles pre-WWII and the garments produced by showing visual examples of them. In film, women’s bodies represent not only their own gender, but the role of men in society as well, which is true in real life. Imamura clearly looks at the human body as a context for society, applied specifically to how the female body is represented through what clothing and textiles she wears on her body, when and why; enabling the audience to decode cultural meanings as well as wider global, social and political significance.

MAKNA SIMBOLIK DAN KULTURAL TRADISI LEBARAN KETUPAT BAGI MASYARAKAT JAWA

The Ketupat Eid tradition is one of the cultural heritages of the Javanese people which is still preserved today. Eid Ketupat (kupatan) has deep value and meaning in several aspects, namely in the religious aspect as a means of spreading Islamic religion, strengthening ties of friendship, as an expression of gratitude to Allah SWT for the success of fasting during the month of Ramadan. In the spiritual aspect there is interaction to forgive each other, then in the social aspect it is a form of mutual cooperation, while in the economic aspect it can increase people's income by selling coconut leaves or palm leaves.Apart from having social meaning and value, the kupatan tradition also has symbolic meaning, namely Eid as a symbol of the end and end of the fasting month of Ramadan, luberan as a symbol of an invitation to share one's fortune by giving zakat and alms, melting as a symbol of admitting mistakes and forgiving each other, and laburan as a symbol so that humans always maintain their physical and spiritual purity. Apart from containing symbolic meaning, the Eid Kupatan tradition also contains cultural meaning, namely a means of communication and friendship, a means of giving alms, a means of honoring guests and a means of preserving ancestral traditions.

Gaming lounges in India afford socially productive gambling: The moral economy and foundations of play in Udaipur, Rajasthan

AbstractWe use ethnographic observations, interviews, and surveys to illuminate video game‐related gambling in India, where players use as currency decorative in‐game weapon covers referred to as skins. We focus on gaming and gambling related to virtual items acquired in the popular shooter game Counter‐Strike: Global Offensive, and our study unfolds among young adults who play in face‐to‐face centers called gaming lounges or zones. We consider how networks of video game players, themselves influenced by familial and societal demands, form moral economies that regulate why video game items are exchanged and how they are evaluated. Further, we use moral foundations theory to clarify ethical plurality in these settings, with tensions between moral demands shaping how and whether skins exchanges are judged to be socially productive or harmful. We show how gaming lounge owners’ personal values, some religiously informed, render emerging adults who play in these settings less at risk of excessive gambling, which is not tolerated either within close‐knit gaming groups or broader society. Overall, our analysis points to the utility of bringing into dialogue moral economy and moral foundations perspectives to uncover the cultural meanings of linked gaming and gambling in this context.

Developing a conceptual framework for exploring cultural representations in Vietnamese children’s picturebooks

In a time of globalisation, the teaching of intercultural understanding has become one of the essential components of teaching curriculum in classrooms around the world. Among various materials for teaching intercultural understanding, multicultural children’s picturebooks have been applied widely in classrooms to raise students’ awareness of cultural representations of diverse countries, especially the teaching of Asian cultures in the context of Western classrooms. However, studies in teaching intercultural understanding have also reported teachers’ difficulties in interpreting and analysing cultural elements in multicultural materials including Asian children’s picturebooks. Therefore, this paper firstly explores painters’ and illustrators’ methods in depicting cultural aspects in Vietnam. Then, the paper proposes a conceptual framework for interpreting cultural meanings children’s picturebooks about Vietnam. To do so, we conducted in-depth interviews with Vietnamese painters and illustrators who are experienced in illustrating Vietnamese culture in artworks including picturebooks. Based on interview findings with Vietnamese painters and illustrators, we propose a conceptual framework for exploring cultural aspects in Vietnamese children’s picturebooks. Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) and qualitative research design (Burgess & Bryman, 1999; Mayring, 2014) along with influential theoretical frameworks in the field of cultural studies and children’s literature (Hall, 1976; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006; Painter et al., 2013; Weaver, 1993) are applied in the present paper. Findings in this paper are significant to researchers and teachers who are interested in working with multicultural picturebooks as well as multimodal texts to explore Asian cultures.

Significados em movimento: Um ensaio semiótico sobre o entorno de um projeto social esportivo

This semiotic essay investigates the surroundings of a social sports project located in a peripheral area, exploring the symbolic interactions and cultural meanings present in this context. Using a reflective approach, the study examines how social dynamics are influenced by urban structure and local socioeconomic conditions. The analysis combines direct and documentary observations to offer insights into the complex reality faced by the individuals involved in the project.

A break room as spatial and material order for interaction

ABSTRACT This research aims to understand break rooms through the lens of everyday interaction as places where practices are both created and resisted. Emotion work present in all interaction between people is connected to power relations and cultural meanings that are central to people’s investment in their place of work and each other. The study asks how break rooms as spaces are integral to interaction and emotion work and in what kinds of performances and interactions, they invite people. The focus is on how break rooms shape interaction and what the significance of break rooms is for people. The data consist of data collected in workplaces in the 1980s, 1990s and the 2010s. The emphasis of the analysis is in the data gathered in the 2010s. The paper suggests that resistance, critical attitude, emotional coping and developing certain kinds of service skills are key to break room interaction.

Navigating spirituality in vegan fashion consumption: Purification and transgression tolerance

This study examines how consumers navigate their spiritual needs for transcendence in everyday consumption. While extant literature shows that both spiritual utilities and tensions emerge in sacred consumption, we build on and extend this research by illuminating how consumers navigate sacralisation and problematise profane consumption objects and practices. We employed Mary Douglas’s pollution theory to examine how consumers navigate cultural meanings of purity and transgressions. Through a qualitative study of vegan fashion consumption, we found that consumers negotiate the meaning of purity to govern everyday consumption practices in ways that resemble characteristics of religious institutions (e.g. faith and doctrines). Vegan consumers tolerate consumption transgressions through practices and rituals to sustain their faith within what is regarded as a polluted marketplace. Our study contributes to a novel perspective on consumer spirituality in regulating sacred and secular consumption and moralising relationships with the material world.

Exploring Self-Reflexivity in Selected Dalit Literatures

Dalit literature, which emerged prominently in the 1970s and 1980s, represents a significant shift in Indian literary and cultural discourse. It is deeply connected to the Dalit Panther Movement in Maharashtra, which sought to confront and challenge entrenched caste hierarchies and social injustices. Historically, Indian literature has been dominated by upper-caste perspectives, which marginalized lower-caste voices and reinforced existing social structures. Dalit literature disrupts this hegemony by foregrounding the experiences of those historically marginalized, challenging traditional literary canons that glorify upper-caste perspectives and advocating for a redefined cultural legitimacy. Self-reflexivity, a process of critical self-examination within social contexts, plays a crucial role in Dalit writings. It involves reflecting on one’s identity and its formation within oppressive socio-cultural frameworks. Dalit literature often explores the interplay between spatial identity and caste discrimination, emphasizing how physical and social spaces are laden with historical and cultural meanings. This reflexivity enables Dalit writers to question and reconfigure their identities in response to systemic inequalities. Historically, Dalit writings can trace their roots back to Vedic traditions that justified caste hierarchies. Figures like Sharankumar Limbale and Eleanor Zelliot highlight how Dalit literature is a counter-narrative to these oppressive traditions. Early Dalit writers, influenced by social reformers like B.R. Ambedkar and movements such as Bhakti, used their works to critique caste-based injustices and advocate for social change. Education has been a transformative force in Dalit autobiographies, serving as a means for personal and societal advancement. Despite historical resistance to the education of untouchables, British colonial reforms and missionary schools played a pivotal role in improving educational access. Figures like Jyotiba Phule further advanced educational opportunities for marginalized communities, challenging entrenched social norms and promoting empowerment through learning.

Cultural context and sentencing: content analysis of sentencing remarks for Indigenous defendants of domestic violence in the Northern Territory, Australia

ABSTRACT The focal concerns perspective was developed to understand differential sentencing outcomes for minority defendants in the United States. Although the focal concerns perspective dominates empirical sentencing research, its application in Australia has limitations in understanding sentencing disparities of Indigenous defendants, especially around cultural and customary contexts. In Australia, this limitation is exasperated by jurisdictional nuances and that certain sentencing – like for domestic violence – requires consideration of cultural factors. Using content analysis, we examined the extent to which cultural and customary contexts were acknowledged within the sentencing remarks of 72 Indigenous spousal domestic violence defendants sentenced in the Northern Territory Supreme Court between April 2015 to April 2016. We found limited acknowledgement of culture and customary practices for Indigenous defendants. Around a third of transcripts referred to Indigenous cultural factors. When cultural factors were identified, the impacts on sentencing were absent, superficial, or applied in a way to remove cultural meaning. Consequently, there was little evidence that sentencing courts adequately accounted for the unique experiences of Indigenous people. This can further marginalise Indigenous people, decrease the capacity for healing and rehabilitation at sentencing, and increase sentencing disparities. We consider plausible strategies for judicial decision-making processes that ensure cultural and customary contexts.

A review of cultural and social representations of islands: Implications for island destination marketing

Abstract Islands have always inspired human imagination, being associated with heroic journeys, myths, mysteries, and sacred quests, and often romanticised as ideal places to escape from ordinary life towards pleasant tourism destinations. Some studies have assessed island destination image, but only little attention has been paid to the social and cultural representations of islands and their role in island destination image formation. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to conduct in-depth research on the social and cultural meanings of islands and discuss practical implications for destination marketing. This work was based on an extensive literature review of scientific articles, books and chapters on island destinations to identify categories of such meanings assigned to islands over the centuries. The results reveal that islands are generally perceived as sacred and unique remote places, marked by a pristine environment and often associated with a romantic idyll. However, islands also face challenges, as there are several negative image elements, namely related to isolation, inaccessibility, and extreme weather events. Both attractive dimensions and those revealing islands’ vulnerability, visible in social representations, should be considered in destination image assessment, revealing potentialities and challenges for the marketing of island destinations.

Cultural Significance and Pharmacological Insights of Yunnan Ethnic Herbal Medicine: An Anthropological Perspective

Yunnan's ethnic herbal medicines possess potent pharmacological effects, offering promising treatments for various ailments while embodying rich cultural heritage. This paper explores the intricate nexus between Yunnan's ethnic medicinal materials, cultural traditions, and human ecology. Through theoretical analysis and comprehensive literature review, it elucidates the transmission and dissemination of herbal knowledge among diverse ethnic groups, highlighting the preferences for specific herbal medicines rooted in climatic, geographical, and cultural influences. The study delves into the profound cultural meanings embedded within herbal medicine practices, revealing their role as symbols of cultural identity, emotional ties, and historical inheritance among ethnic communities. Additionally, an anthropological perspective unveils the complex interplay between culture, ecology, and herbal medicine practices, shedding light on environmental challenges and emphasizing the importance of sustainable living practices rooted in cultural values. While providing valuable insights, this study acknowledges the limitations of relying solely on theoretical analysis and literature review, advocating for interdisciplinary approaches integrating ethnographic fieldwork and biomedical research for a comprehensive understanding of herbal medicine use in Yunnan.

Pop spiritualnost

Magical practices have undergone significant changes in the past decades, shifting towards accessibility and individuality. With the rise in popularity of individual, custom-designed magical rituals, popular culture has proven to be one of the important aspects associated with the new practice. Influential, reaching a wide audience, with a strong focus on immersive visual aspects, it is of no surprise that practitioners have started to include popcultural elements into their rituals. New schools of magic, such as the influential Chaos Magick, have proven to be a fertile ground for these innovative practices. This paper will focus on the mutual interaction between occult knowledge represented through visual means in popular culture and the magical practice of modern mages.

The Myth of Resurrection in Ngugi’s a Grain of Wheat

Our paper deal with ‘’The Myth of Resurrection in Ngugi’s ‘’A Grain of Wheat’’ in this, we have described the analysis of the myth of resurrection in the novel under criticism. This analysis has been achieved through the description of mythical aspects under mentioned. Apart from that, we have tried to brief down the cultural meaning of the myth under analysis. A Grain of wheat may be considered as novel tracing back the resurrection myth. Because it involves the idea of birth, death, and rebirth of Kenya. The imagery used by the author proves us that Kenya was a land given by MURUNGU (creator), invaded by the British, and reborn thanks to the sacrifices made by the local people. We can understand that Kenyan country is considered as symbol of all Africa land that is why African must arise and decolonizing their mind for their freedom from colonialists. Our readers will found same propositions which can be give us our liberation from the colonialist or others neocolonialism forms.

The Contested Terrain of Sporting Consumption: Navigating Meaning, Identity, and Late Capitalist Marketing through Sneaker Customization

This discussion critically examines and questions assumptions about the meanings and motivations of sporting consumption. We argue that the practice of sneaker customization demonstrates the contested terrain of sporting consumption, wherein contemporary consumerism is characterized by a dynamic interplay between top–down structural determination (by mass commercial forces) and bottom–up creative agency (by everyday consumers). Based on in-depth interviews with 15 sneaker consumers, we narrate the complexities of late capitalist consumer culture through three overlapping “tensions” between the commercial sneaker industry and everyday sneaker consumers: (1) Sneakers as a vehicle to express individuality versus to demonstrate conformity; (2) Sneaker customization as a means of artistic expression versus being a commodity rationalized to maximize profit; (3) An affective versus instrumental attachment to sneakers. Overall, the analysis illuminates how the cultural and affective meanings that consumers attach to sneaker consumption operate; sometimes in conjunction with, more often in opposition to, but always in tension with the meanings that the sneaker industry attempts to embed through its ever-expansive means of marketing and advertising.

Land Art Submerged: Betty Beaumont’s Ocean Landmark and Art History Beyond Proximity

Abstract Comprising 17,000 blocks of coal fly-ash, Betty Beaumont’s Ocean Landmark (1978–1980) is an artificial reef located off the coast of Fire Island, New York. This essay analyses the visual inaccessibility of the work and its reliance on an assemblage of media to highlight its significance for conceiving political, ecological and cultural meanings of the ocean. Land art’s fascination with the limits of visuality, the site/non-site dialectic and relationship with industry will provide a framework for this aim. Ocean Landmark’s situatedness and association with industrial ecology signals the wider juridical and political lack of transparency in industrial activity in the ocean spaces framed as sites of unseen environmental extraction. Demonstrating the political and epistemological consequences of a lack of visibility, it challenges the assumptions of total sensorial and epistemic access, highlighting the limitations of anthropocentric positions in and beyond the ocean.

A Polyvocal Approach to Virtual Heritage: An Immersive Case Study

Large parts of museum collections, particularly in the Netherlands, are a legacy of the colonial past, guiding people’s societal perceptions of cultures and histories. There have been increasing efforts to ensure that museums acknowledge and reveal to visitors the multiple (e.g., cultural) meanings and contexts attached to objects in these collections. We address this as an effort to increase polyvocality . The present work contributes to the effort to emphasize, but objectively acknowledge, multiple (perhaps conflicting) perspectives attached to cultural resources. We provide a measurement to assess polyvocality amongst individuals and a case study including an adaptive, polyvocal exhibition design. The developed Virtual Reality (VR) exhibition curates the flag of Suriname (1975 - today), in which participants interactively encountered multiple perspectives on the flag’s colors and, in three different sceneries, learned how those relate to Suriname’s history. Our quantitative findings (obtained among a smaller sample of N = 20) revealed that the experience fostered a polyvocal mindset, which is supported by our qualitative analyses highlighting key polyvocal elements in the virtual environment. In sum, the present approach further explicates the polyvocality construct, proposes ways of assessing a polyvocal mindset, and recommends design principles to tailor polyvocality-enhancing VR applications.

Ikigai and saudade, cultural meanings lived through the body

This study examines culture-specific emotions as embodied experience. Culturally based emotions are often linguistically and conceptually unique to particular groups, which may pose translation challenges. Despite most studies focusing on linguistic and cognitive aspects of emotions, this article posits that embodiment also plays a role in understanding culture-specific emotions. We examine two cultural concepts, saudade from Portuguese-speaking cultures and ikigai from the Japanese culture, and how they can be part of an embodied experience within each culture. This study sheds light on the idea that although these concepts mean different things for people in their cultural context, the manner in which saudade and ikigai is articulated is indeed an embodied experience, a body and mind relationship and, source of body knowledge.

About Lexicon, Stylistics, and Semantics of Water in the Novel Most by Jasmina Musabegović

The main subject of this paper is the lexical-semantic classification of water-related lexicon in the novel Most (Bridge) by Jasmina Musabegović. We will explain the stylistic expressiveness of selected water-related lexemes, as well as the way the author constructs her identity and the identities of her characters through the conceptualization of the experience of water. The water lexics are analysed as dominant in relation to other types of words and classified into eleven lexical-semantic fields. Total of 79 water nouns have been registered. As expected, the most common water-related lexemes are ‘voda’ and ‘most’. Three water nouns are described: voda, most and tihanj, and it is concluded that lexeme ‘water’ has an associative and symbolic role; lexeme ‘most’, as a strong position of the text, since it is also a title of the novel, represents change, a path and growing up. The nonce word tihanj has a specific cultural and linguistic meaning in the context of the novel.

Les Objets Religieux Des Immigrés Subsahariens à Casablanca : Un Usage Spirituel Et Culturel"

This article investigates the lives of Sub-Saharan immigrants in Casablanca, Morocco's economic capital, where many seek economic opportunities and safety. It explores the personal objects carried by these immigrants from their home countries, which hold significant religious and social importance and are integrated into their daily lives and ritual practices. Drawing on the works of sociologists such as Appadurai and Baudrillard, the study delves into the cultural meanings of these objects. Through ethnographic interviews, stories like those of Jean Noël, an Ivorian who values seawater for its healing and protective properties, and Amina, a Nigerian student who uses herbs to alleviate headaches, illustrate how these objects maintain a connection to their cultural and spiritual identities. Mamadou, a Senegalese trader in Casablanca, uses a silver ring engraved with "ALLAH" in his therapeutic practices, incorporating Quranic verses to soothe his clients' pain, highlighting the religious and cultural significance of these objects in their daily lives.

Shaking Hands and the Politics of Touch in Early Modern England

ABSTRACT Drawing on work in the social sciences on the handshake, this article examines the role of the handshake as a form of gestural communication and traces the changes in its relative importance in the ‘access rituals’ of early modern England. We lack a history of the handshake for early modern England. Such work as there is, is chronologically discontinuous and largely blind to the sociology of its performance. Working across the period from the later fifteenth into the eighteenth century, the article seeks to recover the chronological, spatial, social and gendered contours to the handshake. Discussing early modern understandings of the social and cultural meanings of touch and the hand, the article explores how performing a handshake could play a part in the representation, reproduction and negotiation of social and political relationships. Examining the micro-politics of shaking hands, the article offers a critical historical assessment of modern readings of the handshake as signalling friendship and social solidarity, analysing the changing significance of the ‘handshake entitlement’ as a ‘status-regulated’ gesture that helped both to enact and to challenge early modern social and political order.