Message Of Hope Research Articles

Review Essay: “It all begins with women”: Women's Resilience in Fascist Italy and War

Review Essay: “It all begins with women”: Women's Resilience in Fascist Italy and War

Hopes Woven in Smoke: Reimagining Virgil’s Aeneid in Irene Vallejo’s El silbido del arquero

This article investigates Irene Vallejo’s 2015 novel El silbido del arquero, a narrative in the Virgilian tradition mostly inspired by Book IV of the Aeneid. We show how Vallejo reinterprets Dido and Aeneas’s tragic love story by foregrounding minor characters, developing the setting, integrating popular subgenres and exploring communicative anxieties and gender issues. It is argued that patterns of dissatisfaction, self-delusion and disillusionment with human affairs ultimately collide with a message of hope voiced by the fictionalised Virgil.

THE ANTINOMY OF DEATH

This article discusses the remarkable conversation between Ernst Bloch and Theodor W. Adorno regarding the relationship between utopia and death. It unpacks the antinomy of death and analyzes the motif of an ever diminishing – and, hence, minimally theological – messianic hope in light of the no less theological trope of the restitution or redemption of all things, whose maximal effect ties a shared profound metaphysical intuition with a deeply pragmatic effect or impetus. This said, Bloch always remained a Schellingian Marxist, whereas Adorno ended up as Platonist of the non-identical. This is where their common path parts ways.

The Potential Role of Telemedicine in Early Detection of Oral Cancer: A Literature Review.

The 5-year survival rates of oral cancer have not improved significantly since many decades. It is believed that “diagnostic delay” plays a critical role in determining the prognostic outcomes. At present, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to drastic changes within a short period of time and has resulted in many serious consequences at different levels worldwide. Although it is evident that COVID-19 is a major concern when it comes to people's health, it carries with it a message of hope, a desire to survive, and an opportunity to address many unprecedented challenges. This has left the doors wide open to use “telemedicine” as an essential tool to counter the rapid shift in health-care services and to meet the high demands in different health specialties including oral medicine. The aim of this review is to explore the potential roles of telemedicine in early detection of oral cancer and to highlight both the benefits and the limitations of the available applications and technologies. The clinical applications of telemedicine show a great potential in early detection of oral cancer, but the evidence of their effectiveness is still not conclusive. This needs to be investigated, especially in the developing countries where “telemedicine” may prove to be highly valuable in the future.

Messianic hopes at the moral carnival – The [rhetorical] question of advocating for the humanities, for now

Why must the humanities be defended? What is to be said in their name? This inquiry does not seek to make a case for the humanities. It is rather concerned with what happens in contemporary advocacy that contends for the value of the humanities, the myriad arguments that take on the responsibility of speaking for the humanities and expressing the good for which the humanities are thought responsible. In all of this work, in so many efforts to argue the humanities, what remains uncomprehended, and indeed what is regularly set aside as simply incomprehensible, is the work of rhetorical-argument itself, the contingent conditions, dynamics and power of a response, the response-ability on which a comprehension of the humanities may yet depend.

“God without Sovereignty” and “Sacred Anarchy” of the Kingdom: Weak Theology as a Theo-political Project

The paper is devoted to the political dimensions of John Caputo’s “weak theology”. We analyze his understanding of the weakness of God and trace the evolution of his theo-poetics as an adequate method of theological hermeneutics. We argue that in Caputo’s early works, theo-poetics is based on the Kantian reading of Derrida; this means the opposition between faith and knowledge, and emphasizing the undecidability. The political implications of a theology which is focused on the “God to come” are linked to messianic hope, and the promise of an event of justice. At the same time, justice is not interpreted as a thing that exists in the present or foreseeable future. Caputo proclaims the non-programmable future of event: justice “to come”, democracy “to come”, or hospitality “to come”. In later works, Caputo turns to Hegelian theo-poetics based on the concept of Vorstellung. It focuses on the world-life and the event of poieisis. The ontological aspects of the new mode of theological thinking are characterized through the transition from God’s existence to insistence. We analyze the concept of the Kingdom of God as “sacred anarchy”, and indicate that this Kingdom establishes the order that is opposed to hierarchical logic. The interpretation of the Kingdom of God based on the radical theology of the cross characterized as the deconstruction of the metaphysics of power, the mythology of the higher heavenly powers, and the politics of sovereignty. The ethical and political implications of the concept “Kingdom of God” are analyzed as a pragmatic and prophetic transformation of the world. We argue that the theo-poetics of the sacred anarchic Kingdom is a way of thinking on the hyper-reality of the impossible in the real world. The “politics of the cross” that is presented in the last works of Caputo can thus be characterized as a project of actualization and materialization, that is, the material embodiment of God in the world.

『구르브 연락 없다』에서 나타나는 모순적인 세상의 구현 양상

This work satirizes the contradictions of human society with pleasant laughter while solidifying the parody by introducing an alien, the cultural code of science fiction, as the main character, along with an observation log that seems to have been seen before. Although most of Mendoza''s novels are set in Barcelona and have a critical attitude towards Barcelona''s urbanization and Spanish society. But Barcelona, ahead of the 1992 Olympics, which is depicted in Sin noticias de Gurb, has been described as a charming city that has allowed aliens to settle despite its many inconveniences and social contradictions. This can be read as a positive change in Mendoza''s perspective on Barcelona and Spanish society, as well as a message of hope for Spain and Barcelona, which had entered an era of complete democracy after the dark Franco era and chaotic democratic transition. Looking at human society without prejudice through the eyes of a stranger called an alien, Sin noticias de Gurb pleasantly shows erratic events, exaggerated actions, many parodies and satires on society, and perhaps I think this is a novel that embodies a much more effective way to look into the contradiction of our society rather than a sharp direct criticism.

Sur-Sangam and Punjabi Zabur (Psalms 24:7–10): Messianic and Missiological Perspectives in the Indian Subcontinent

How does the local raga-based music setting of Psalm 24:7–10 become associated with Christian identity in an Islamic context? How does Psalm 24 strengthen the faith of the marginalized church and broaden messianic hope? In what ways does Psalm 24:7–10 equip local Christians for missional engagement? This paper focuses on the convergence of the local raga-based musical concept of sur-sangam and the revealed text of Punjabi Psalms/Zabur 24:7–10. It argues that while poetic translated text in Punjabi vernacular remains a vital component of theological pedagogy, local music expresses the emotional voice that (re)assures of the messianic hope and mandates missional engagement in Pakistan. Throughout the convergence, musical, messianic, and missional perspectives are transformed to a local phenomenon and its practice is perceived in a cross-cultural connection. Furthermore, examining the text and tune of Punjabi Zabur (Psalms) 24:7–10 in the Indo-Pak context may stretch the spectrum of religious repertoire in the contemporary intercultural world.

The State Awaking Or Stealing?

The 2020 parliamentary elections in Croatia were held in an atmosphere marked by fear and anxiety because of negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, and riddled with other unresolved socio-economic and political issues. Therefore, choosing appropriate political slogans that would reflect positive messages of hope, encouragement, and safety to the Croatian people seemed of utmost importance. This paper identifies and discusses political discourse strategies behind the creation of selected billboard slogans used in the pre-election period by different political parties and platforms. Taking into account the results of the elections, the research focuses on the negative reactions to the content of the slogans in the Croatian public space. For this purpose, a corpus of readers’ online comments was built and subjected to a computer sentiment analysis. The results show that the majority of citizens in the research sample created negative mental images of political agents and the policies they promote. Further investigation of the reasons for the negative perception and evaluation revealed that the politico-historical and situational contexts play a significant role in shaping the public opinion, specifically in times of crises and threats to public health and wellbeing.

African Perspectives of Gender and Sex in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s Trilogy

The notions of what is male and what is female are cultural conceptions into which all human beings are placed. These conceptions form a sex-gender view in African culture. This study examines the concept of gender and sex in Akachi Ezeigbo’s trilogy using survey method. It was discovered among other things that Ezeigbo is using these literary texts as a medium to seek for the end of oppression of women in the world outside the texts. This work analyzed issues in Akachi Ezeigbo’s trilogy from a female point of view as Njoku (2004:277) asserts, “Feminist criticism engages issues from the female point of view which reflects the changing nature of society and highlights the protest of a marginalized group (women)”. Akachi Ezeigbo's trilogy is therefore seen as a message of hope to all oppressed women in Africa; that women are already in the ascent and that total liberation is possible and at the threshold. The “benign way” to survive being the pathway of sound education and economic empowerment of women. These will help to facilitate the “coming salvation.

Resurrection and Hope as the Content of the Chants of Proprium missae pro defunctis and Ordo Exsequiarum after the Second Vatican Council in the Polish Language

The present article examines the theme of chant used during the funeral service. First, the history of the burial of the dead in the first civilizations is presented. Next, the method of burying the dead and the course of the funeral liturgy in Christianity are shown. The large part of historical description includes analysis of the music that accompanied the deceased on the last journey. Subsequently, using the method of text analysis, the author proved a deficiency of liturgical songs that would contain the message of resurrection and hope.

Hope, Messiah and troubles of messianic futures in Iran: exploring martyrdom and politics of hope amongst the Iranian revolutionary youth

ABSTRACT Hope for a messianic future and the Messiah’s return emerge from everyday life negotiations of some Iranians within the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic Republic has co-opted the religion, messianic hope and the Messiah to build a mode of religious governance and to maintain pro-regime families and the revolutionary youth. I will demonstrate politics of hope in Iran and argue that subscribing to the messianic hope by pro-regime families may appear as a religious expression of futurity or compliance with the Islamic Republic at first glance. However, messianic hope is a mode of world-making to endure militancy, militarization of everyday life, political Islam and the pain caused by a stream of dead bodies coming from different conflict zones. This article builds on the existing debates of hope to show how the reality of ‘the future’ becomes messianic for Shia believers and how social actors carving hope amidst precarities is not an orientation towards the future but rather a mode of making-do.

Christian Advocacy Ministry on Pandemics: The Ghanaian Example on HIV/AIDS

The study is an examination of the various Christian advocacy approaches that the church in Ghana has adopted in its role in the fight against the AIDS pandemic. The study seeks to make the Ghanaian experience available for Christian advocacy ministry for other pandemics. The study as a qualitative one focused on library research. Available primary and secondary materials on the church’s participation in the AIDS pandemic were examined and analyzed. Much attention was paid to reports, addresses, study materials and policy documents on the pandemic by the World Council of Churches, Christian Council of Ghana and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. The study has observed that provision of leadership, capacity building of church leaders, education and awareness creation, the relevance of the Christian message of hope in a moment of despair and Christian advocacy ministry have made significant contributions to the Christian advocacy on the HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The study further provides insights for studies in church and society and the construction of public theology on pandemics in African Christianity. Keywords: Advocacy Ministry, Pandemics, Capacity Building, Church Leadership

A message of hope: the challenges of relationship-based practice in a time of social distancing, but why it is more important than ever to come together

ABSTRACT This article was written during June 2020, during the first Covid-19 national lockdown, with the aim of exploring fundamental changes within our profession as a result. It is written in a reflective and pensive style, with the intention of questioning how, as social workers, we can continue to work in a relationship-based way, at a time of social distancing when this has seemed impossible. This article argues that, despite ways of working having changed, it is more important than ever to strengthen human connections and relationships, despite the challenges and complexities we now face.

100 years of insulin-enormous gratitude for my extra 65 years!

My name is Peter Davies, and with this year being the one hundredth anniversary of insulin, it is a tremendous honour to be invited to write this account of my life with Diabetes.

Tourism Advertising in Times of Crisis: The Case of Spain and COVID-19

The paralysis of tourist activity during the closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes the communicative management of the crisis essential, especially for a country as reliant on tourism as Spain. The purpose of this research is to understand the values on which the communicative campaigns disseminated during and at the end of the “state of alarm” are built by applying an analysis based on those proposed by several authors focused on brand aspects, transmitters, persuasive and communicative elements, coherence, communicative objectives, and messages. The results show the existence of a national dialogue from the local and regional to the state level that aims to reinforce the image of the country and its main tourist demands while seeking to raise awareness (promise of consumption), through a message of hope, recovery, health, but also of enjoying the life associated with the tourist pleasures that Spain offers.

September 2021 Placement Ads

September 2021 Placement Ads

Hope at the Height of Covid-19 Crisis in Hendrick’s Poem: A Pragmatic Study

Though defining literariness is problematic, literary works are definitely known for making special use of language. Their main aim is to convey certain messages. In relation to pragmatics, the implied messages in literary works are shaped and interpreted by the collaborative utilization of pragmatic notions, such as relevance theory and others, by both writers and readers. Concerning poems, literary devices play a central role in the processes of their writing and interpreting. Hendrick , a priest and a poet, has had a message of hope to convey by a piece of literature, his “lockdown” poem. The intended message for him is to give hope on the current issue of COVID-19. COVID-19 is one of the highly effective global disasters of the age. It has made people depressed and hopeless. For its unprecedented fame and influence on people, the poem is chosen for investigation. Also, though it is possible that readers generally may fail in interpreting literary works, it seems that people could reach the intentions of the poet successfully and, thus, react deeply to it. The study, therefore, aims at showing the poetic effect of Hendrick’s poem and how the audience could reach the intended meaning. It investigates how the pragmatic theory of relevance contributes in shaping messages and directing people to grasp them. The study also tries to raise the awareness of people on the different literary devices that convey implied meaning and contribute in guiding readers to grasp the optimal relevant interpretation of literary works.

Heralds at the Bells: Messages of Hope from West Balkan Bards During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Between March and May of 2020, a number of guslars (bards) and other traditional singers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia flooded YouTube with songs about the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the musicians chose divergent vantage points from which to approach the topic of the pandemic, all settled on a similar goal. They sought to deliver a message of solidarity and hope to those struggling with the realities of life under lockdown measures and to allay the fears and uncertainties that spread with the virus. This article provides a critical overview of the guslars’ songs to explore their shared and divergent tropes, themes, and tones, and to highlight the goals of their singers in disseminating their messages in traditional form. Here I comment on what the high degree of convergence in the songs’ final messages reveals about vernacular responses to the pandemic and folk views on the measures taken to halt the virus’s spread. Finally, the article places these songs into a wider historical context of contemporary singing to the gusle, remarking on the vagaries of navigating authority when one sings subjective opinion in the name of a collective.

Visual representation of COVID-19 in Children‘s Literature: A Semiotic Analysis

The massive spread of Coronavirus has badly affected the entire globe and lives of the people irrespective of age or gender. Children in this regard are no exemption. They are affected not only physically but also emotionally and mentally due to the virus and quarantine period. This study aims to provide a semiotic analysis of the visual representations of Covid-19 in the children’s book covers selected on a global level. These covers are new emerging literature and serve to narrate a global discourse related to COVID-19. The researchers have followed the qualitative approach and the data have been collected using purposive sampling technique to provide a holistic interpretation of the selected covers. Framework, selected for the study, is ‘Semiotic Analysis’ by Kress and van Leeuwen (2006). The findings revealed that the participants’ actions and overall circumstances in these covers are highly meaningful. The action narrative and colorful illustrations aim to motivate the young audience in a positive manner. Furthermore, they communicate a message of hope and urge them to fight against the virus. The visuals in these covers are therefore quite significant in their meanings and interpretations.