Mythological Structure Research Articles

Ancient Mythology in “La Princesse Maleine” by Maurice Maeterlinck: Intertextual Analysis

The article is devoted to the reconstitution of the mythological worldview of the well-known European Symbolist writer Maurice Maeterlinck based on his famous drama ‘Princess Maleine’ that made a great impact on the development of the ‘new drama’ in the end of the 19th century. This analysis is performed in the context of the study of the symbolist semiotic system in French-speaking tradition. The lingua-poetic and mythopoeic intertextual analysis done, we have found that the mythological model in the play is functioning with a large system of mythological structures and semantic patterns. The locus of ‘Princess Maleine’ is marked as Hades World and its inhabitants are connoting the mythical concept BAD LUCK. Only two actors, the protagonists Maleine and Hjalmar are connoted not only by the morbid semantics but also as the correlates of the astral world. Their death in Hades makes possible the eschatological catastrophe leading to the neutralization of the killers whereas the infernal semantics is neutralized and the cosmos tends to the restoring of harmony symbolized by the coming of the new day and of the new year. Besides, the protagonists are considered to be the sacred sacrifice to change the semantics of the mythological concept BAD LUCK to the harmonized GOOD LUCK. Three mythological models are reconstructed: LIFE with positive connotation, LIFE with negative connotation and DEATH with positive connotation. The projection of the play is modeled by the movement from the positively and negatively connoted concept LIFE to the positively connoted concept DEATH that is a distinctive sign of Symbolist conception of ‘tragic optimism’ developed by Maeterlinck.

Мировоззренческий статус фэнтези: историко-философский аспект

The author examines the influence of the phenomenon of fantasy on individuals and society through the lens of its historical emergence and development. The author argues for the necessity and importance of analysing this phenomenon, as it has deep historical roots and context, and has a profound impact on contemporary individuals and society as a whole. The structure of mythology's influence on people and the transmission of culture is, according to the author, closely linked to the nature of creativity and social adaptation, as demonstrated by examples from both ancient and Norse myths. The author shows that the development and formation of fantasy as a part of culture takes place within, but is not limited to, these historical events and processes. Fantasy absorbs the rediscovered romance of the Middle Ages and the influence of the preceding genre of science fiction. The spirit of the age demands a revision of the axiological foundations of modern humanity, based on the creative functionality of past meanings. This allows for a discussion of the close connection between fantasy and the processes of individual development and solidarity, as well as the formation of the individual as a subject. The author concludes that fantasy is a new response, a consolation and a benefit rooted in myth, fairy tales and medieval romance.

Oleksandr Dovzhenko: Peculiarities of the National Myth Creation

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, its culture, its civilizational choice raises the issues of the formation and functioning of the national mythology. There are many definitions of myth, interpretations of its significance and place in the world and national history. One thing is clear: any nation forms the mythological core of its picture of the world. The heart, which serves as one of the main tools of its self-identification and self-defense against external forces. In this sense, the phenomenon of Ukrainian cinema and one of its creative leaders, Oleksandr Dovzhenko, is of a particular interest. Starting with the film Zvenyhora (1928), the artist produces mythological subjects centered on Ukraine and Ukrainians, their historical fate. Zvenyhora is the first screen myth of Ukraine. It is based on a four-part structure of historical-temporal layers presenting Ukrainians – from the most ancient epochs to the future. This myth continues already existing mythological structures developed in the poetics of the works of Taras Shevchenko and Mykola Hohol. In this way we are talking about the continuation of fundamental deep structures determining the special sacredness of the signs and symbols of the national history. During the Second World War, Dovzhenko’s myth of Ukraine has undergone a tragic transformation. The national catastrophe, the destruction of the country and its people as such seemed to be factors that made any option for the future impossible. For a certain time, apocalyptic visions become decisive for Dovzhenko’s artistic thinking. However, the desire to shape the image of the future returns the history of the Golden Age to the circle of Dovzhenko’s stories as a natural conclusion of the historical life of Ukraine and Ukrainians. The feature films Zvenyhora, Arsenal, Zemlia, сinema stories Ukraine on Fire, Chronicle of Flaming Years are, in essence, the screen embodiment of the myth of the frontier zone, where human communities of various modifications are constantly moving, different types of socio-cultural attitudes and national characters are formed. Ukrainian Cossacks are considered as the main source of them. They are distant ancestors, the memory of whom must be activated by new art.

Female archetypes in the mythological model of television news culture

This study is aimed at identifying patterns of the embodiment of the female image in the information stories of domestic and foreign TV channels. The subject of this article is a mythological model of constructing reality in modern mass media. The object is television news stories in 2017-2023, in which female archetypes are most clearly revealed. Special attention is paid to the information coverage of the foreign topic of the feminist action MeToo and the domestic criminal case of the Khachaturian sisters. The research is aimed at comparing the mythological structure of the plot with the techniques of television broadcasting and understanding the broadcast of the female image on television screens. Thus, the article puts forward a hypothesis: when covering information topics, the media uses a model of a mythological structure, and as a result, a system of archetypes that forms the viewer's opinion. This work is based on the theory of archetypes developed by the scientist K. Jung, which is visualized in the information topics of the last decade. The analysis is of scientific interest in connection with the growing feminist discourse in society, of which television is becoming one of the key broadcasters. Of particular importance is the study of the symbolization of the female image on the television screen through the concepts of C. Jung and E. Neumann, using the example of the main themes of feminist discourse in recent years. The novelty of the research lies in a new theoretical understanding of the ways in which television content affects the viewer. The main conclusions of the study are the confirmation of a scientific hypothesis: about the use of the media of a mythological structure through which a system of archetypes is broadcast, which in turn leads to a stable formation of public opinion. In addition, the author examines the mythological archetypes of communication, which represent the main ways of transmitting information in the modern world.

«НАЩАДКИ ПРОМЕТЕЯ» Д. МОРДОВЦЯ: ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПЕРЕОСМИСЛЕННЯ МОРАЛЬНО-ПСИХОЛОГІЧНИХ ДОМІНАНТ ТРАДИЦІЙНИХ ОБРАЗІВ

Background. D. Mordovets's novel "Prometheus' Descendants" has long fallen out of the attention of researchers, both literary historians and comparative scholars. This was mainly due to a complex interplay of historical and cultural factors. Several of his works were written in Russian, leading to his classification as a Russian author. No less significant was D. Mordovets's attitude to Russia then, a period marked by destroying everything "different" in the name of power. The study of D. Mordovets's works was also influenced by the level of comparative studies of the time, its purpose, and nature. The "departure from Ukrainian literature" (there was also such an opinion) also affected the study of his prose. The particular perception of D. Mordovets's works in Georgia had its reasons. Several of his novels ("The King Without a Kingdom," "Farsman and Radamis," "Iron and Blood," and "The Caucasian Captive") were connected with Georgia. Although Georgians knew and supported him, his "excessive Slavic sympathies" and "Ukrainian nationalism" did not cause much enthusiasm among the authorities, nor did Mordovets's thoughts/views on the colonial policy of tsarist Russia. At the end of the nineteenth century, Tedo Sakhokia, a Georgian writer, scholar, and public figure exiled to Siberia for his participation in the 1907 uprising, later an emigrant (he studied at the Sorbonne and lived in Paris), showed a particular interest in Mordovets's prose. These "traces" in the biographies of T. Sakhokia and D. Mordovets became significant in the future fate of both of them: they were united by Abkhazia, which Sakhokia loved to the core, and which was included in D. Mordovets's Descendants of Prometheus, the Kavkaz newspaper, where the translations were published, and Ukraine, which T. Sahokia knew well, and the image that became the "impetus" for the creation of the novel and its reflection in Georgian. Methods. The study used biographical, cultural and historical, historical and literary, and typological methods. Results. Of particular interest is the unique approach taken to "stir up" Georgian materials, specifically those related to D. Mordovets's activities and his contacts with Tedo Sakhokia and the Kavkaz newspaper. This analysis reveals how and why the legendary mythological structure retains its relevance in 'projections' on a specific historical basis and becomes consonant with the recipient literature. The author, through the lens of D. Mordovets's novel, uncovers the peculiarities of the functioning of traditional plots and images, the factors of semantic renewal, and more. Conclusions. The exploration of D. Mordovets's prose offers a fresh perspective on the forms and methods of actualizing the myth of Prometheus in a novel that resonates with the anti-imperial struggle of the Caucasus peoples. This study fundamentally alters the interpretation of the Prometheus image. 'The Descendants of Prometheus' serves as a catalyst for contemplation on the issues of traditional plots and images. It also delves into various themes of Ukrainian comparative studies, including the temporal and spatial aspects of R. Trusson.

Mythological structure of folklore plot, motives and images (based on stories about “Tepegez”, "Fathers and sons")

Mythological structure of folklore plot, motives and images (based on stories about “Tepegez”, "Fathers and sons")

Архетип мифологического героя в новостных сюжетах о пандемии Covid-19

The article explores the mythological model of reality construction that underlies television news programs on domestic and Western TV channels. Analyzing the main trends and contradictions in visual image functioning within the media over the past decade reveals the creation of symbolic reality as a means for people’s spiritual and practical orientation in everyday life. In today’s media culture, which is saturated with visual images, the interpretation of what is seen in the context of simulacra, recognizable visual codes, and strict construction models, becomes crucial. Deciphering the hidden meanings embedded in media materials forms the basis for understanding the cultural context of society. The Covid-19 pandemic, apart from being an informational event that affected numerous countries, also emerged as a factor influencing various economic and demographic processes. Within the media, this topic has developed into a self-contained narrative with its own plotline, characters, and actions, characteristic of a mythological cliché. It delves into matters of human life and death, thus tapping into the primordial fears and unexplored depths of the viewer’s consciousness. The analysis highlights that the media employ a mythological structure when constructing reality and providing information about the pandemic.

인도 서사시 전승 속 나가(nāga)의 역할에 대한 일고찰

This paper examines the role of nāgas, mythical beings with serpentine features, in the Ādi-parvan of the Mahābhārata (Mbh). In the epic period, nāgas were repositioned as semi-divine beings with typical characteristics in the Hindu pantheon, and some narratives depicted them as the subject of immense sacrifice. This paper analyzes two nāga narratives in the Mbh: the birth of the nāga race and Āstīka’s salvation of nāgas from Janamejaya's snake-sacrifice (sarpa-sattra).
 The first narrative integrates nāgas and Garuḍa, a bird-like creature, into the offsprings of Kaśyapa’s two wives, Kadrū and Vinatā. This depicts them as beings belonging to the same paternal lineage. The subsequent narratives dealing with the conflict between nāgas and Garuḍa, and Garuḍa's theft of amṛta (an elixir of immortality) are also connected to the existing independent mythical elements of the Vedas or Brāhmaṇas. These narratives are situated in a new system through their birth narratives in the epic.
 Nāgas and Garuḍa play somewhat different roles in the formation of a hierarchy of Hindu mythology centered on Viṣṇu, the supreme deity. Nāgas are depicted as menacing beings that need to be subdued, while Garuḍa attains the status of Viṣṇu's vāhana (vehicle) and establishes a predator-prey relationship with nāgas by making them his food under the grace of Indra, the king of the devas. The difference of the final blessing verses which are placed at the end of each story also indirectly reflects their mythical hierarchy or their roles.
 The second narrative, which deals with Janamejaya's snake-sacrifice and Āstīka's salvation of nāgas, is closely related to the Mbh's main plot as a frame story. In particular, Takṣaka, the king of nāgas, is one of the significant characters that acts as a link of different narratives and constitutes the core of the mythical narrative. Takṣaka's deeds and status centered on the snake sacrifice are at the intersection of two narratives: the Bhārata war and the tradition of nāgas.
 Janamejaya, who is in an antagonistic position with Takṣaka and is also one of the key characters of the frame narrative of the Mbh, performs two roles in those nāga stories. One is a descendant of the Bhārata clan and the other is a patron of the snake-sacrifice. By performing these two roles of ‘succession of Bhārata race’ and ‘eliminating threatening enemies’, he demonstrates how two independent traditions are merged in the Mbh's frame narrative. At this point, nāgas are regarded as having represented authority before the Bhārata story's appearance and, moreover, are configured as threatening enemies to be vastly sacrificed. Āstīka, on the other hand, who is configured as a savior of the nāga clan, was born between a Brahmin sage and a maiden of the nāga clan. This symbolically represents the combination of Veda and non-Veda traditions.
 In conclusion, Mbh's nāga narratives in Ādi-parvan can be cited as a good example of how independent traditions were incorporated into the epic and found their place in the mythological structure of the new system.

Metaphysical Portrait of Melitopol in the Symbolic Circle "Honey -Milk -Water"(The Problem of Symbolic Resources in Tourist Activities)

The purposeof the proposed research is to create a metaphysical portrait sketch of Melitopol in the symbolic circle "honey -milk -water" in the context of attracting symbolic resources problem in tourism.In an intensive way, and following thestrengtheningof homo viator phenomenon in the global world, research in the touristic field and philosophy of tourism are increasingly turning their attention to the "internal resource", including in this concept, in addition to natural and cultural-historical, also symbolic resource. The work uses such methods as dialectical and metaphysical, the principle of comprehensiveness of research, the general logical method, and other methods of scientific research. Tourist legend as an applied direction can become an effective marketing mechanism, as a result of which it is possible, using a symbolic resources variety and tools, to create humanitarian and social development perspectives, agreed and identified through analysis of mythological structures and conceptual shells for harmonious and effective development of these territories. In this aspect, tourism as oneof the mass culture branches will produce tourist flows directed to previously elaboratedterritorial brands.

Аналіз міфологічних структур роману-балади Валерія Шевчука “Дім на горі” в старшій школі

The issue of studying Valerii Shevchuk’s ballad novel «House on the Hill» (Dim na hori) in secondary schools is addressed through an analysis of explicit mythological structures. The relevance of this study is justified by the author’s use of syncretic mythological imagery at various levels of literary material. This aspect needs to be taken into consideration when studying the ballad novel by students in the 11th grade. Methods and approaches for analysing explicitly expressed mythological structures are proposed. Various approaches for studying the functional role of mythological imagery in comprehending the narrative content, temporal and spatial organisation, imagery system, symbolism, ideological content, themes, issues, genre, and stylistic nature of Valerii Shevchuk’s ballad novel «House on the Hill» (Dim na hori) are outlined. The methodology for narrative-mythological analysis of the work involves the identification and in-depth examination of significant episodes with mythological imagery. This includes extracting mythical inserts, legends, fragments of mythic texts, and episodes featuring key mythologemes or symbols of mythological content. The methodology also includes establishing connections between these elements, determining their semantic significance, and analysing their artistic roles. The step-by-step approach of this work is aimed at developing students’ skills in textual analysis of the literary work. The specifics of applying narrative-mythological analysis to Valerii Shevchuk's ballad novel «House on the Hill» (Dim na hori) are detailed in a specially designed lesson for 11th-grade students. The educational activities of the students focus on analysing the key mythological structure (legends about the house on the hill), the biblical parable of the prodigal son, mythologemes-symbols (house, hill, road, woman), and establishing their connections with other layers of the work. This allows for a comprehensive understanding of the literary material and helps improve skills in critical reading and analytical-synthetic work with literary texts. Keywords: literature lessons, teaching methodology of literature, mythological imagery, explicit mythological structures, narrative-mythological analysis.

论《伊维萨》的身体书写：日本创世神话的现代回响

论《伊维萨》的身体书写：日本创世神话的现代回响

VIDEOGAMES AS A SPACE FOR RECONSTRUCTING MYTHOLOGICAL STRUCTURES

The article is dedicated to the cultural-philosophical study of the video game space as a place for the reconstruction of archaic mythological structures. The study of narrative video games, which emerged in the early 1980s, represents new media that interactively transmit mythological motifs into the gaming experience. To identify and study mythological elements in video games, the methodological basis includes the works of C.G. Jung and C. Kerényi, who developed concepts of archetypes in culture. Also utilized is the concept of the monomyth by J. Campbell, which involves the realization of the hero's journey cycle initially in legends and myths, and later in narrative artistic structures. The novelty of the study is determined by the low level of research into the replication of mythological elements in the environment of new interactive media. Analyzing the universality of myth in gaming realms is part of a comprehensive approach to studying the phenomenon of video games and is an important element of the non-reductionist concept in the field of Game Studies. The relevance of the work lies in the need to comprehend the video game experience as a practice of personal living through history by the player, rather than passive contemplation. The study identified trends in constructing plots in narrative games according to the principles of the monomyth. In narrative games of the late 20th century, we find more primitive expressions of monomyth elements, often associated with technological limitations in construct implementation. Instead, video games of the past two decades reflect the monomyth in its entirety, characterized by complications and repetitions of the hero's journey stages. Equally pronounced are the reconstructions of archetypes and archetypal figures in the video game space. Thus, among the first archetypal figures in the gaming industry are the images of the hero, translated into the player's avatar, the damsel in distress - as a plot-forming element, and the gatekeeper, realized in level bosses. Modern narrative games allow for the differentiation of additional archetypes, such as the mentor, shadow, or ally. The main feature of reconstructing mythological structures in the gaming space is recognized as interactivity and the ability to experience events in a virtual world, which creates a new type of experience for the player in actively realizing universal mythological motifs through playing myths, rather than simply observing them.

COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories in Slovenia

The article discusses conspiracy theories concerned with the global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia based on material collected from the Internet and during fieldwork. Content is examined using the well-established foundations of conspiracy theories, the semiotics of the conspiracy theories, and their mythological structure. Pandemic-related conspiracy stories appear to emerge from already established conspiracy narratives, linking them to a bigger and imminent threat to the health and freedom of humanity, believed to be perpetrated by conspiring evil forces.

Особенности реализации правовой культуры современного Казахстана в контексте социальной модернизации

The article analyzes the specifics of the legal situation in modern Kazakhstan. Attention is focused on the close relationship between social modernization and the processes of transformation of legal culture. The constitutive significance of paradigmatic and structural civilizational parameters for entering a competitive existence is emphasized. The revolution that has taken place in the public life of Kazakhstan is comprehended, and the current situation is identified in a new way from the standpoint of values and meanings. The historical legal practice of Kazakhstan is an example of the fact that the human mentality, norms of behavior, habitual way of life are not transformed as quickly as the economic, political, social spheres. A painful shift is fixed, which is expressed in the decline and profanation of the sphere of scientific activity, the resurrection of superstitious ideas, the cultivation of the ideology of consumption, immoral behavior caused by ideas about the relativity of moral norms. The imperfection of the existing system of law is stated, the reason for which lies not in legal illiteracy, but in the deep layers of cultural consciousness. Practice shows that a prescribed model alien from the outside, no matter how rational and well organized it may be, will not work if it is not relevant to the cognitive scheme of the participants in social relationships. The key to understanding this cognitive scheme lies in the subconscious (even unconscious) mythological structures of the personality. It is concluded that the fruitful introduction of modern civilizational values (which in general implies modernization) can only be achieved through a thorough study of the existing mechanisms of citizens’ thinking and the development of measures appropriate to these mechanisms.

On the Mythological Prototype of Bird in a Dream of Red Mansions

At present, there are abundant researches and writings on a Dream of Red Mansions. It is also common to study the mythological structure in it. However, the imagists pay little attention to the “bird”, which is rich in connotation, and there are few works to explain it from the perspective of archetypal criticism. This paper aims to enrich the mythological structure of A Dream of Red Mansions, using archetypal criticism and mythological criticism methods, to study the formation mechanism of the god bird worship in ancient China and its influence on the collective unconsciousness of Cao Xueqin, author of A Dream of Red Mansions, and through analyzing characters such as Hsi-feng, Pao-yu, Tai-yu, and Lady Dowager, this paper confirms the existence of the god-bird worship psychology, which believes that a large number of bird images in A Dream of Red Mansions are rooted in the consciousness of Chinese ancestors, and they have unique connotations at the same time.

Against Automation Mythologies: Business Science Fiction and the Ruse of the Robots by J. Jesse Ramírez

Reviewed by: Against Automation Mythologies: Business Science Fiction and the Ruse of the Robotsby J. Jesse Ramírez Miguel Sebastián-Martín De-Automating Capitalist Automation. J. Jesse Ramírez. Against Automation Mythologies: Business Science Fiction and the Ruse of the Robots. Routledge, 2021. 116 pp. $21.95 pbk, $59.95 hc, $20.65 ebk. [End Page 191] A specter is haunting the world—the specter of imminent, impending, inevitable automation. All theorists, critics, and commentators across the political spectrum have gathered to exorcise this specter in their own ways: Silicon Valley gurus, Wiredmagazine, techno-utopian liberal theorists, and even—albeit from a distance—proponents of one form or another of so-called Fully Automated Luxury Communism. Against the common belief that full automation is imminent, impending, or at least inevitable at some point, J. Jesse Ramírez's brief monograph presents itself as a "technoclasm" and—like my previous paragraph—it is inspired and driven by the anti-capitalist impetus and the critical provocation of Marxian and Marxist thinking. Self-consciously updating Roland Barthes's mode of critique—the "semioclasm" of his classic Mythologies—Ramírez's book approaches contemporary (post-2008) automation discourses as a mythological "business sf" that mystifies the functioning of capitalism under the promise of an imminent technological singularity: "Extrapolating from the premise of capitalism's technological dynamism, today's leading prophets of automation foresee a civilization-changing redistribution of mental and manual labor through robots, artificial intelligences, and myriad other automated systems" (3). Thus, by untangling the ideological framework of automation mythologies, Ramírez—joining efforts with critics such as Aaron Benanav—shows that whether or not this transformation is welcome, and whether it is imagined as a utopia or as a dystopia, the underlying telos and the associated assumptions about contemporary technologies all fall under the same mythological structure—and it is the structure of these automation mythologies that becomes the main target of the book's "technoclasm." Dividing his book into three parts, Ramírez moves from a definition of "Business Science Fiction" in part I, to a story of "Original Automation" in part II, and finally a collection of critical analyses of "Disenchanted Objects" in part III. It must be said, although it may have already been inferred by the reader, that even though Ramírez's focus may be broadly cultural and technological—especially as it draws from a considerable variety of fields of inquiry, from academic, journalistic, and marketing materials—his book is envisioned as "most importantly … a work of science fiction studies," a work focused on what Istvan Csicsery-Ronay's The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction(2008) defined as "science-fictionality" (2). In this manner, Ramírez's definition of "business sf" will clearly resonate with other approaches that are interested in the recuperation of sf tropes, forms, and discourses by capitalist corporations. It is precisely by examining automation discourses as sf that Ramírez insists and clarifies that "the future of automation is not a fact; it is an economic science fiction seeking to create facts" (7). Singling out the works of Martin Ford, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, Jerry Kaplan, and Nicholas Carr, the first part of the book makes the argument that "Some of the most widely read and cited treatises on contemporary automation are works of business science fiction—they are just not labelled as such" (17). Ramírez's idea here is that, once we "unlock the sf side of automation discourse" (19), we may recognize how "business sf" [End Page 192]functions as a discursive attempt to foreclose futures alternative to those dictated by capitalism. A couple of details will be highly illustrative of Ramírez's propositions here. On the one hand, he interestingly proposes that "Moore's Law can be understood as thebusiness sf, the genre's ur-myth" (22), insofar as it is based on speculation and sustained by corporate make-believe. Moore's Law's function would therefore be that of naturalizing the market logic of compounding growth, thus turning a political-economic project into a seemingly unavoidable technological "evolution." On the other hand, Ramírez proposes that "business sf" also has a...

Structural features and communication potential of modern serials

Introduction. The mythological structure of the series is determined by structural, semantic and symbolic elements embedded in the communicative process; they represent a kind of filter that depends on all the formal and content components of the series, as well as the cultural field in which it functions. This allows the series to be an active translator of various messages, which, in turn, requires the active participation of the viewer in assigning contents and messages. Relevance of research. The scientific novelty consists in the analysis of the modern TV series as a communicative phenomenon in modern media culture. Based on the analysis of various sources, we tried to describe the structure and identify different communicative strategies of modern serials, a specific serial paradigm that allows satisfying all categories of viewers. The research methodology: we use interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the communication potential of modern TV series: cultural-historical, communication, structural and cultural analysis. Results and discussion. The study of TV series allows us to understand how communicative connections are recreated in the modern socio-cultural environment, what ideological tasks they can fulfill and how they influence the formation of identity. In the series, we can find certain revelations about the norms and dominant ideas of a specific cultural-historical discourse, which in their date allow us to reveal the closed elements of norming, subtexts and contexts, discrimination and inclusion, dominance and subordination, which are organically woven into the structure of the series as a product of mass culture. Conclusions and prospects. In the article, we found out that the increase in the influence and popularity of TV series as a specific cultural form of communication is related to their ability to be an effective sphere of communication space. The communication potential of serials is determined by the structural and content elements, which proved to be capable of structuring the everyday life and identity of a person. The description and analysis of the structural and content elements of the series made it possible to reveal the specific communicative potential of the modern series – to be an active translator of various messages, to form a communicative space, which, in turn, requires the active participation of the viewer in assigning contents and messages.

Populistic Rhetoric: Structures Over Senses

This article makes a comparative study of American and Polish rightist populisms and their ways of operating using structural analysis of their discourses as a main tool of examination. It aims to prove that those are indeed structural similarities that are responsible for the success of populisms in diverse environments. While examining examples of populist rhetorics and noticing the surprising efficacy of similar discourse in different political and social conditions, I expose internal structure of populism(s). I state that populism(s) is constructed mostly by and on empty signifiers. Those signifiers can then be matched in broader structures, of which the most fundamental one is the opposition: “We”—“Them”. Such mythological structures are flexible enough so that any subject or object can be inscribed into them. They are also flexible enough to transgress the borders of one domain and to transgress state borders: to “wander” around the global world.

The fundamental concepts of cultural anthropology applied in the theory and practice of the anthropological theater

This article explores the classical terms and concepts of cultural anthropology, which have found practical application in the performances, paratheatrical experiments and actions of the Polish experimental stage director Jerzy Grotowski (1933–1999) and collectives of the modern anthropological theater that continue the pursuits of Grotowski of the late XX century. The methods and terms of cultural (social) anthropology by A. van Gennep, V. Turner, M. Eliade, B. Malinowski and structural anthropology by C. Levi-Strauss give a better perspective on the specific terminological apparatus of Grotowski, unique practical discoveries of his works, and conceptual basis of theatrical anthropology as one of the paramount phenomena in the development of modern art. This article is first to discuss the problems of the emergence and formation of anthropological methodology as the framework for creating a scientific apparatus for understanding ritual-theatrical forms, as well as practical tool for artistic expression in the theatrical and paratheatrical experiments. Based on the fundamental works of the school of cultural anthropology, the author reveals the key terms of modern anthropological theater. As a result of studying the methods and approaches of cultural anthropology, the author determines the new unique technique of the modern Polish theater ensembles based not on the reconstruction of theatrical forms of the past, but rather reactualization of the mythological structures in the process of creating ritual-theatrical action.

Black Cultural Mythology

Black Cultural Mythology