Since 2012, various television fiction products, including series and telenovelas, have been produced and broadcast both in Colombia and globally—including the Netflix series Narcos—portraying the harsh and violent final two decades of the 20th century in Colombia. These productions have been defined as memory telenovelas because the themes, characters, and events they address are recent, and most of their audiences lived through, were impacted by, or were even victims of the situations depicted in those products. To understand the perspectives and concerns regarding these messages and their impact on the social memory of the recent past, ten (n = 10) interviews and three focus groups (n = 16) were conducted, made up of key stakeholders from the industry. Key recurring themes included a consensus on the thematic relevance of these productions and the inherent contradictions in the representation of history through serialized fiction. Emphasis was also placed on the accuracy or validity of the representation versus the need to construct narrative universes around contemporary history; the legal constraints and limitations (such as copyright of stories, legal risk prevention, access to and use of archival material, etc.); and the creative responsibility of producers in the ideation and creation of audiovisual content.

This study examines how male poets Nissim Ezekiel and Susheel Kumar Sharma authentically inhabit and articulate female consciousness in selected poems, exploring Ezekiel’s “Night of the Scorpion,” “On Bellasis Road,” and “Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.” alongside Sharma’s “A Lament,” “Me, A Black Doxy,” and “Bubli Poems.” Grounded in feminist literary theory, it investigates how these poems convey women’s moral, emotional, and existential experiences while advancing the feminist ideal of equivalence. Central to this analysis is the Indian aesthetic concept of sādhāraṇīkaraṇa or madhumati-bhumika, which universalises individual emotion and fosters empathetic communion with female subjectivity, aligning philosophically with John Keats’s concept of Negative Capability, wherein the poet suspends selfhood and judgement to fully immerse in another’s consciousness (Keats 21). Through this cross-cultural lens, Ezekiel and Sharma transform intimate experiences of maternal suffering, social marginalisation, physical labour, and the pursuit of autonomy into emotionally resonant, universal narratives.

The Collaborative Action on Transmedia and Human Rights (CATHR), a 15-week hybrid educational program, empowers Venezuelan journalism students to become ethical digital communicators and human rights activists utilizing transmedia storytelling. Created to address Venezuela's humanitarian crisis, the program offers a replicable model for underprivileged settings by addressing structural violence, political unrest, and limited educational opportunities. CATHR promotes commitment to collective action by employing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), Freire's (2005) critical pedagogy, and Mezirow's (1978) transformative learning theory. Since 2019, it has involved more than 550 students in 17 iterations, creating cross-continental partnerships with universities in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), students utilize project-based learning to create journalistic serious games and Transmedia Narrative Universes (TNUs) that address issues such as inequality, corruption, and climate change. This paper addresses issues such as emotional fatigue and resource disparities, while highlighting the program's transformative impact, which includes improved journalism skills, increased intercultural sensitivity, and solutions to overcome digital disadvantages.

The Dede Korkut Tales are among the fundamental texts that should be regarded not only as literary heritage but also as historical, sociocultural, and ideological memory sites. With their multi-layered structure, these narratives provide significant insights into the value system, cultural codes, and identity construction processes of Turkish society. This study analyzes the figure of the Georgian in Dede Korkut tales from historical, cultural, and narratological perspectives, with particular attention to the contributions of the Turkmen Sahra Manuscript. The analysis focuses on three core tales — The Sacking of the House, Uruz’s Captivity, and Rescue — to demonstrate how the Georgian figure is represented and transformed. Constructed not merely as an enemy, the Georgian is portrayed as a negotiable other who reshapes cultural boundaries. Methodologically, the article combines postcolonial theory, intertextual analysis, and cultural narrative analysis to examine the role of the Georgian figure in the formation of Oghuz identity. Characters such as Şökli Melik and Başı-Açuk are interpreted not only as opponents in battle but also as agents of narrative transformation and cultural hybridization. The new variants in the Turkmen Sahra Manuscript reveal that this narrative universe is not static but continually expanding and open to transformation. The study concludes that the enemy figure in Dede Korkut Tales is not fixed but dynamically reconstructed according to historical, religious, and cultural contexts. Thus, the tales function not only as epic traditions but also as dynamic and multi-layered texts where identity, otherness, and cultural boundaries are negotiated. By analyzing the Georgian figure, the article highlights two interrelated dimensions: the projection of Turkish-Georgian relations in cultural memory and the contribution of these narratives to contemporary identity debates. The thirteenth tale is examined alongside the twelve canonical tales, demonstrating that Georgian figures and other border characters appear across the entire Dede Korkut corpus.

The article investigates how Ion Creangă's narrative universe is reconfigured in five contemporary sequels brought together in the Creangă 2.0 project (2019), analyzing the processes of rewriting and updating traditional fairy tales. The study looks at how these texts reinterpret the structure of the traditional fairy tale, through an analysis of: the evolution of characters and gender roles; historical and social influences; structural and thematic reconfigurations; symbolic valences and metaphorical registers; the relationship between the audience and the reception environment. The methodological framework combines hypertextual analysis (G. Genette) with fairy tale morphology (V. Propp) and a reading of narrative and ideological mutations in modern rewritings (J. Zipes) in order to capture recurring shifts from punitive moralizing and binary oppositions to more nuanced ethical scenarios centered on empathy, cooperation, and the renegotiation of gender roles. Anchored in narratological tools (V. Propp), (G. Genette) and narrative mutation theory (J. Zipes), the research highlights a shift from binary and authoritarian morality to a reflexive and democratic ethic centered on empathy, gender equality, and cooperation. The results reveal the intertextual dynamics between canonical texts and their contemporary rewritings, as well as the way in which they translate current sensibilities without breaking continuity with literary tradition.

ABSTRACT Anna Kornbluh’s critique of autofiction adapts two familiar objections to the realist novel: that it either naively represents reality or aspires to depict the unrepresentable. In both cases, Kornbluh argues, autofiction remains caught in an Imaginary deadlock. To challenge this account, the author reads Constance Debré’s Love Me Tender through the psychoanalytic concept of sublimation, as developed by Alenka Zupančič. Tokatlidis argues that Debré’s autofiction is not merely a device for emotional identification, as Kornbluh suggests, but a staging of sublimation. Following Zupančič the author stresses that sublimation involves an element of Imaginary lure, even though it cannot be reduced to it. This insight complicates Kornbluh’s wholesale suspicion of the Imaginary and instead underscores its vital political function. The protagonist of Love Me Tender is seduced by the lure of queerness and elevates it into a new conception of the good life. This enables her to navigate and revalue her narrative universe, imbuing it with meaning. Against the broader backdrop of politics caught between empty, post-ideological resignation and blind passion for the Real, Debré’s sublimation offers a third path.

This study explores the multidimensional nature of human resilience as portrayed in Danielle Steel’s novel Zoya, focusing on the protagonist’s psychological and sociological transformation amid historical upheaval. Employing Braun and Isaac’s (1979) tripartite model of life struggle—conflict with self, others, and the environment—and integrating Maslow’s (1970) hierarchy of needs alongside Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), the research analyzes how Zoya navigates personal trauma, intergenerational tension, and socio-political displacement. Set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and global migrations of the 20th century, Zoya’s journey from aristocratic exile to self-reliant immigrant underscores the interplay of intrinsic motivation—such as identity reconstruction and emotional autonomy—and extrinsic forces like war, poverty, and social change. Through qualitative literary analysis, the study uncovers how Zoya redefines dignity, agency, and meaning across shifting cultural landscapes. The findings suggest that Steel’s narrative transcends conventional romance, offering a compelling literary case study of adaptive resilience. By merging literary analysis with psychological and sociological theory, this article contributes to broader interdisciplinary discourses on trauma, survival, and the evolving female bildungsroman. Zoya’s evolution serves not only as a fictional reflection of resilience but also as a universal narrative of human tenacity amid crisis.

This essay offers a descriptive translation assessment of Hilary Kilpatrick’s rendition of Ghassan Kanafani’s Men in the Sun, a Palestinian literary narrative that marks the rise of what Kanafani classifies as political literature of resistance in 1963. The essay scrutinizes the translation of selected concepts imbued with sociopolitical and cultural significance, which together form an intricate network of conflicting signs that contribute to the thematic coherence of the novella. To achieve its objectives, the study synthesizes a methodological framework that draws on House and Baker’s models and concepts of translation assessment. The analysis identifies FIELD, TENOR, and MODE mismatches between the source text and the target text, which are examined with reference to their ideational, interpersonal, and textual functions respectively. By interpreting these functions in the milieu of the Palestinian Nakba, it is possible to identify how translational choices can shift the subject matter of the text, its sociopolitical critique, and narrativity. The study concludes that Kilpatrick’s translation underscores a number of mismatches that impact the complexity of sociopolitical and cultural signs inherent in Kanafani’s literary narrative, employing a set of translation strategies that produce a universally accepted text. This approach reveals conflicts and complexities of the relationship between key symbols in Men in the Sun that are essential for constructing a sociopolitical and cultural coherent body of knowledge, which is reduced in the translation in favour of a universal narrative of broader human values.

This study examines how the animated film <K-Pop Demon Hunters> embodies the structure of the “Hero’s Journey.” The Hero’s Journey, originally conceptualized by Joseph Campbell and later simplified into twelve stages by Christopher Vogler, has been widely applied in films and dramas as a universal narrative framework. In the film, the protagonist Lume is portrayed as both a K-Pop idol and a demon hunter, while also struggling with the insecurity of her demonic heritage. Through conflicts and cooperation with her teammates, she learns to embrace her identity and ultimately grows into a true hero who protects her fans and the world. The narrative of the film closely follows Vogler’s twelve stages, yet the stages of “The Road Back” and “Resurrection” are simplified or omitted. This strategy reduces narrative complexity for younger audiences while highlighting the film’s strengths in music, dance, action, and visual spectacle. Ultimately, <K-Pop Demon Hunters> illustrates a hero’s journey centered on identity, acceptance, and growth. By weaving together elements of K-Pop, traditional Korean folklore, food, and fashion, the film demonstrates the new possibilities of Korean cultural content within global animation.

The Ilongots and their oral literature play a significant role in Philippine culture and the identity of Filipinos; however, there is a dearth of documentation and critical analysis of their literature, such as their tales or dimolat. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the semiotics of the collected Ilongot folktales, or dimolat, by Laurence L. Wilson. Specifically, it sought to answer how the collected tales can be read in terms of their narrative structure and how the signs and symbols interpret the concept of the mountain, as expressed both implicitly and explicitly in the collected tales. Qualitative research employing critical analysis was used. The 22 Ilongot tales were mapped out according to the narrative functions and character roles as outlined by Vladimir Propp, Greimas's Actantial Model, and Roland Barthes's semiotic approach. Findings revealed that the tales conformed to a universal narrative structure but showed cultural specificity. Propp's character roles and Greimas's Actantial Model suggest that Ilongot stories feature the archetypal hero, helper, donor, and opponent; however, the opponents in the tales are not always individuals, but also abstract forces such as famine, fear, hunger, or death. Semiotic analysis further revealed that the concept of the mountain, as expressed in the tales, can be interpreted as a cradle of life, refuge, protection, provider, sustenance, sacred space, a site of isolation and testing, and keeper of cultural memory. The study concludes that the collected Ilongot tales serve not only as entertainment but as vessels of ancestral wisdom, moral education, and identity preservation. The mountain, both implicitly and explicitly expressed in these stories, symbolizes the Ilongot people's inseparable bond with their environment, history, and community. Future studies may employ different lenses to analyze the same collection and may also utilize the same methodology to explore other regional literatures, thereby understanding Filipino identity, preserving, and appreciating the literary pieces of their chosen ethnic group.

This article explores the evolving representation of intellectual dissidence in Romanian cinema after the fall of communism, focusing on three films: Fox: Hunter (1993), 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006), and The Case of Engineer Ursu (2023). Through a comparative analysis grounded in film theory, memory studies, and political history, the study argues that Romanian cinema has assumed a compensatory role in narrating the moral and historical dimensions of opposition to the communist regime. Drawing on frameworks from scholars such as Marc Ferro, Robert Rosenstone, and David Bordwell, the article examines how each film constructs distinct narrative universes that reflect changing public attitudes toward the recent past. The article traces a shift from the tragic solemnity of early post-revolutionary portrayals to the reflexive irony of the New Romanian Cinema and finally to the factual, justice-seeking tone of recent documentary. These aesthetic evolutions mirror Romania’s ongoing struggle with historical accountability, civic memory, and critical consciousness. By recovering the figure of the intellectual dissident, cinema emerges as both a site of ethical engagement and a space of public remembrance in a post-totalitarian society still negotiating its relationship with the past.

ABSTRACT Of the three sides of the liberal virtuous triangle, only the domestic regime-type is so empirically robust that the axiom that democracies do not wage war against each other “comes as close as anything we have to an empirical law.” There are three forms of democratic peace: monadic (democracies are more peaceful in their international relations), dyadic (democracies do not go to war with other democracies), and systemic (more democratic states make the international system more peaceful). Due to the Third Wave of democratization, the concept of democratic governance approached the level of normative universality. Yet, there remain challenges related to the robustness of the democratic project and the robustness and directional causality of the democratic peace. Furthermore, categorizations of both peace and democracy are contested, with theoretical and practical exceptionalism to the universal narrative of the democratic peace. The article concludes that just as the Third Wave of democratization was insufficient universally to achieve perpetual peace, so too the third wave of autocratization will prove insufficient universally to undermine resilience within the democratic (or polyarchic) peace project.

In any society, the most enduring and resonant elements are those cultural artifacts and practices refined and transmitted across generations. These legacies are not only preserved but continuously reinterpreted, ritualized, and embedded within everyday life. This paper presents the author’s project integrating traditional Hani music into the interpretation of Roman Lar statues, which was selected as part of the “Ten Songs for a Lar” initiative co-sponsored by Arts Council England and the Kent-Medway Museum. Through the lenses of ritual music and musical contextualization, the study explores the mechanisms of cross-cultural musical transmission and fusion. It underscores the importance of identifying shared symbolic patterns among culturally diverse artistic expressions and of presenting ethnic musical traditions in formats amenable to global dialogue. Rather than promoting cultural assimilation or dominance, meaningful cultural exchange acknowledges the impossibility of a single universal narrative. It instead advocates for the articulation of culturally situated worldviews, affirming that understanding and coexistence emerge from recognizing the legitimacy of alternative ritual and belief systems. Such recognition enables individuals to encounter themselves through the lens of the other, thereby facilitating deeper forms of cross-cultural communication.

Fairy tales are universal narratives that are seasoned with the wisdom of years and valuable resources, making them a powerful tool for teaching English as a foreign language. The article examines the usage of fairy tales alongside with performance-based assessment to facilitate language comprehension and stimulate imagination. The significance of this paper lies in demonstrating fairy tales as an interactive and culturally tool for evaluating English language proficiency. Therefore, the main objective of the article is to investigate practical application of fairy tales in English language classrooms and examine how they can be assessed in educational settings. For attaining the aim of the research, the study was conducted with first-year university students, using a set of carefully selected fairy tales as the basis for classroom activities, including storytelling sessions, interactive reading activities, role-playing, and group projects, which were assessed based on fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary use, grammatical accuracy, and creativity. Data was collected through classroom observations, post-study survey and performance-based assessments using rubrics to evaluate the effectiveness of fairy tales in English learning. The findings reveal that educators should incorporate storytelling and performance-based assessments to create a more dynamic and student-centered learning environment.

Abstract Narrative, a common practice in human life, has long been a focus of humanities research. Advances in natural language processing have enabled us to delve deeper into narrative universals based on large-scale data. This study examines the emotional modes in 1,222 adventure stories from Project Gutenberg. Emotional arcs were extracted from these books, revealing six primary modes of emotional changes. To interpret these emotional modes, we analyzed their alignment with the subjects of the corresponding stories. The findings highlight the reliability of data-driven methods in uncovering universal emotional patterns in adventure narratives. Moreover, the study demonstrates that the subjects of stories are often consistent with their emotional modes. This consistency enables us to interpret and compare these modes. Our study offers valuable insights into narrative universals by enhancing the interpretability of emotional modes.

The Monomyth Theory as the Identification of Chronotopic Motif Universality Summary This article explores Joseph Campbell’s theory of the monomyth – the “Hero’s Journey” – through a mythological and folkloristic lens, with a particular focus on the chronotopic approach in Turkic epics. The author argues that the recurrence of archetypal plots and characters across diverse literary and folkloric traditions is rooted not only in cultural interactions, but in universal structures of the human psyche. Epic texts such as The Book of Dede Korkut, Alpamish, and Maaday Kara are analyzed within the framework of the hero’s initiation journey, personal transformation, and socio-philosophical rebirth. The study draws connections between C.G. Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious and Campbell’s theory of narrative universals. The specificity of mythological chronotopes and the semantic charge of time-space coordinates are examined through the lens of M. Eliade’s and Y.M. Meletinsky’s theoretical insights. Contemporary examples from cinema demonstrate the ongoing relevance of the monomyth model as a powerful narrative structure. The article contributes to the investigation of universal codes, archetypal motifs, and narrative structures in folklore studies and cultural theory. Key words: monomyth, hero’s journey, archetype, chronotope, folklore and mythology, initiation

This paper explores the means whereby postcolonial fiction preserves a cultural heritage while rejecting the Orientalist fetishization of an “authentic” cultural essence. It does so through a close reading of Rabih Alameddine’s novel The Hakawati (2008), whose eponymous Middle Eastern storyteller embodies a non-normative relationship to culture and tradition. The novel’s focus on reinvention is rooted in the performative aspect of oral narration, central to the ḥakawātī’s craft: the latter’s traditional role as a vector of collective memory allows for cultural identity to emerge as the result of the active choice, on both the teller and the listener’s part, to partake in a shared narrative universe, irrespective of its factuality. The narrator’s own trajectory as a diasporic subject, and his ultimate decision to take on the role of family storyteller, following in his late grandfather’s footsteps, further demonstrates the adaptability of storytelling as a vessel for social cohesion, even amidst the disparity of the diaspora.

Abstract Children's literature is an essential pedagogical tool for the educational and social development of children, contributing to the formation of critical and reflective readers. Their presence at school helps to improve reading, writing, and speaking skills, as well as promoting the interpretation of the world and the construction of values. By inserting children into narrative universes, literature allows them to recognize themselves in stories, stimulate their imagination and expand their perception of reality. Historically, children's literature has evolved from narratives without a pedagogical focus to a resource that shapes behaviors and educates. In Brazil, its development was late, initially aimed at transmitting moral values, and only later gained an educational character. Today, it is understood as a central element in the formation of reading subjects and conscious citizens. The effective application of children's literature faces challenges, such as inadequate teacher training, lack of pedagogical resources and school structure. These problems make it difficult to fully explore the stories and their multiple languages. However, by integrating literature into everyday school life, respecting children's experiences, it is possible to humanize and enrich learning. In addition to books, resources such as songs, songs and games expand pedagogical possibilities, especially in different sociocultural contexts, such as in the state of Amazonas. Children's literature, when well applied, transcends traditional teaching, transforming itself into an instrument of integral education. It not only teaches literacy, but also broadens horizons, building bridges between learning and social experience. Therefore, to fully take advantage of its potential, it is necessary to prepare mediators and create pedagogical materials that value narratives as tools for learning and social transformation, consolidating the importance of literature from the early school years. Keywords: Education; Children's literature; Formation of the reader.

The evolution of digital storytelling has transformed audience engagement, particularly through the utilization of multiple media platforms. This study aims to explore how the Nussa Rara franchise has expanded its narrative universe across various platforms—YouTube, a feature film, interactive AR, and merchandise—to enhance audience experience and engagement. Using a qualitative research approach, the study analyzed content and collected audience feedback through interviews and surveys. Results indicate that each platform uniquely contributes to deepening the narrative experience, with YouTube providing accessibility, the film adding emotional depth, AR enhancing interactivity, and merchandise creating a tangible connection to the story. These findings underscore the effectiveness of integrated media strategies in building compelling transmedia narratives.

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the four-years activities of the National Committee for Working Women (1962–1966), focusing on the initiatives related to women’s welfare state, specifically reforming pensions state system. Considered as a result of women’s activism, the Committee represents an important momentum to comprehend women’s movements within political institutions in shaping and advancing female citizenship during the 1960s. It sheds also light on the experiences of working women and the activism of women’s organisations concerning pension policies, addressing the complexities of their developments beyond a (male) universal narrative. The article draws on primary and edited sources from various archives, including records from the Committee, materials from women’s organisations and unions, and parliamentary acts.