National Symbols Research Articles

‘The Biggest Aspidistra in the World’

During the period known as the ‘Phoney War,’ the comedic song ‘The Biggest Aspidistra in the World’ became a significant cultural reference point in the UK, along with its singer, the renowned Gracie Fields. This was a notable achievement given the shifting public tastes within the country during a period of widespread uncertainty and transformation. However, despite the song’s wartime popularity, it has received little scholarly attention. This paper traces the rise and fall of ‘The Biggest Aspidistra’ in the UK during the Phoney War, exploring its impact through an analysis of the national symbols in its lyrics, its comedic delivery by Fields, and its collaborative musical approach. By bridging musicology and cultural history, this paper clarifies the importance of comprehensive song analysis to Second World War studies and underscores the role of humour in bolstering wartime morale.

A Comparative Study of Media Symbols from the Perspective of Visual Grammar: A Case Study of Marine Ecological Protection Posters in China and Western Countries

Social developments are bringing about changes in how we communicate and represent ideas. With the tendency of globalisation, marine ecosystems are facing threats such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change, and marine ecological protection has become a focus of attention for all countries. This paper adopts Kress and van Leeuwen’s framework of visual grammar analysis to compare and analyse the use of symbols in Chinese and Western marine ecological protection posters from the perspectives of representational meaning, interactive meaning, and compositional meaning. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of 100 Chinese posters and 100 Western posters reveal similarities and differences in symbol selection, cultural context, and compositional approach. Results show that Chinese posters tend to integrate traditional cultural elements and natural symbols to convey the concept of environmental protection in a harmonious and warm way, such as the use of ink painting style and paper-cutting art to represent marine organisms, while Western posters focus on directly displaying the hazards of marine pollution by means of strong visual contrasts and modern design elements to stimulate the audience’s sense of urgency and responsibility, such as the display of marine animals trapped by plastic rubbish. This research not only deepens the understanding of the theory of visual grammar but also provides valuable references for the design of future environmental posters, emphasising the importance of using visual symbols and communication strategies in different cultural contexts in order to convey environmental messages more effectively and to promote the development of global marine conservation.

Az állami és nemzeti jelképek büntetőjogi védelme Európában

Aim: The aim of this study is to find out whether European countries protect their state and/or national symbols at the level of criminal law, whether they punish those who desecrate state symbols and, if so, exactly which symbols are protected. The answer to this question will also help us to understand the deeper question of which European countries consider state (and national) symbols to be of such value that various types of violations of them are punishable by criminal penalties as a last resort. Methodology: In order to establish this, we compared the criminal law of all European countries in which criminal offences are covered by a criminal code that functions as a separate penal code. For methodological soundness, countries without a separate Penal Code (and thus without a cartel constitution) (such as the United Kingdom) were excluded from the analysis, but all other European countries that are geographically (or if not geographically, such as Cyprus or Armenia, then culturally) part of Europe were examined. Findings: The results of the research disproved our initial hypothesis: the comparative study showed that the vast majority of European countries, more than 70%, protect their state (or national) symbols in some way, with a small minority of countries where there is no criminal law protection for the strict infringement of symbols. Value: This is also worthy of attention in the broader context of resolving the conflict in Europe between freedom of expression as a human and constitutional right and the constitutional value of what we call "the dignity of communities": in fact, the Europe of the 21st century (including the Western countries) has not yet departed from its community foundations and not only declares at constitutional level the symbols expressing the statehood and national identity of the nation that constitutes the state, but also (for the most part) protects them under criminal law.

The Misadventures of Giuseppe Chiarini's Circus in Mexico, or a Survival Guide for Itinerant Entertainers in Turbulent Times

Press coverage of Giuseppe Chiarini's circus in Mexico during the downfall of Maximilian shows the entertainment entrepreneur adapting and altering his promotional messaging in response to a volatile political climate. That Chiarini operated a transnational enterprise at the time allows direct comparisons of the differing messaging he employed between Mexico and the United States on two controversial issues: republican versus imperial forms of government that divided Mexico and slavery that divided the United States. His politically splintered audiences in Mexico also offered differing interpretations of the import of his company's performance, and subsequently employed his circus to bolster the emergence of a national symbol. The record in Mexico suggests that the circus's methods of communication were less resistant to the application of political meaning than they were flexible in incorporating such meanings, allowing for them to attract and maintain the most diverse, and therefore largest, possible public.

Sports as an instrument of nationalism and patriotism: a systematic literature review on the role of sports in shaping national identity in various countries

This study investigates how nationalism and patriotism are reflected in sports across various countries through a systematic literature review (SLR). Sports are often used as a tool to disseminate nationalistic and patriotic values, shape national identity, and strengthen social and cultural bonds. This study identifies and analyzes relevant literature from the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases to provide a summary of current knowledge regarding the relationship between sports and nationalism/patriotism. The findings indicate that sports media plays a crucial role in propagating nationalism through the broadcasting of sports events, creating deep national narratives. Symbolism in sports also plays a role in reinforcing national identity, as seen in traditional sports in Scotland. Additionally, sports are used as a political tool to promote nationalism and political legitimacy, particularly in countries like China and South Korea, where sports heroes and naturalized players become symbols of nationalism and patriotism. The study also reveals that media shapes public perception of nationalism and patriotism through narratives that highlight athletes' achievements as a form of national sacrifice. Various theories and analytical approaches, including critical discourse analysis and necropolitical theory, are employed to understand the complex dynamics between sports and nationalism. In conclusion, sports have a multifaceted role in shaping social and cultural dynamics, as well as national identity in various countries. This research provides valuable insights for academics, policymakers, and sports practitioners in leveraging the potential of sports to promote nationalism, patriotism, and social cohesion at both national and international levels. By understanding this role, we can create a more cohesive and united society amidst increasingly complex global challenges.

The Nature of Taboo within Cultural Complexes: Theoretical and Clinical Applications.

The symbolic nature of taboo is examined as a container that differentiates developmental stages between the social values order/disorder through a ritual, liminal process of separating order as clean/blessed/safety and disorder as polluted/disassociated/risky. Unconscious/conscious taboos embody that perilous journey across margins in rites of passage and their emotional value and intensity in the form of symptomology varies cross-culturally. Two clinical cases are presented to illustrate the influence of taboo on obsessive compulsions and anorexia nervosa. Particular attention is given as to whether dirt as disorder/rubbish can be recycled at the margins between safety and risk and value redistributed to the intrapsychic and psychosocial anomalous bits and pieces that are discarded as rubbish.

Musealization of Wawel Castle 1945–61 – Royal heritage and political legitimacy in early socialist Poland

ABSTRACT This article’s aim is to analyse why Poland’s socialist authorities decided to transform Wawel Castle into a historic house museum and how they took advantage of its new role in order to bolster their political legitimacy during their rule’s initial period. My argument is that Wawel Castle’s transformation into a historic house museum was motivated by the building’s status as the ultimate national symbol and its specific geopolitical situation. Situated in Cracow, far from the capital city, it could have played only a marginal role as an official residence in Poland’s highly centralised political life. Therefore, the socialist state ventured to exploit this heritage’s symbolic potential differently. The establishment of the historic castle museum demonstrated the regime’s attachment to national heritage, serving also to adapt the castle to its socialist vision. The castle’s musealization could legitimize the regime in the eyes of non-socialists without sacrificing its ideological agenda.

Post-Salafism in Cambodia: From counterreligion to accommodation

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, Salafism among Cambodia’s Muslim minority has undergone substantial transformation. Initially, it functioned as a counterreligion, with participants claiming to hold the absolute truth and aiming to purify ‘corrupted’ Muslim practices like celebrating the Prophet’s birthday, following the shafiʿilegal school, and engaging in rituals influenced by Cham, Malay, and Khmer traditions. Recently, young Salafis have revised their attitudes, seeking cooperation and understanding with their main competitors, the shafiʿis and the Jamaʿat al-Tabligh movement. The article explores the factors that triggered these developments and examines how they are unfolding in the sociopolitical context of Cambodia’s Muslim minority. The article delves into the establishment of Salafism in Cambodia and analyses the contributing factors to its remarkable success among the country’s Muslim minority. Then, it explores the emergence of post-Salafism through a process of indigenization by presenting two ethnographic case studies. The first investigates aspirations of the young Muslim middle class and the influence of post-Salafi trends from South Thailand and Malaysia. The second examines how post-Salafism reinterprets young Muslims’ sense of belonging to Cambodia and their relationship with national symbols. The article chiefly relies on semi-structured interviews with dozens of young Cambodian Muslims conducted between 2019 and 2023.

Flags, Stamps and Coats of Arms: Symbols and the Making of Identity in Southern Rhodesia

ABSTRACT The result of the 1922 referendum saw the white settlers in Southern Rhodesia vote for ‘responsible government’ rather than become the fifth province of the Union of South Africa. Prior to the granting of responsible government in September 1923, the territory had been governed by the British South Africa Company. It was the company’s arms and flag which were first used in the territory. These remained true to the prescripts of the company’s charter by reflecting its British origins and character. This nascent settler identity would evolve and consolidate around an essentially British character which highlighted allegiance to the Crown. This article shows how these, and the set of national symbols subsequently adopted by the colony, were a visible manifestation of the settlers’ ‘exceptional attachment’ to Britain and a reflection of their identity as being primarily British rather than Rhodesian.

Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol

Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol

Symbols of a new nation: Ghanaian artists’ expression of cultural identity after independence

ABSTRACT The paper discusses the way Ghanaian visual artists Atta Kwami, Kane Kwei, and Saka Acquaye, used the art to express and narrate the cultural identity during the one decade of independence of Ghana (1957). Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country which got independence from British colonialism. Besides, the nation wanted to promote the pan-Africanist dream of a new African people. But, the country faced a colonial and traditional dilemma. The research uses the archival method and visual discourse analysis as the main methodological instrument to examine the way artists used traditional symbols from African art, like Adinkra, to modern art by mixing plural personalities. The artworks they created were empowered themselves and allowed a collective story to be told of Ghanaian culture’s recovery, self-sufficiency, and the togetherness of the country. The study shows how these artists applied art as a significant catalyst in the process of nation-building and the creation of a new culture by getting rid of the misconceptions about the negative effects of colonialism on the cultural situation. Their art forms became semiotic kits for the beginning of cultural self-organization through the coherent state of Ghana.

The Symbolization of Violence Aesthetic and Cultural Integration in One Piece: A Case Study of the Thriller Bark Chapter

Postmodernism in the 20th century gradually developed "violence" into an artistic aesthetic, and due to different understandings of "violence" in various countries, it has spawned a variety of branches. In order to disseminate its works to audiences from different cultural backgrounds, One Piece combines Japanese indigenous violence aesthetics with the violent cultures of various cultures, making it a successful example of cross-cultural communication on a global scale. To understand the process of symbolic re-encoding of Japanese native violence aesthetics and British violence aesthetics in One Piece, as well as the way in which values are integrated, this study selects the Thriller Bark Chapter (episodes 337 to 380) in One Piece as a case for analysis. The study extracts references to British culture and Japanese native culture within the text as "cultural symbols," a unit of visual analysis, and further divides them into four major categories: natural symbols, artificial symbols, character symbols, and language symbols. Statistical analysis reveals that, due to the close relationship between British horror violence culture and the development of its Gothic literature, the author has incorporated a large number of Gothic cultural symbols in the Thriller Bark Chapter. Meanwhile, the work consistently upholds the fundamental principles of Japanese native culture while also revitalizing its own cultural identity.

Criminal law protection of state symbols in the countries of Central Europe: Common features and differences

AbstractThe paper deals with criminal law protection of state and national symbols in five Central European countries. It aims at reviewing the regulation of these symbols concerning the penal law level, and compare the characteristics of the legal systems analyzed. The paper concludes that there is no significant difference in the protection of state or national symbols at the level of legal regulation between the geographically eastern and western countries of Europe. The state and national symbols (flags, coats of arms or anthems) are symbols of state identity and of the unity of citizens, whose ideological role in forming identity justifies even their protection under criminal law.

A dinâmica da experiência crente

Commemorating the 60th anniversary of Unitatis Redintegratio, a text expressing the ecumenical dimension of the entire Second Vatican Council, we propose a rereading of Paul Tillich's work, Dynamics of Faith. Although relatively unknown, this work remains inspiring and pertinent to the theme of restoring Christian unity, as well as to the ecclesial and social challenges of ecumenical dialogue and practice in the contemporary world. Firstly, we present Tillich's formal definition of faith as the "ultimate concern" of existence, aiming to embrace the constitutive aspects of the act of believing and thus allow for a greater scope and macro-ecumenical dialogue. Secondly, we highlight how Tillich defends the symbolic nature of faith before characterizing specific religious symbols. Thirdly, we show that the Lutheran theologian proposes a typology of faith, positioned between presence and becoming. Fourthly, we tackle the question of the truth of faith and its criteria. Finally, we conclude with Tillich reaffirming the experience of faith in its relation to life.

Sports Narratives and Historical Nationalism: Re-Visiting the Context and Use of Field Hockey in Chak De! India

Indian cinema is known for its dramatic narratives that celebrate emotionally elevated visual spectacles through which people from different sociocultural backgrounds come across popular domains of cultural practices, social norms and historical realities that unify them. Field hockey belongs to the popular realm of sports in India which is part of the country’s national identity. India’s participation and success in field hockey at the Olympic Games make it one of the country’s most successful international sports. Indian film narratives about field hockey help to create public discourse about how the sport has historically played a role in shaping national pride and identity in India. Hockey evokes nationalism by symbolizing historical achievements, unity, and cultural identity, inspiring pride and patriotism through the portrayal of heroes, national symbols, and emotional narratives in media and public discourse. The film Chak De! India portrays Indian hockey as a patriotic unifying national narrative and as an empowering discourse that can upend traditional gender stereotypes. It delineates that hockey not only acts as a sports game for entertainment but is an indicator of nationalistic significance and cultural identity that elevates the emotional realm of Indians through the notion of patriotism.

Floating-point photonic iterative solver demonstrated for Newton–Raphson method

Though photonic computing systems offer advantages in speed, scalability, and power consumption, they often have a limited dynamic encoding range due to low signal-to-noise ratios. Compared to digital floating-point encoding, photonic fixed-point encoding limits the precision of photonic computing when applied to scientific problems. In the case of iterative algorithms such as those commonly applied in machine learning or differential equation solvers, techniques like precision decomposition and residue iteration can be applied to increase accuracy at a greater computing cost. However, the analog nature of photonic symbols allows for modulation of both amplitude and frequency, opening the possibility of encoding both the significand and exponent of floating-point values on photonic computing systems to expand the dynamic range without expending additional energy. With appropriate schema, element-wise floating-point multiplication can be performed intrinsically through the interference of light. Herein, we present a method for configurable, signed, floating-point encoding and multiplication on a limited precision photonic primitive consisting of a directly modulated Mach–Zehnder interferometer. We demonstrate this method using Newton's method to find the Golden Ratio within ±0.11%, with six-level exponent encoding for a signed trinary digit-equivalent significand, corresponding to an effective increase of 243× in the photonic primitive's dynamic range.

Merhavy: National Symbols in Modern Iran: Identity, Ethnicity, and Collective Memory

Merhavy: National Symbols in Modern Iran: Identity, Ethnicity, and Collective Memory (Sarp Kurgan)

Heritage conservation and civilisational competition in the South Caucasus: the Blue Mosque of Yerevan and the Govhar Agha Mosque in Shusha

ABSTRACT This paper explores the role of cultural heritage in shaping competing civilisational identities amid the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. As its case studies, it focuses on the relatively recent restorations of two significant mosques, the Blue Mosque in Yerevan (capital of Armenia) and the Govhar Agha Mosque in Shusha (capital of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan), respectively. Referring to primary references in Persian, Azerbaijani, Turkish, Armenian, and Russian, the paper elaborates historical, cultural, and political narratives surrounding these edifices and their restorations. This situates heritage conservation within the South Caucasus’s intricate historical and geopolitical landscape. Within this context, the function of heritage extends beyond national cultural symbolism. Responding to a transnational dimension, heritage functions as an instrument in geopolitical manoeuvring by both Armenia and Azerbaijan and in relation to rising and influential regional powers, Iran, and Turkey. Here the distinct function of heritage is shaping civilisational identities: it projects scales beyond the nation-state and is integral to various other forms of bilateral and multilateral agreements, including military and economic. As such, disputes over these two heritage sites and others like them, echo broader geopolitical and civilisational tensions at regional scales. Thus, heritage is at once the battleground for national-territorial and civilisational claims.

A "Love" Letter to the U.S.

In this love letter, I use archival materials and the founding documents of the United States to trace my personal journey with American disillusionment. The concept of the American Dream appears throughout as a symbol of dangerous nationalism that contorts the violence upon which American society depends. Using various materials to capture my misgivings with the American Dream in the form of a love letter, I call attention to the colonial fantasies and imperial violences that make possible American nationhood, and thus start the process of grieving the idea of America that I was taught to believe in.

Analisis Isi Konten Instagram @Prabowo dalam Membangun Citra pada Pemilihan Presiden 2024

This research aims to examine how the Instagram account @prabowo developed a strong character during the presidential era using character theory. A qualitative approach involving content analysis was used to evaluate the textual and visual elements in the analyzed Instagram posts. The findings of this study indicate that the main theme of the content is "strong leadership", which is conveyed through graphic and textual components. Textual elements, such as captions, highlight Prabowo's dedication to important issues such as national development and preventing corruption. The depiction of leadership integrity is achieved through the use of firm words and expressions. Analysis of visual elements shows that the use of beige and dark brown helps convey stability and trust. Prabowo is depicted as a patriotic leader who is close to the people, shown through backgrounds that display interactions with society and national symbols. Her confident and assertive demeanor, as well as her professional yet approachable demeanor, reduces feelings of peer pressure. Effective communication strategies involve emphasizing individuality, engagement with the community, incorporation of national symbols, and the use of striking imagery. This approach succeeds in building a strong and trustworthy image. This study highlights the important role of social media in political campaigns and the need for consistent textual and visual elements to convey key messages effectively. These findings are useful for social media practice, political campaign strategy, and political communication research.