Oppositional Culture Research Articles

Sri Lankan Migrants to Australasia: From Indo to Pacific

This article examines what the geopolitical term ‘Indo-Pacific’ means for people in South Asia who have moved to Australia or New Zealand, thereby crossing multiple borders between the Indosphere and the Pacific region, which the geopolitical term ‘Indo-Pacific’ presents as linked. Seeking to understand how these migrants’ imaginations of Indo-Pacific borders are constructed, 49 interviews were conducted with Sri Lankan forced and voluntary migrants in Australia and New Zealand. The findings show that the respondents perceived these two spheres not only as territorial, physical and legal entities but also as ideological and cultural opposites affecting their own border crossing. Thus, the geostrategic concept of the Indo-Pacific appears to be mainly an artificial category used and enforced by state-centric and global geopolitical agendas. It is not a directly relevant concept underpinning manifestations of new forms of identity construction among South Asian people migrating within the Indo-Pacific region.

Doctors for the truth: Latin American antivaccine oppositional cultures on Telegram

The antivaccine hesitancy movement represents a challenge to public policy and platform regulations. During COVID-19, various Latin American antivaccine groups clashed with official sanitary initiatives. Despite many responses, little progress has been made in reaching these groups to transform their perceptions about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine. During the pandemic in Latin America, the antivaccine network Médicos por la Verdad (Doctors for the Truth) gained prominence in various countries. Finding itself limited by legal and technical restrictions, this network used alternative media such as Telegram to disseminate messages. This study argues that such groups may be considered an antivaccination culture that opposes government measures. This focus emphasizes narrative construction and allows us to understand the phenomenon from the collective meaning-making perspective. This study analyzed 232,638 Telegram messages from 14 public channels associated with the Médicos por la Verdad network. Our findings indicate that this antivaccine network builds an oppositional culture expressed and reinforced through multimodal, trans-media, fragmented narratives and suspends disbelief that constructs a world where the community enacts a truth pact. These narrative methods foster building a resilient network of oppositional cultures, decreasing the effectiveness of policies. We conclude that research beyond the framework of misinformation and the analysis of conventional platforms is needed to understand the antivaccine oppositional cultures.

AN ECO-CRITICAL APPROACH TO HEMINGWAY'S A FAREWELL TO ARMS: A STUDY OF CULTURE-NATURE NATURE DICHOTOMY

: Drawing upon the culture/nature dichotomy as the basic analytical framework of ecocriticism, and by employing a descriptive-analytical method, this research investigates the consequences of anthropocentric warfare on the natural world, and its impact on the man-nature relationship within the narrative of A Farewell to Arms. It further explores the evolution of the hero-narrator's attitude, demonstrating his growing detachment from the culture of war towards a profound connection to the natural world. Henry's ultimate escape, with his beloved, from war-torn Italy to the sanctuary of Switzerland represents the physical embodiment of his ecological transformation. The binary opposition of nature and culture is also employed to gauge the characters' alignment with their inner nature versus their attachment to cultural codes. The author artfully challenges the culture of war that often justifies violence and expansionism in the name of patriotism and 'holy defense'. He suggests that the world should bid farewell to war and embrace the natural world, cultivating the seeds of love within the realm of human nature. Keywords: Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, eco-criticism, culture/nature dichotomy, ecological baptism

Do not ask, do not tell: The dark path of sexual and reproductive health education in Indonesia

Indonesia is currently facing a state of emergency due to a lack of sexual and reproductive health education, which is essential for enhancing public health outcomes, especially among youth. At the global level, the implementation of sexual and reproductive health education faces challenges. Insufficient resources, a shortage of qualified educators, and cultural opposition limit access to sexual and reproductive health education. Traditional communities may also resist such education, fearing that engaging adolescents in discussions about sexual issues could promote sexual engagement, which in turn leads to high rates of sexual violence. The data from the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection reported 18,018 school-level reports of sexual violence, with 9,781 incidents involving sexual violence. This study focuses on the SRH education in Bekasi, Indonesia, a city with the highest incidence of sexual violence in schools. By using mixed research methods, the research reveals that the current education in Indonesia is inadequate, with a focus on biological aspects of sexual health and a lack of practical information on sexual health, relationships, and reproductive rights. The curriculum also neglects the emotional, social, and psychological dimensions of sexuality, leading to a lack of understanding of sexual development and increase the number of sexual violence among students. Furthermore, the SRH education also influenced by cultural, religious, and social factors. The country's Muslim-majority population often views sexuality as taboo, limiting open discussions on issues like sex, reproduction, and relationships. Parents often feel uncomfortable or unsure about starting conversations about reproductive health with their teenagers, leading to a knowledge gap and increased risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. The absence of standardized guidelines also contribute to the complexity of SRH education. Addressing these challenges is crucial to empowering young individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. However, overcoming these challenges is essential to ensure the health and well-being of Indonesian students.

Образ России и США в политических памфлетах: культурологический аспект

This article addresses the issue of constructing images of two countries – Russia and America – in a work of the pamphlet genre. The author of the article gives a historical reference to the origin of the pamphlet genre in Russia, particularly focusing on the works of A. Radishchev and M. Gorky. Based on the definitions of literary scholars, the novel “Gene Greene – the Untouchable” can be classified as a political pamphlet. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the book embodies profound philosophical meaning and a moral imperative. Particular attention is paid to the motive of the road, as well as the important cultural opposition “the Self and the Other”, which makes it possible to recreate the images of Russia and the USA of the 1960–70s of the 20th century. The image of the city occupies a large place in the novel, since it is the heroes’ perception of the urban space that allows them to better understand their inner world. The article also analyzes the mechanisms of creating and debunking stereotypes as a means of manipulating public consciousness, as illustrated in the novel. As a result, it is concluded that the work raises important social, ideological and moral issues, the understanding of which allows us to better understand the problems of our time.

Mechanomemory of pulmonary fibroblasts demonstrates reversibility of transcriptomics and contraction phenotypes

Fibroblasts are cells responsible for producing extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which provides physical support for organs. Although these mesenchymal cells are responsive to mechanical cues in their environment, the permanence of these mechanophenotypes is not well defined. We investigated the mechanomemory of lung fibroblasts and determined how switching culture conditions modulate cell responses and function. Primary murine lung fibroblasts were isolated and cultured on 2D tissue culture plates or within 3D collagen hydrogels and were then passaged within the same or opposite culture condition to assess changes in gene expression, protein production, fibroblast subpopulation, contractile behavior, and traction forces. Compared to fibroblasts isolated on 2D tissue culture plates, fibroblasts within 3D hydrogels exhibited a decreased activation phenotype including reduced contraction profiles, diminished cell traction forces and decreased αSMA gene expression. Cells initially isolated via 2D culture and then cultured in 3D hydrogels exhibited a reversal in activation phenotype as measured by gene expression and contraction profiles. Bulk RNAseq identified groups of genes that exhibit reversible and non-reversable expression patterns. Overall, these findings indicate that lung fibroblasts have a mechanical memory that is altered by culture condition and can be reversible through precondition of cells within a softer 3D microenvironment.

Transforming policing in Ghana through technology: a focus on police operations in the Greater Accra region

Integrating technology into policing has the potential to greatly improve the effectiveness, transparency, and community participation of law enforcement agencies. This study examines the profound influence of technology on the Ghana Police Service, with a specific emphasis on the Greater Accra Region. The main aim of this research is to examine how technological advancements might enhance police results and tackle existing difficulties in the context of law enforcement in Ghana. The study adopts a qualitative research approach and collects data from police officers and community members through the use of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The investigation involved the participation of a combined total of twenty-six police officials from the Tema and Accra Regional Headquarters, as well as twenty-two community members. The data gathering procedure sought to gather a wide range of viewpoints on the present condition of technology in law enforcement, its advantages, difficulties, and prospects for future advancement. The results demonstrate that the utilisation of technology, such as mobile data terminals and social media platforms, can greatly improve the effectiveness of police operations, promote community involvement, and increase transparency. Nevertheless, the presence of obstacles such as insufficient infrastructure, cultural opposition, and the necessity for extensive training were also acknowledged. The research enhances the current knowledge by presenting empirical evidence on the benefits and constraints of technology in law enforcement, particularly in the setting of Ghana. This study emphasises the significance of making strategic investments in technology infrastructure and training, as well as the necessity of establishing legal frameworks to tackle ethical and privacy concerns. Additionally, it proposes that future studies should prioritise examining the enduring viability of technological advancements in law enforcement and investigating their effects in various geographical areas. The study suggests that politicians and law enforcement organisations should promote the deployment of technology in a way that is successful and build public trust in the Ghana Police Service.

Representations of Dissent against Communism in Romania: Anti-Communist Heroes, “Prison Saints,” and (Extra)Ordinary Citizens

This article discusses the uses and functions of visual representations in the articulation of a comprehensive memory of dissent against the Communist regime in Romania. Through qualitative research using the interdisciplinary study of the art and politics of memory, the study answers the question of how artistic renditions of the past differ from official discourse on dissent and how these representations are used politically. This article argues that these artistic representations enrich the understanding of dissent against the Romanian Communist regime and thus play a political role in consolidating a missing or limited memorialization of diverse forms of opposition to the Communist regime, thus disrupting the narrative of perfect control. Artistic discourses about the Communist past include at least three types of portraits of dissenters: (1) anti-Communist heroes who participated in the armed resistance of the 1940s and 1950s; (2) Communist prisoners who are recalled either as victims or “prison saints”; and (3) (extra)ordinary citizens who had nonconforming ideas either through their political activity or through their cultural choices. The latter are recalled as participating in workers’ strikes, as exercising a form of personal opposition through their refusal to comply with the regime’s natalist policies (dissenting women), or as taking part in broader cultural opposition forms, such as watching Western films on videocassettes. These artistic discourses vary from heroization to politicization, serve to build legitimacy for the democratic regime, explain how dissent had a role in the change of regime, and accentuate individuals’ agency.

Japanese Gardens: Time of Letting – Time of Growth

Abstract From a transcultural stance the contribution explores an access to the problem of nature and time which relies on our embodied experience of our environment. By means of a phenomenological investigation into distinctive features of Japanese gardens, such as rocks and trees, the specific temporalities incorporated in these elements become elucidated. The intention is to invalidate the Eurocentric opposition of nature and culture, as the “natural” environment grows together with “cultural” activities, and cannot be separated from human engagement, in the case of Japanese gardening. There “nature” cannot become objectified or conceptually determined. It can only be disclosed by our bodily getting involved in an environment, encompassing a peculiar way of “becoming time”. This mode of temporalization exhibits significant similarities with Martin Heidegger’s Gelassenheit. Therefore, time and nature in a Japanese garden both request and set forth, a specific existential attitude towards our life environment.

TECHNOLOGY AS A MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC CREATION: THE CASE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

In recent decades, artists have lost interest in the search for new solutions. In the celebration of traditional techné, and in pursuit of means of expression, they have turned to extreme areas of human activity or to the field of science and new technologies. The latest gene-editing technologies open up new challenges for art and force a rethinking of the interpretation of projects, artefacts, performances, and installations by artists focused on biotechnology. This is especially due to the fact that, for the time being, art criticism is in thrall to a posthuman discourse (grounded in theories of postmodernism) that at various levels focuses on the nature– culture opposition, primarily delimiting the biological aspects of humans to the interspecies social relationships of human and non-human beings. Because of this, artists and critics lack appropriate philosophical concepts to develop interpretive frameworks for art that reach into the realm of empirical investigations of human nature. Transhumanist discourse seems to offer a solution of sorts. Although still evolving and facing ethical critiques, it provides a more appropriate (emulative) framework for some contemporary artistic activities than the existing posthuman discourse.

Re-print of: Contextualizing oppositional cultures: A multilevel network analysis of status orders in schools

Different lines of research have argued that specific groups, such as boys or ethnic minorities, are more prone to develop an anti-school culture than others, leading to group differences in the social acceptance of high performers. Taking an ecological view, we ask to what extent the school context promotes or prevents the emergence of group-specific oppositional cultures. Theoretically, we argue that group-based oppositional cultures become more likely in schools with low socio-economic resources and in schools where socio-economic differences align with demographic attributes. We test our hypotheses based on data from a large-scale, four-wave network panel survey among more than 4000 students in Germany. Applying stochastic actor-oriented models for the coevolution of networks and behavior, we find that group-based oppositional cultures in which students like high performers less are very rare. However, in line with theoretical expectations, the less resourceful a school is, the more boys tend to evaluate high-performing peers less positively than girls do. Moreover, the more ethnic minority boys are socioeconomically disdvantaged in a school, the more they tend to evaluate high performers less positively than majority boys do.

Russian women, Ukraine war, and (Neglected) writing on the wall: From the (Im)possibility of world traveling to failing feminist alliances

ABSTRACT We argue that the Russian feminist and resistance groups, Pussy Riot, Feminist Antiwar Resistance, and Les Pleureuses, operate and should be acknowledged as agents of social change, and leaders of cultural opposition during the current Russia-Ukraine war. We establish Second World Feminism and Russian feminism as its cultural product in this essay. We argue how, in the years preceding the war, Pussy Riot repeatedly protested the totalitarian grip of the Russian state, its corruption, and the concretion of the Russian Orthodox Church and the state in creating conditions of female obedience and oppression. Further, we analyze the emergence and the ongoing activism of the anti-war resistance movement, FAR and its branch Les Pleureuses, in their fight against war, patriarchy, authoritarianism, and militarism. We illustrate how and why Russian feminists/resistance groups became agents of dissent, and can become torchbearers of peace. We examine the collectives’ potential contribution to and compatibility with transnational feminist alliances and make a case for including both Russian and Second World Feminisms as meaningful and impactful perspectives within the framework of transnational feminism.

Jakša Kušan’s Forgotten Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Croatia

Croatian journalist and writer Jakša Kušan (1931–2019) was one of the most prominent Croatian émigré dissidents. By editing and publishing the non-partisan magazine Nova Hrvatska (New Croatia), he tried to inform the global public about the suppression of human rights and civil liberties in socialist Yugoslavia, even under constant threat of being attacked by the Yugoslav secret police. After the fall of communism, he returned to Croatia and continued his work in the media and the civil sector for a brief time. In this article, I offer an overview of the most relevant of Kušan’s oppositional activities during the period of communist rule in Croatia and Yugoslavia and consider the roles and impact of his activities. I also venture some explanation as to why his life and work have mostly been forgotten in today’s Croatia. One possible answer to this question could be his complex relationships with the Croatian dissidents who won the first multiparty elections in Croatia in 1990. My discussion is based on the findings of the COURAGE project (Cultural Opposition – Understanding the Cultural Heritage of Dissent in the Former Socialist Countries), oral history sources, and archival documents of the Yugoslav secret police.

Axiological basis of interaction between church law and culture: A theoretical approach

The article examines the axiological foundation of interaction between church law and culture, highlight problems concerning the criteria of correlation between church law and culture, a large number of approaches to definition of these terms, comparison methodology. Possible variants of the relationship between church law and culture are identified, such as: the opposition of church law and culture; church law as part of culture; church law includes culture as a social context of churchlegal issues; church law and culture are considered together. The problem of the correlation of ecclesiastical and canonical law is outlined, which will help to avoid terminological confusion and highlight the essential characteristics of ecclesiastical law. Operational definitions of “culture” and “church law” concepts are given. Using a legal approach, it is established that the relationship between church law and culture is realized through the category of legal regulation. A theoretical approach to the study of interaction between church law and culture through the prism of cultural heritage of the church is proposed, while the term “cultural heritage of the church” is interpreted and typologized by the author, in particular, it is proposed to distinguish material and spiritual cultural values of the church. The formation of the cultural values of the church has its own evolution, the subject of church law includes issues of preservation and use of the cultural values of the church (the cultural heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church). With the help of the norms of church law, the mechanism for solving issues of preserving and using the cultural values of the church is outlined.

Kultura opozycyjna. Między jurodiwymi a instytucjonalizacją

The aim of this text is to create a conceptual apparatus (a categorial grid) that would make it possible to explain all possible manifestations of oppositional culture in autocratic regimes. I distinguish two basic understandings of oppositional culture: social and domain-specific. The first is the totality of disapproval attitudes towards an autocratic political regime. The latter includes all manifestations of artistic creativity that are critical of the existing political regime. I distinguish three basic typologies of opposition cultures in the latter sense due to the following criteria: organizational shape, place of artistic expression and levels of negation of a given regime. The first typology concerning the organizational shape allows for the differentiation of opposition culture entities due to their numbers and the strength of social bonds created while performing this social role. The second typology makes it possible to define the space of freedom for the subjects of the opposition culture, and the third one – the level of refutation of a given political system.

Re‐Examining Collective Religious Violence at Rajneeshpuram: A Cultural Opposition Model Analysis

AbstractThe research literature on collective religious violence with regard to new or nontraditional religious movements (NRMs) has revealed an engaging set of arguments about the relative importance of internal versus external factors. While internal or group‐bounded factors are certainly significant, external factors and conditions are sometimes overlooked or at least not fully appreciated. This article synthesizes several models of collective religious violence highlighting external factors into a single “cultural opposition” model to reexamine the Rajneesh movement case in Oregon in the 1980s. I contend that key external incidents, particularly the bombing of the Rajneesh hotel by outsiders, serve as pivotal turning point for the dramatic advent of an armed encampment. The study then offers evidence to support the proposition that exogenous conditions of intense cultural opposition can transform the nonviolent beliefs and practices of a peaceful religious community into the endogenous conditions that Robbins identifies as “necessary” to heighten the likelihood of collective religious violence.

From Representation to Sabotage: The New Practices of Russian Antiwar Groups

AbstractSince February 24, 2022, new oppositional groups—Feminist Antiwar Resistance (FAR), Stop the Wagons, Combat Organization of Anarcho‐Communists (BOAK), the Russian Freedom Legion, and others—have emerged in Russia. Politically, they range from socialist and anarchist to nationalist or fascist, and in their visual media present a range of anonymous protest subjectivities, from the young feminist female artist to the Molotov cocktail‐throwing anarchist to the army defector. Differences notwithstanding, antiwar groups resemble one another in their use of anonymity and sabotage, departing from the culture of the prewar Russian opposition to Putin. The new antiwar groups seek to demonstrate the existence of a broad decentralized movement, but one that continues, rather than disrupts, historical narratives. This article pays special attention to narratives produced by “railway partisans” currently operating in Russia and Belarus, analyzing how they challenge, through tactic as well as rhetoric, their regimes’ uses of World War II history for state‐building myths. I find that antiwar activists claim that sabotage, vandalism, and other forms of material damage represent continuity—rather than break or rupture—with historic forms of grassroots resistance.

Cedric Robinson's Black Marxism and the uses of historical geography

Cedric Robinson's Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition is one of the key sources of the idea of ‘racial capitalism’ and offers an important account of the lineage of Black radical thought. It is argued here that central to Robinson's development of these ideas is the setting out of the different historical geographies of capitalism and Black people's resistance to oppression. This argument is pursued through a detailed reading of the historical geographical imagination central to Black Marxism that shows how Robinson deploys different historical geographies, and to what effect. The case is made that Robinson uses historical geographical analysis to effect shifts in ways of seeing race, capitalism and politics which work to decentre capitalism as the focus of analysis and, correspondingly, direct attention to the continuities and connections within Black political cultures of opposition to oppression. The conclusion draws out the implications of this for historical and geographical work on racial capitalism and resistance.

Dekonstruksi Ruang Domestik Dalam Film Ki & Ka

This research was conducted with the aim of deconstructing gender roles in the domestic space using a Bollywood film entitled Ki & Ka, with the binary opposition of patriarchal culture that is, deconstructing is carried out by reserving the binary opposition. This research is a type of qualitative descriptive research with the method used in analyzing the data is descriptive analysis with the theoretical perspective of Jaques Derrida's deconstruction. The results of the study show that the deconstruction in the film Ki & Ka has succeeded in making Kabir fulfill his role as the controller of domestic space in his household with Kia.
 Keywords: deconstruction, binary opotition, gender

"The babbitry of professors' humble abodes": Representation of Everyday Life of the "Positivist Father" in Memoirs of Russian Symbolism

The formation of symbolism as an artistic and worldview phenomenon took place in intellectual and cultural opposition to the tradition of Russian academic positivism. In the article positivism and symbolism are viewed as two discourses competing for influence in the Russian intellectual environment, the competition of which often took on the features of a conflict between "fathers and children". One of the ways of " battle for the authority" was the construction of the image of "father-positivist" in memoirs and diary notes by symbolists. The object of the study is the representation of the everyday culture of the conventional "father" in the memoirs of A. Beliy, G. I. Chulkov, V. Y. Brusov, N. Petrovskaya, B. M. Runt and Z. N. Gippius. The subject is those discursive mechanics, through which the representation of otherness and "othering" of such everyday life are achieved. The methodology of the work is built around the optics of the translation turn, which allows us to look at the scenes from the memoirs as "third space", where the battle of discourses unfolds at the expense of representational practices. The novelty of the research is manifested both in drawing attention to this problem and in the development of an actual methodological base. Based on the results of the analysis, the following mechanics of "othering" were identified: unification and generalization, binarity and asymmetry, giving the Other the status of timelessness and non-historicity, the use of pejorative categories, the narrative technique of double representation and concealment. The aim of the fathers "othering" was the construction of personal identity and selfhood, as well as the attempt to define oneself through the constitutive Other.