Personal Sentiments Research Articles

UKRAINIAN NATIONAL FACTOR IN GEORGE F. KENNAN’S STRATEGIC THINKING ON THE USSR

This article highlights G. Kennan’s strategic views on Ukraine, and his recommendations regarding the Ukrainian national factor in the U.S. strategy. These issues were studied against the background of Kennan's strategic thinking on the USSR, and development of “containment” strategy, mostly in 1946–1952. The conclusions emphasize that the ultimate goals of “containment” in Kennan’s interpretation were to make the USSR abandon expansionist foreign policy, and to change its concept of international relations by means short of war. He believed that the threat from the USSR existed as long as the totalitarian regime was in power, and advocated for gradual and peaceful changes in the USSR towards liberalization and modernization. He rejected the idea of its disintegration, and recognized the right to secede only for the Baltic republics. He did not recommend any policies, and did not support any activities to promote independence of Ukraine. But he did not object to the revival of national life of some peoples, including Ukrainians, and development views among them that would help change Soviet conduct. Kennan viewed the USSR as “Russia”, and believed that the U.S. should build its policy on cooperation with Russians. His personal sentiments, that is love for Russian people and Russian culture, also influenced his policy recommendations. For him, Ukrainians and Russians were too close ethnically, and their economic activities were tightly intertwined. Therefore, Ukraine's secession could cause a negative reaction and consequences for Russians. He predicted that sooner or later Russia would challenge an independent Ukraine, and Ukrainians would be forced to turn to the United States for military support. For these reasons, he viewed the future of Ukrainians in a federal union with Russians in the “new Russia”. Some Kennan's conclusions remain relevant today, and his strategic thinking on Russia and Ukraine continues to influence a significant number of U.S. political scientists and politicians.

Actualization of Axiolemmas in Political Discourse of Russia and China (New Year Addresses of V. V. Putin and Xi Jinping)

This article presents the findings of a comparative study on the values articulated in the New Year addresses of the political leaders of Russia and China. The research addresses the challenge of identifying the determinants that influence their choices within epideictic texts. An analysis of the New Year addresses delivered by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping from 2019 to 2023, approached from a linguo-axiological perspective, has highlighted the concepts of PEOPLE and GOVERNMENT, indicating the significance of themes related to the populace and representatives of authority in the political discourses of both countries. It is demonstrated that these congratulatory speeches actualize vital, political, national-cultural, moral-ethical, economic, and ecological concepts. Among these, the Russian President’s addresses place the greatest emphasis on the representation of moral-ethical concepts, while the Chinese leader’s addresses provide a more detailed presentation of political concepts. It has been revealed that in the speeches of the Chinese political leader, the concept of GOVERNMENT is verbalized through references to the country’s political party and through the expression of personal sentiments using the first-person singular pronoun. The results of this study have identified both objective and subjective factors that determine the selection of value dominants reflected in the New Year addresses of the political leaders of Russia and China.

Quality of life of individuals with serious mental illness and family caregivers

The well-being and satisfaction of individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and their family caregivers are less than desirable. Research on the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with SMI and their caregivers, including disorders other than schizophrenia, is limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the self-perception of QoL in patients with SMI and their family caregivers and the associated factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with SMI and their caregivers who completed self-assessment instruments to determine their QoL. Social support and burden in caregivers and symptomatology levels in individuals with SMI were assessed. The physical aspect of QoL in individuals with SMI was associated with employment status and symptom severity. The physical component of caregivers’ QoL was associated with kinship relationship, the presence of other family members with disabilities, social support, and age. The mental component was associated with global symptomatology and the diagnosis of major depression in individuals with SMI and caregiver burden in family members. In conclusion, these findings on correlated factors of QoL in individuals with SMI and their caregivers could be used in developing therapeutic interventions for mental health.Plain summaryA significant number of people with serious mental health problems and their families often endure poor quality of life. However, research on how these individuals truly feel about their lives is limited. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of quality of life among individuals with serious mental health issues and their family caregivers in Spain. We sought to understand the personal sentiments of these individuals and their caregivers regarding their quality of life and the factors that influence it. Our findings indicate that job status, symptoms of the illness, and family relationships play crucial roles in how these individuals view their quality of life. Additionally, caregivers' age, support they receive, and the challenges they face in their families can influence their feelings. This implies that, to enhance their lives, it is crucial to consider these factors and provide appropriate support.

Cryptocurrency Turmoil: Unraveling the Collapse of a Unified Stablecoin (USTC) through Twitter as a Passive Sensor.

This study sought to explore whether Twitter, as a passive sensor, could have foreseen the collapse of the Unified Stablecoin (USTC). In May 2022, in just a few days, the cryptocurrency went to near-zero valuation. Analyzing 244,312 tweets from 89,449 distinct accounts between April and June 2022, this study delved into the correlation between personal sentiments in tweets and the USTC market value, revealing a moderate correlation with polarity. While sentiment analysis has often been used to predict market prices, the results suggest the challenge of foreseeing sudden catastrophic events like the USTC collapse solely through sentiment analysis. The analysis uncovered unexpected global interest and noted positive sentiments during the collapse. Additionally, it identified events such as the launch of the new Terra blockchain (referred to as "Terra 2.0") that triggered positive surges. Leveraging machine learning clustering techniques, this study also identified distinct user behaviors, providing valuable insights into influential figures in the cryptocurrency space. This comprehensive analysis marks an initial step toward understanding sudden and catastrophic phenomena in the cryptocurrency market.

LANGUAGE STYLES USED IN FABRIZIO ROMANO’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

This thesis examines the types, the used and the reasons why language styles used in Fabrizio Romano on his Instagram account, using Martin Joos's theory and a qualitative descriptive method. There are five styles proposed in Joos theory. The source of data is Instagram and there were 50 captions founds as the data. Those captions in Fabrizio’s instagram were analyzed in order to classify them into their own styles. This study reveals that Fabrizio Romano uses four of five language styles in his Instagram captions: formal style (26%), casual style (40%), consulatative style (14%), and intimate style (20%). Each style has a distinct tone and communication style, with formal style indicating a formal tone and proper nouns, casual style using conversational expressions, contractions, or shortening, and consulatative style asking for advice or predictions. Intimate style conveys personal sentiments and emotions, highlighting joy and enthusiasm, and is addressed to followers based on events. The choice of language style is deliberate, with formal language maintaining professionalism and credibility, while casual and consulatative styles foster engagement and inclusivity among a diverse audience. Incorporating intimate style allows for a personal connection with followers and a sense of authenticity. Overall, these language styles work together to enhance the overall experience and success of Fabrizio Romano's Instagram account.

“I am not considered much of a polygamist”: Sarah Peterson Lund Writes to Her Missionary Husband

“I am not considered much of a polygamist”: Sarah Peterson Lund Writes to Her Missionary Husband

“A question of bank notes, cars, and houses!” Matchmaking and the Moral Economy of Love in Urban China

AbstractChinese practices of matchmaking have been controversial for over a century. Their continued transformations reveal a complex nexus of sentimental and material dimensions in the marriage-decision process at the heart of the negotiations between families and in their selections of proper candidates. This interplay between personal sentiments, concrete considerations, and the desire for success makes marriage controversial, as “love” is claimed and proclaimed at the same time. Moral debates around materialism, which have reverberated through the public sphere over the last decade, show how “love” acts as a tool of social reproduction while it also expresses sincere aspirations for an emotionally satisfying life. In comparative perspective, the complex of romantic love examined here reveals a recent, original synthesis of the tradition of parental arrangement and the political question of the place of love in modernity. The paper elucidates one of the contradictions within Chinese society today: the family remains central, but wider trends of individualization continue to unfold. A multifaceted understanding of love clarifies how it can bind families together while it also discourages others from pursuing romance.

PARTICULARITY OF ARTWORKS BY VASYL KORCHOVYI VASYL

Abstract. This article explores Vasyl Korchovyi’s artistic heritage, his unparalleled style, and notable manner of working. Vasyl Korchovyi is a Ukrainian sculptor, graduate from National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, representative of the Academic school of sculpture creation. This sculptor has not been neglected today and is an often and widely recognizable guest and/or participant of/in numerous exhibitions, art competitions, and sculpture symposiums including the latest one, the Xth Kaniv International Sculptural Symposium (September–October, 2021). Despite that, his artworks have been discussed in a quite occasional and random way in artistic articles and other kind of publications. This is the reason of why this study focuses on the major subjects and gentres used by Korchovyi for his artworks, as well as on his manner and techniques for working with stone. The studу is one of the first-ever attempts to use the art criticism approach to evaluate three sculpture works by Korchovyi: with two of them being complete and one piece still unfinished: the work from the Kaniv sculptural symposium above. First, Altar of Dionysus, an indoor sculpture, carved of sandstone, is discussed. It depicts a bacchante, a woman who holds a bowl and a grapevine, with her hair ingrown in the branches and the two goat heads that flank the composition on both sides; the attributes associated with fer­tility, sweet delight and also with wild Dionysian origin, while calm or even being asleep at the moment. Second sculptural work is the tombstone of Vasyl Korchovyi’s father, Ivan Sobko. For this reason, its design is marked with Korchovyi’s personal feelings and sentiments. The composition of the sandstone-made sculptural part of the tombstone represents an angel with outstretched wings, inscribed in the area of a trefoil cross. The openwork pattern of weaves of winding shoots with remains of leaves in some places adds depth to the background framed with smoothly polished parts of the surface, where the figure of angel is located, and carefully surround the upper part of the medallion with a photo of the deceased one; the composition that brings the feeling of a deep anguish and imminence, the painful emotions to be eventually accepted.

The inconography of Afrikaner nationalism and the Ossewa-Brandwag's 'ideal of freedom' in the South African internment camps of the Second World War

The emergency measures of the Union government under Jan Smuts had a strong impact on the Ossewa-Brandwag (OB) during the Second World War. The OB was especially targeted by the government because of its overt pro-German and anti-British stance and its active resistance against the war effort. The ideology of the movement was built upon a strong basis of Afrikaner nationalism in conjunction with National Socialism which was supposed to legitimise the movement as an alternative to party politics. OB members expressed Afrikaner nationalist sentiments which meant resistance against Britain with the goal of attaining an independent republic - the so-called "ideal of freedom". Consequently, the OB's active resistance led to high numbers of internment. This article focuses on the South African internment camps of the Second World War. The nationalist iconography reflected in the artefacts created by OB members during their internment are analysed within the broader context of Afrikaner nationalism and the ideology of the OB. The OB had a very specific brand of Afrikaner nationalism and the ideal of freedom, central to its ideology, was combined with existing Afrikaner nationalist goals and subsequently nationalist iconography manifested itself in internees' creative expressions of their own personal nationalist sentiments. The artefacts also reflect the integration of Afrikaner nationalist iconography and the OB's ideal of freedom with personal contexts of imprisonment illustrating how political myths can be reshaped to provide meaning for the present realities of contemporaries.

Sentimental Analysis using Machine Learning and Deep Learning: Performance Measurement, Challenges and Opportunities

Our regular existence has consistently been impacted with the aid of what individuals think. Thoughts and tests of others have consistently inspired our personal sentiments. Web 2.0 has caused extended action in Podcasting, Tagging, Blogging, and Social Networking. As an end result, social media web sites have emerged as one of the structures to raise consumer’s opinions and influence the way any commercial enterprise is commercialized. Sentiment analysis is the prediction of feelings in a word, sentence, or corpus of files. It is deliberate to fill in as a software to recognize the mentalities, conclusions, and feelings communicated interior a web point out. This paper reviews at the design of sentiment evaluation, mining the sizeable resources of information for evaluations. The number one goal is to provide a way for studying sentiment rating in social media platforms. Here we discuss diverse methods to perform a computational remedy of sentiments and reviews, diverse supervised or facts-driven techniques to research sentiments like Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine, and SentiWordNet technique to Sentiment Analysis. Results classify consumer’s belief through social media posts into positive, negative, and neutral.

The Sentiments of the Marginalized in Movies: A Symptom of Chinese Society

AbstractIt is not a custom in Chinese cinema to use marginalized characters and disadvantaged groups as protagonists and to pay close attention to their personal sentiments. In the last decade, however, this subject has gradually become important. Sentiment is the immediate expression of individual emotion and the focus of natural, social, and psychological ecology. This article will explore the social and economic mechanisms that underlie the sentiments of four categories of marginalized characters in Chinese films—rural women, people with serious illnesses, criminals, and daydreamers—and will shed light on a little‐known side of a rapidly developing China.

Reasons for Taking the COVID-19 Vaccine by US Social Media Users.

Political and public health leaders promoting COVID-19 vaccination should identify the most relevant criteria driving the vaccination decision. Social media is increasingly used as a source of vaccination data and as a powerful communication tool to increase vaccination. In December 2020, we performed a cross-sectional social media-based survey addressing personal sentiments toward COVID-19 vaccination in the USA. Our primary research objective is to identify socio-demographic characteristics and the reasons for the 1644 survey participants’ attitudes regarding vaccination. We present clear evidence that, contrary to the prevailing public perceptions, young audiences using social media have mostly a positive attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination (81.5%). These younger individuals want to protect their families and their relatives (96.7%); they see vaccination as an act of civic responsibility (91.9%) and express strong confidence in their healthcare providers (87.7%). Another critical factor is the younger population’s fear of personal COVID-19 infection (88.2%); moreover, the greater the number of children the participants have, the greater is their intent to get the COVID-19 vaccine. These results enable a practical public-messaging pathway to reinforce vaccination campaigns addressing the younger population.

The Figuration of Art, History and Self: Art Spiegelman’s Maus as a Palimpsest

The winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1991, Art Spiegelman’s Maus is an iconic work of world art. Seldom does one come across a work that challenges the parameters of its own creation in such a radical way. A graphic novel that is both biographical and autobiographical, history and fiction, memoir and comic art, pushing generic integrities to collapse upon themselves, Maus has deserved the critical and popular success it has garnered worldwide.
 A testimonial to the never-ending horrors of the Holocaust, Maus has popularly been read as an attempt at exorcism of the author’s demons, and perhaps with him of a race caught in the warps of history and time. As the narrator tries to tell the story of his life, through the story of his father’s experiences in Nazi Poland, he creates theriomorphic creatures to define the parameters of human existence in the sub-human dimensions of unspeakable nightmares of history. Disney’s beloved Mickey Mouse and the cat and mouse chase of children’s stories assume Kafkaesque grotesqueness in the mice, cats, pigs and sundry animals that ‘people’ this authorial world divided across religious and political affiliations. Through the passive aggressive narrative of the Oedipal struggle between the father and the son emerges the story of lives caught in the whirlpool of timespans, continents, memories and generations.
 My paper seeks to explore the complexity of the visual-autobiographical articulations of selfhood through the intersections of genre, history and language. The layers of remove that frame this novel can be understood as the constructive aesthetic of Spiegelman’s effort in illustrating and writing Maus. The ironical self-distancing of the author and characters make this work of self-writing-illustrating unique beyond the pale of mere self-reflexivity. It is not simple a book about the writing of a book that encapsulates a piece of history. It goes a step ahead to talk about identity as fraught in the process of remembering, writing, re-writing and reading. Spiegelman’s narrator Art is a mouse on account of his Jewish roots that cannot be shaken off, but assumes the mask of one, too, because the task of writing and publishing need one to make a mask out of one’s most personal sentiments. My paper further argues that the remembered history in Maus can only ever be constructed one, which complicates the understanding of the text as a testimonial/memoir/history. By exploring the visual and verbal language along with the paratextual elements of the novel, I will finally posit that Maus is a text that writes and re-writes itself across a range of selfhoods, meaning-making and search for closure that is perpetually deferred and thus unreachable.

Newspaper Coverage of Issue-based Political Statements and Campaigns in Nigeria’s Electoral Process (November 2018 – February 2019)

The electoral process in Nigeria is now more dynamic than in earlier years because of the nature of competitions among politicians. In a bid to sell candidates and woo voters, political parties engage in election campaigns during which statements are made. Campaigns ought to address issues of public importance, but in some instances the comments are mere expressions of personal sentiments. The press is not just the fourth estate of the realm but also the voice of the people to report issues for voters’ enlightenment. This paper examined newspaper coverage of issue-based political statements and campaigns in Nigeria’s 2019 electoral process. Two theoretical frameworks for the study were Agenda Setting Theory and Development Media Theory. The study was both quantitative and qualitative, covering newspaper reports from two national dailies, Vanguard and The Punch. A total of 76 editions were studied using the content analysis research design, with quoted statements buttressing the argument. The data were presented with frequency tables and analysed through simple percentages. There were 116 reports on the subject in the dailies. The paper found out that while there were coverage over some national issues like restructuring, security, corruption, economy, and electricity, the greater volume of political statements were not issue-based. There is the need for the press to pay less attention on matters that would not serve to educate voters adequately. The study recommends that the press use the editorials to canvass for issue-based comments. The study also contributed to knowledge as the seminal analysis of political statements in 2019 general elections.

Research into the Competitiveness of Scenic Areas from the Perspective of Tourists: A Case Study of the Jiuzhai Valley

ABSTRACT This paper examines empirical evidence on the causal relationship among tourists’ personalities, external stimuli, personal sentiments, and willingness to visit a tourist destination. First, we built a decision-making model, which consists of four latent constructs and four path hypotheses, based on classical conditioning, or the S-O-R (stimulus-organism-response) theory, in behavioral phycology. Then we obtained 600 valid questionnaires from tourists in the Jiuzhai Valley. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to examine the conceptual model and research hypotheses. We found that negative reports or opinions about a scenic area discourage potential tourists from going there in the future; beautiful scenery, a unique ecosystem, and unique or unusual customs at tourist destinations encourage tourists to visit; tourists often assessed the management ability of relevant organizations and the information technology functionality when making decisions to travel to a scenic area. Research on the competitiveness of scenic areas from the perspective of tourists contributes to a better understanding of the shortcomings of some scenic areas. This paper discussed some managerial implications for planning and additional development of scenic tourist destinations.

Java in Discord

In the late sixteenth century, thriving private maritime trade brought forth maritime trouble to the late Ming state. In times of rampant “Japanese” piracy and Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea, Chinese literati composed unofficial histories and vernacular fiction on China’s foreign relations. Among them, Yan Congjian 嚴從簡 wrote Shuyu zhouzi lu 殊域周咨錄 (Records of Surrounding Strange Realms) (1574), He Qiaoyuan 何喬遠 compiled Wang Xiangji 王享記 (Records of the Emperors’ Tributes) (1597–1620), Luo Yuejiong 羅曰褧 penned Xianbin lu 咸賓錄 (Records of Tributary Guests) (1597), and Luo Maodeng 羅懋登 composed a vernacular novel Sanbao taijian xiyangji tongsu yanyi 三寶太監西洋記通俗演義 (Vernacular Romance of Eunuch Sanbao’s Voyages on the Indian Ocean) (1598). This article examines how the imminent maritime realities reminded the late Ming authors of one cross-border war and two genocides in Java and Sanfoqi during Yuan and early and mid-Ming times. These transgressions that violated Chinese official tributary order became memorable and made Sino-Java relations a definite point of comparison for the late Ming maritime piracy problems. This article argues that the cultural memory of Sino-Java military and diplomatic exchange enabled the authors to lament and condemn the executed pirates Wang Zhi and Chen Zuyi. The four authors imbue their narratives with personal anxieties and nationalistic sentiments. While the historical narratives tend to moralize and idealize China’s tributary world order, the vernacular fiction paints a more realistic picture of the late Ming state by involving heterogeneous voices of the “other.” Collectively, the four narratives represent various images of the Ming Empire, revealing the authors’ deep apprehension of the Mings’ identity, their political criticism of the state, and their divergent and even self-conflicted views toward maritime commerce, immigrants, and people of different races.

Emotional and Social Ties in the Construction of Nationalism: A Group Biographical Approach to the Tengström Family in nineteenth-century Finland

Emotions are, in a way, intrinsic to nationalism and belong to a nation’s ontology. They are part of the relation an individual has with the nation, and nations can even be seen as ‘emotional communities.’ In more general terms, the significance of emotions for politics has increasingly been recognized. In addition, the ‘emotion’ approach can be associated with an emphasis on the personal meanings of nationalism. Anthony Cohen’s notion of ‘personal nationalism’ underlines the individual interpretations of nationalism, their link to selfconstruction and the attempt to understand ‘personal sentiments’ linked to nationalism. Drawing from this background, new perspectives can arise by explicitly connecting the analysis of gender, emotions and nationalism with each other, and by bringing them to the level of concrete lives and relationships. This article provides an analysis of a family circle involved in nationalistic activities that ties together all of these aspects.

Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools: The History of Travel Literature in Imperial China by James M. Hargett

Reviewed by: Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools: The History of Travel Literature in Imperial China by James M. Hargett Kai-wing Chow (bio) James M. Hargett. Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools: The History of Travel Literature in Imperial China. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2018. xviii, 258 pp. Hardcover, $95.00, isbn 978-0-295-74446-9. Paperback, $30.00, isbn 978-0-295-74447-6. This book offers a broad survey of "Chinese travel literature" from the Six Dynasties through the late Ming period. The author primarily takes a literary approach to the subject, striving to delineate youji as a genre and tracing its path of development. Based on Northrop Frye's theory of literary genre, Hargett opts for a "dynamic or open-ended conception of genre" formulated by Dirk de Geest and Hendrik van Corp. The author argues that the genre does have "some general identifiable traits regarding form and content" (p. 12). Through tracking the "affinities" of disparate writings, he argues that "all youji literature contains a coherent and indispensable narrative of the physical experience of a journey through space toward an identifiable place, written in prose" (p. 13). Hargett's definition singles out three defining features of "Chinese travel literature": (1) a first-person account, (2) a real journey across space, and (3) a prose literary style. Following these three threads, Hargett traces the origins of the various generic features of "Chinese travel literature," youji, to the Six Dynasties and argues that its features attained "articulation" in the Tang dynasty, reaching maturity in the Song dynasty. Finally, the production of youji entered the golden age in the middle and later years of the Ming dynasty. He criticizes modern Chinese scholarship on travel literature for adopting a static [End Page 74] approach to genre. Scholars regard travel literature invariably as writings about "appreciating landscape." But for Hargett, development of travel literature in imperial China was dynamic, undergoing changes in both its form and contents. The book has five chapters and a postface. In chapter 1, Hargett begins to identify a number of "key elements" that define the genre of travel writings, youji. His discussion covers a few different genres: rhapsodies, letters, preface, accounts (ji), including those by Buddhists like Faxian, and the Commentary on the Waterways Treatise by Li Daoyuan. The key elements Hargett has identified in letters and rhapsodies of the Han period include "real journeys and real places in a literary and lyrical way" (p. 24), "travel narration and landscape appreciation, and expression of personal sentiments" (p. 26), as well as "scenic description-author comment" structure (pp. 28-30). Appearing in different literary genres and variegated modes of language, these features of youji, however, had not coalesced in the works of later prototypes. This variety of writing excepting a preface by Huiyuan, though containing "various traits," was not qualified to be considered the prototype youji. Chapter 2 examines two significant developments in travel literature in the Tang dynasty, which, the author argues, were critical for youji to become an independent genre in the mid-Tang. First, it was in the Choice Blossoms from the Garden of Literature that ji became an independent literary genre. And second, during the late eighth and early ninth centuries, "the ji form evolved into a new type of descriptive prose about place" (p. 58). The genre of ji writings by Liu Zongyuan such as the "Eight Accounts" emphasizes "the physical movement of the author and by extension, the reader through a landscape" (p. 82). One significant innovation of Liu and Yuan Jie, another Tang author, was that they composed "sight-seeing-landscape ji in which emotion is drawn from scene" (p. 85). In chapter 3 Hargett argues that the youji genre reached its maturity in the Northern Song in varieties, forms, and contents. In examining the accounts by Zhang Min, Zhao Buzhi, and Su Shi, he argues that these Song writers no longer expressed their personal emotions or inner conflicts through their writings on landscape, which marks "a major turning point in the history of the genre and functions as a key factor in the maturation process that began in the eleventh century" (p. 101). An entirely new form of...

On the Cultural Selection of Hua Chun: A Chinese Japanese Female Writer

Hua Chun, a Chinese Japanese female writer, embodies cross-border and cross-cultural characteristics in her creation. She pays attention to the ecological environment, chooses the theme of environmental protection, and chooses the “Earth Man” perspective to narrate. She shuttles between Japanese and Chinese cultures, transcends the embarrassment of personal and national sentiments and faces human nature directly. On the one hand, she actively integrates Japanese culture. On the other hand, she mourns the traditional Chinese culture. She creates a third space with mixed culture in her works through the cultural experience of crossing the border.

The Chickasaws' Place-World: The Mississippi River in Chickasaw History and Geography

The Chickasaws' Place-WorldThe Mississippi River in Chickasaw History and Geography Dustin J. Mack (bio) For over three hundred years Chickasaws have employed the Mississippi River to define their geographic homeland and history. Throughout the eighteenth and into the early nineteenth century this waterway delineated the western limits of Chickasaw Country.1 Chickasaw storytellers used the Mississippi to split west from east, while Chickasaw names for the river demarcated north and south. The Mississippi River divided time as well. According to Chickasaw migration stories, proto-Chickasaws crossed the Mississippi, traveling west to east, and thereafter the river marked a new era—the beginning of Chickasaw history. Other Chickasaw cultural constructs, like maps and titles, also demonstrate how the Mississippi functioned as a unifying symbol. In all these ways and more, the Mississippi River simultaneously served as a physical landmark and cultural touchpoint for the Chickasaw people. The importance Chickasaws placed on the Mississippi has been overlooked, and clear interpretations of the past require contextualization within particular place-worlds.2 This understanding necessitates a reevaluation of Chickasaw activities and relationships along the waterway. Chickasaw villages sat nearly one hundred miles east of the Mississippi, yet Chickasaws frequented that river, which they called Sakti Lhafa' Okhina', meaning the "scored bluff waterway." Long before American settlers clamored to ship goods down the river, or Andrew Jackson defended it from invasion, or Mark Twain romanticized the Mississippi's waters—long before citizens of the United States arrived in the region—the Chickasaw Nation had done all three. Chickasaws managed and manipulated the river as they traveled by pirogue, utilized its resources, and patrolled its banks. Yet important beliefs expressed in [End Page 1] the stories they told about the Mississippi, the Chickasaws' names for the waterway, and the otherworldly characteristics they ascribed to it were no less important. The natural environment and Chickasaw social and religious constructs helped to define Chickasaw sovereignty along the Mississippi. These dynamics became critical when colonial competition brought would-be empires to the Mississippi River Valley. Nations that systematically built relationships with the Chickasaws became part of their sociopolitical landscape and could expect to freely travel the Mississippi River past Chickasaw lands. However, Chickasaw warriors limited the mobility of those who entered this space uninvited, particularly around the "scored bluff," a natural bottleneck in the river known today as the Chickasaw Bluffs near Memphis, Tennessee. By controlling this important spot below the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, the Chickasaws became valuable allies or feared adversaries of France, Britain, Spain, and the United States. Any nation that wanted to travel the Mississippi River between the Missouri and Ohio Rivers and the Gulf of Mexico had to contend with the Chickasaws. Therefore, understanding Chickasaw conceptions of the Mississippi River is consequential for the study of colonialism and early American history.3 Careful reading of the Chickasaw migration story indicates that the Mississippi River helped define geographic space and historic chronology for the Chickasaw people. Though this story may have once been passed down in a single narrative form, written accounts vary considerably in detail. Driven by their own motivations, traders, missionaries, settlers, anthropologists, and Chickasaws put pen to paper chronicling the legend. Written accounts have been individually recorded over the course of the last three centuries. Throughout the years, authors in diverse locations have authored versions for various audiences. The writers' personal sentiments, cultural values, and religious beliefs undoubtedly colored how they documented the story. Language barriers also filtered many of the descriptions we are left with. Newer accounts may have been influenced by older reports, further compounding the problem of transmission. Such critical information is all too often missing from the historical record. Unfortunately, time and cultural distance obscure far more than the story can reveal. Consequently, scholars face serious limitations when employing these accounts to envision the past.4 While multiple variations of the story exist, they contain enough [End Page 2] continuity to explain how eighteenth-century Chickasaws might have conceptualized the Mississippi River. Since time immemorial Chickasaw people have told and retold how they came to settle their Mississippi homelands. These were not fictive accounts. They were, and still are, Chickasaw truths.5 Common tenets within the...