Prime Symbol Research Articles

Politics of Sufism in Pakistan

This paper is an attempt to explicate the emancipatory limits of a historical figure in a caste society. As a case study, it offers a critical analysis of a metaphor of Shah Abdul Latif, the eighteenth-century poet who inherited enormous caste capital as a Sayed and custodian of a Sufi shrine. The poetry and life history of Shah Latif are often invoked by Sindhi nationalists to pose an ontological challenge to the narrative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Situating Latif in the South Asian political context, this paper offers a historiographical analysis of the vernacular literature on the projection of Latif as the prime symbol of emancipation for the Sindhi nation. It contends that Latif, as we know him today, is an anachronistic construct that was initially inspired by the Orientalist motive, and later used by privileged caste Hindus and Ashrafiya morality to feed the performative Sindhi nationalist agenda.

Ambiguous Founding Father: Tan’gun as a Korean-Japanese God

Abstract Although Tan’gun, Korea’s mythical founding father, is often depicted as an undisputed symbol of Korean nationalism, this article sheds light on a more complex history in which Tan’gun stands at the center of contesting forces and ambiguous understandings. In fact, besides his nationalist deployment, he was also mobilized as a symbol of Korean-Japanese affinity, which, in turn, was based on centuries of Japanese engagements with the mythical progenitor. As a more cosmopolitan conceptualization of Tan’gun obtained imperialist dimensions in the early twentieth century, it also interacted with and stimulated Korean nationalist utilizations of the founding father. By investigating Tan’gun’s “other” history, this article complicates our understanding of how the figure of Tan’gun evolved into the prime symbol of Korean nationalism and how Koreans negotiated their historical identity within the Japanese empire.

Reinterpretation of the Ideas of the Philosophy of Life in O.E. Mandelstam’s Works

It is proposed to consider the main lines of “philosophy of life’s” (F. Nietzsche, H. Bergson, O. Spengler) influence on the poetry and aesthetic theory of the greatest Silver Age poet Osip Mandelstam whose heritage is largely a continuation of Russian “poetry of thought” tradition. As known, the “philosophy of life” ideas formed Silver age culture intellectual background and were actively rethought which can also be traced in Mandelstam’s work, extent). The article sets a task, firstly, to consider “philosophy of life” as integral phenomenon, secondly, to propose conceptual solutions in the framework of which poet's heritage can be investigated as refracting “philosophy of life’s” ideas. This required, on the one hand, relying on existing research, on the other hand, polemicizing with them. Special attention is paid to Mandelstam’s temporal concept. It is shown to what extent it is conditioned by the concepts of the philosophy of life and in what extent by Silver Age philosophical context, namely, by poet's interest in contemporary Russian religious thought. Some “philosophy of life” concepts and constructions in the poet's reception are outlined (the oppositions Apollonian/Dionysian, Aryan/Judaic and the eternal return idea by F. Nietzsche; H. Bergson’s concept of time and memory; the prime symbol and morphology of culture concepts by of O. Spengler, whose influence on Mandelstam’s work has not been studied in this aspect). It is concluded that priority factor that determined poet's attention to “philosophy of life” is its attitude to comprehend time as a derivative of life processes among which the most important place is occupied by culture and cultural creativity.

Re-Discovering the Ingenuity of Contemporary Malaysian Mosques’ Architecturral Characterisitic As One of the Prime Symbol of South-Asian Islamic Tourism Hub

To develop Malaysia into the most popular Islamic tourism hub in the world, it is important to identify and promote the uniqueness of Malaysia in terms of tourist spots, facilities and Muslim-friendly practices. Currently Malaysia faces tough competition with similar Islamic tourism hubs such as Turkey and the UAE. Staying ahead in this race requires efficient ‘Rebranding’ of the tourist spots and facilities. Malaysia’s tourism potential is enhanced by its rich cultural diversity. This is reflected by the wide range of architectural styles that contribute to Malaysia’s unique architecture. This is particularly evident in the country’s mosques which are constructed in various styles reflecting colonial, modernism and modern contemporary stylistic influences inspired by a number of ethnic subcultures, foreign influences, technology utilization, and the political environment. In this research, three contemporary mosques have been selected for investigation. Generally, the architectural styles of the modern mosque can be grouped into two categories. The first category contains the modern styles which emphasize the advancement in building technology and engineering (i.e. Masjid Tunku Mizan Zainal Abidin). The second category covers the Islamic influences found in countries including Turkey, the Middle East, and Northern Africa (i.e. Masjid Putra). This research will attempt to formulate framework to re-evaluate the classifications for these two categories, before suggesting how these distinctive features might encourage Islamic tourism in Malaysia. 
 Keyword: Tourism, Uniqueness, Contemporary Malaysian Mosque.

Synthetic bulky NS4A peptide variants bind to and inhibit HCV NS3 protease

NS4A is a non-structural multi-tasking small peptide that is essential for HCV maturation and replication. The central odd-numbered hydrophobic residues of NS4A (Val-23‘ to Leu-31‘)iiThe prime symbol (`) is used to distinguish between NS4A residues and NS3 residues of (no prime). are essential for activating NS3 upon NS3/4A protease complex formation. This study aims to design new specific allosteric NS3/4A protease inhibitors by mutating Val-23‘, Ile-25‘, and Ile-29‘ into bulkier amino acids. Pep-15, a synthetic peptide, showed higher binding affinity towards HCV-NS3 subtype-4 than native NS4A. The Kd of Pep-15 (80.0 ± 8.0 nM) was twice as high as that of native NS4A (169 ± 37 nM). The mutant Pep-15 inhibited the catalytic activity of HCV-NS3 by forming an inactive complex. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that a cascade of conformational changes occurred, especially in the catalytic triad arrangements, thereby inactivating NS3. A large shift in the position of Ser-139 was observed, leading to loss of critical hydrogen bonding with His-57. Even though this study is not a classic drug discovery study—nor do we propose Pep-15 as a drug candidate—it serves as a stepping stone towards developing a potent inhibitor of hitherto untargeted HCV subtypes.

The lens of firstness: Shamanic/Aboriginal culture as cosmos-sign

AbstractHaving identified previously (Bonta 2015) the Peircean Category Firstness as the semiotic basis (or cultural Prime Symbol) for Australian Aboriginal culture, this paper examines the “lens” of Firstness as it is manifest in a variety of aboriginal (or “Shamanic”) cultures worldwide. By studying the semiotic contours of religion, language, social organization, and art, we find systemic prioritization of Firstness in its various manifestations, across a wide range of aboriginal cultures from Australia to the Indian Subcontinent to aboriginal Siberia and the New World. Shamanic culture, despite its ethnic and geographic variety, may therefore be represented as a semiotic type – and, in addition, one that, in its pristine form, is nearly extinct.

Envisioning Christ on the Cross: Ireland and the Early Medieval West ed. by Juliet Mullins, Jenifer Ní Ghrádaigh, and Richard Hawtree (review)

Envisioning Christ on the Cross: Ireland and the Early Medieval West. Edited by Juliet Mullins, Jenifer Ni Ghradaigh, and Richard Hawtree. (Dublin: Four Courts Press; distrib. ISBS, Portland, OR. 2013. Pp. xiv, 370. $74.50. ISBN 9781-84682-387-0.)The cross has long been the prime symbol of Christianity; yet this was not always so. Early Christians, especially during persecution, generally favored cryptic symbols such as the anchor, the dove, the chrismon or chi-rho, and the fish-the ichthys symbol, created by combining the Greek letters IX0YS in a backronym/acrostic that translates as Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. With Constantine's vision of the cross and his mother's amateur archaeological discovery of its burial place, the instrument of torture became (as the Dream of the Rood so movingly relates) the crux gemmata-bejeweled symbol of salvation.Crucifixion iconography does occur in early Christian art, including the earliest dated illuminated manuscript, the Syriac Rabbula Gospels of 586, but its rise in popularity stems from the Monothelete controversy, which caused schisms in the Christian Orient and spread to the West, contributing to Pope Gregory the Great's decision to help evangelize the Anglo-Saxons and to subsequent attempts to draw the British and Columban churches into the international Orthodoxy of Chalcedon. The Synod of Whitby (664), with its focus upon the dating of Easter, was not merely an Insular affair but also part of international church politics. The Sixth Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople in 681 (and preceded by the council in Hatfield in 679), proclaimed that the divine and human wills were united in Christ who, being incorruptible, never conflicted with the divine will, his incorruptibility stemming from his conception from the Virgin by the Holy Spirit. Iconographies of the Virgin and of the cross, symbolizing the key moments of conception, redemption, and integration of the wills, thereafter assumed wider popularity in Eastern art, rapidly pervading the West.There has been much recent scholarship on the subject and the editors of the volume under review have done a fine job in assembling contributions that range across Europe from fifth-century Rome to twelfth-century Parma. As the volume's title indicates, its primary purpose is to situate the contribution of early-medieval Ireland in establishing the iconic status of the cross and in exploring its spiritual, exegetical, liturgical, and aesthetic potential. …

A Peircean typology of cultural prime symbols: Culture as category

AbstractOswald Spengler first showed that every macroculture can be conceived of as an accretion of signs representing in various contexts a single abstract Prime Symbol. But this semiotic model of culture is not confined to the so-called “great civilizations”; it is applicable to every culture. In seeking a typology of Prime Symbols (and hence, a semiotic typology of cultures), we show that that the Peircean Categories Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness (including the “degenerate” Categories Firstness of Secondness, Firstness of Thirdness, and Secondness of Thirdness) are exemplified in the great range of cultural semiotic types, and that, because of their universality and generality, these Categories are the best semiotic lens through which cultural Prime Symbols can be understood.

Active Site Comparisons and Catalytic Mechanisms of the Hot Dog Superfamily

In 1996, Leesong et al. published the structure of FabA (PDB ID:1MKA), the dehydratase–isomerase enzyme involved in the bacterial type II fatty acid synthase (FAS) system from E. coli.1 The authors described a central, long α-helix “hot dog” surrounded by a bent β-sheet “bun” and so dubbed this the “hot dog fold” (Figure 1). Since that time, roughly 60 proteins have been crystallized and found to have the hot dog fold.2 The core fold topology can be described as an antiparallel β-sheet ordered 1-3-4-5-2. The long hot dog helix is located between strands β1 and β2 (Figure 2D). Some enzymes contain additional β-strands in their “bun”. Figure 1 The Hot Dog Fold Figure 2 Three Types of Hot Dog Folds This enzyme fold serves as a scaffold to execute a variety of reactions involving fatty acid or polyketide thioesters and is found in enzymes of both fatty acid catabolism and anabolism as well as in enzymes of natural product biosynthetic pathways. Every enzyme in this family containing a single hot dog (SHD) fold dimerizes (Figure 2A and D), and two identical active sites are found at the dimeric interface, with key residues in each active site residing on both monomers. Depending on the enzyme and species, these homodimers (protomers) themselves often associate into dimers of dimers or trimers of dimers. (For an excellent review of the various oligomeric states of hot dog enzymes, see Pidugu et al.2) Some hot dog enzymes have two hot dog motifs — thought to arise from gene duplication — and these double hot dog (DHD) enzymes (or domains) have two SHD subdomains that are fused together. In DHD structures, one of the active sites, which both reside at the pseudodimeric interface, has become inactive (Figure 2B and E). The hot dog helix of the C-terminal domain is often kinked; the one in the N-terminal domain remains linear. The oligomeric states of these pseudodimeric enzymes also vary. There are even instances of triple hot dog (THD) enzymes; fungal FAS dehydratase domains, for example, contain such a fold.3,4 In a THD enzyme, the third hot dog region is a domain insertion between the first and second hot dog motifs, which associate with each other in similar manner to the two motifs of a DHD enzyme, including the bent, C-terminal helix. The added domain is highly distorted, such that the hot dog helix is much shorter. It no longer locates within the β-sheet bun and is instead found alongside the β-sheet (Figure 2C and F). THD enzymes also only have a single active site at the pseudodimeric interface of the “normal” hot dog regions. The significance of only one hot dog helix remaining linear in both DHD and THD folds will be discussed later in this review. The secondary structural arrangements of idealized SHD, DHD, and THD folds are compared in the topology diagrams depicted in Figure 2D, E, and F. Because different enzymes have extra helices and strands in addition to the core hot dog and bun shown in the topology diagrams, for the purposes of comparing hot dog folds, we have formulated the following system: Core β-strands are labeled with an Arabic numeral in the same order as they occur in the sequence. Strands found in the second subdomain of DHD folds are treated as if they reside on an SHD with the further designation of a prime symbol. The strands of the inserted third hot dog motif of the THDs are designated with a double prime. Any extra strands in addition to these may be designated with an “x” followed by an Arabic numeral. The hot dog helices of the first, second, or third motifs are labeled αHD, αHD′, αHD″, respectively; additional helices are named by “x” followed by a capital letter. This review will use this notation throughout. The hot dog superfamily includes over a thousand enzymes or domains and has been divided into at least 17 subfamilies based on primary sequence analysis — although this analysis did not capture the majority of DHD and THD enzymes, including animal and fungal FAS domains.5 Hot dog folds are found or predicted in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Functionally, however, the majority of the superfamily can be primarily divided into two groups: those enzymes performing either dehydration or hydration of thioester substrates and those performing thioester hydrolysis.

Perovskite B-Site Compositional Control of [110]p Polar Displacement Coupling in an Ambient-Pressure-Stable Bismuth-based Ferroelectric.

Ausgelenkt: Eine neuer Blei-freier Bismutperowskit wurde bei Umgebungsdruck in der polaren Pmc21-Struktur gebildet. Messungen liefern Beweise für Ferroelektrizität und Piezoelektrizität. Das Material zeichnet sich durch eine Rotation der Polarisationsrichtung abseits der [111]p-Achse aus und ist somit für das Design von Materialien mit morphotroper Phasengrenze interessant.

‘Ulster's love in letter'd gold’: the Battle of the Somme and the Ulster Memorial Tower, 1918–1935

This paper employs ideas of distance and proximity in exploring the diverse meanings of the Ulster Memorial Tower at Thiepval, France, between 1918, when the idea of an Ulster memorial was first proposed, and 1935, when responsibility for its maintenance was passed to the Imperial War Graves Commission. The Tower, erected in 1921 as a memorial to men from Ulster who died in the Great War, can be read in a number of different but not necessarily easily reconciled ways. The construction and subsequent life of the memorial is inseparable from the politics of Irish partition and the consolidation of a unionist state in Northern Ireland. It is argued that that the meanings of the Tower were constructed both internally within Northern Ireland as an identity marker but also externally directed as the prime symbol of Britain's debt to Protestant Ulster. The paper concludes that the Tower's geographical distance from the society which had erected it was crucial, both to the external statements it made and to its ultimate lack of internal relevance to Ulster.

Technologies of hope? Motherhood, HIV and infant feeding in eastern Africa

A vast number of HIV positive mothers live with a known HIV positive status without an experienced ability to prevent the virus from spreading to their offspring. This article focuses on the dramatic effects on identity and sociality instigated by prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programmes, and discusses the potential for the development of HIV related activism linked to programme enrolment. Paying particular attention to the infant feeding options that are promoted through the programme – exclusive breastfeeding and replacement feeding – the article explores women's experiences struggling to secure an HIV free baby. At the heart of the findings lie devastating transformations in perceptions of body and self among HIV positive mothers enrolled in the PMTCT programmes, transformations highlighted by the shifting interpretations of mother's milk. The women suffer from extreme fear of feeding their babies HIV infected mother's milk. Very few mothers could afford formula products, and exclusive breastfeeding emerged as the option of the poor ‘who have to breastfeed and let their babies die’. From being a prime symbol of nurture and love, mother's milk became a source of death in babies born to HIV positive mothers. The article argues that the incongruity between notions of maternal love and nurture on the one hand, and sexuality, HIV and death on the other, makes the PMTCT programme ill suited as a basis for activism. The material was collected through interviews and discussion with HIV positive mothers and nurse counsellors in Ethiopia and Tanzania, 2004–2006.

Instituting English Folk Art

This article explores the development of folk art as an idea in English culture during the twentieth century, addressing in particular the commonplace assumption that the promotion of ‘folk art’ is necessarily antagonistic towards modernity, and, correspondingly, it is always to be associated with aesthetic conservatism, political reaction, and ethnically restrictive notions of Englishness. The article surveys a series of moments when the issue of folk art came to the fore: around 1909–1912, when there were efforts to establish an open‐air folk museum in England; 1929–1934, when these efforts were revived, and when folk art became the subject of pan‐European scholarly attention and a prime symbol of national identity; 1949–1954, when a new generation of designers turned to vernacular culture as a source of an energetic style that was both national and modernist; and the period since 1960, which saw attempts at the commodification of English folk art as an aspect of the national heritage. Through these case studies, the article seeks to test assumptions about the importance of folk or ruralist culture in definitions of Englishness, the relationship between museums and national identity, and the commodification of ‘folk’ or vernacular aesthetics in the context of heritage culture.

Molecular Recognition of the Protein Phosphatase 1 Glycogen Targeting Subunit by Glycogen Phosphorylase

Disrupting the interaction between glycogen phosphorylase and the glycogen targeting subunit (G(L)) of protein phosphatase 1 is emerging as a novel target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. To elucidate the molecular basis of binding, we have determined the crystal structure of liver phosphorylase bound to a G(L)-derived peptide. The structure reveals the C terminus of G(L) binding in a hydrophobically collapsed conformation to the allosteric regulator-binding site at the phosphorylase dimer interface. G(L) mimics interactions that are otherwise employed by the activator AMP. Functional studies show that G(L) binds tighter than AMP and confirm that the C-terminal Tyr-Tyr motif is the major determinant for G(L) binding potency. Our study validates the G(L)-phosphorylase interface as a novel target for small molecule interaction.

Remaking the Song: Operatic Visions and Revisions From Handel to Berio (review)

Remaking the Song: Operatic Visions and Revisions From Handel to Berio. By Roger Parker. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. [xii, 165 p. ISBN 10: 0520244184; ISBN 13: 9780520244184. $29.95.] Music examples, index. The esteemed opera scholar Roger Parker delivered collection of talks as part of the Bloch Lectures Series in 2002 at the University of California, Berkeley. They were, according to the author, a series of meditations on (also I hope celebrations of ) operatic texts, in particular ways in which operas long known to us have been, and might in the future be, subject to change of sort or (pp. 11- 12). Simple enough. Or is it? What constitutes one sort or ranges from single aria to an entire scene, and it is the argument and rationale that preoccupies Parker. The resultant publication, Remaking the Song, deals in those sorts of changes might consider argumentative minutiae, but are fiercely important to the operatic world. Consider, for example, the fit opera producer Jonathan Miller threw over Cecilia Bartoli choosing to use two substitute arias in his 1998 production of Le nozze di Figaro. Mozart composed the arias for production of Figaro in 1789, three years after the premiere. Miller saw them as evidence of diva pressuring Mozart to accommodate her, and not belonging to the true work. Miller was still talking about it four years later in an interview (Martin Bernheimer, Operating Theater, Opera News 66, no. 12 [June 2002]: 20-25). Parker heads into these issues with what he describes as a chipping away at some very familiar works-testing places where they were and might still be liable to change, in particular finding new ways we might think about them in their altered circumstances (p. 13). His first stop is Verdi. Chapter 2, Of Andalusian Maidens and Recognition Scenes: Crossed Wires in Il trovatore and La traviata, looks at the dichotomy scholars have imposed upon the two operas, pairing them as opposites, when upon closer inspection, they are inextricably linked. Due to illness and scheduling delays, Verdi had no choice but to compose La traviata while in the process of orchestrating and rehearsing Il trovatore for its Roman premiere. Recently published sketches reveal music from both operas appearing together on the same piece of manuscript paper. This leads Parker not to jump to conclusions about those precise pairings, but to examine what he refers to as doubles between the two operas. The first of these is La traviata's act 2 finale, in which the female Parisian guests perform mock zingarelle (gypsy dance). Parker finds shared musical context between the introduction to the zingarelle and Ferrando's description of Azucena in Il trovatore. Further evidence of the operas bleeding into another comes later in the finale, when the men (as story-telling matadors) share remarkably similar thematic material with Il trovatore's act 2 duet cabaletta between Azucena and Manrico. But wait, there's more: in the first half of Il trovatore's third act, as the Count di Luna and Ferrando interrogate Azucena, series of ironically sweet chromaticisms and trills accompany the revelation of Azucena as avenger and mother of Manrico. Parker informs us that those same trills become a prime symbol of Violetta's champagne and tears, her dissembling gaiety (p. 37). All this serves to teach the reader there are cases that resist interpretative scholarship, and should simply (as it were) enjoy the recognition. Chapter 3, Ersatz Ditties: Adriana Ferrarese's Susanna delves into the substitute aria problem in Le nozze di Figaro. Parker finds the criticism following Cecilia Bartoli's use of Un moto di gioia for Venite, inginocchiatevi in act 2 and Al desio di chi t'adora for Deh vieni, non tardar in act 4 evinces cultural pessimism about music and opera, perhaps about all art: mood that makes us miserly and grasping, fearful of loss. …

Das Medusenhaupt in Mythos und Medizin - Versuch einer ganzheitlichen Betrachtung

The depiction of snake hair on a medieval capital was the reason for establishing a relationship between the caput medusae of Greek mythology and the notion which appears at least three times in medical terminology. There is a particularly close correlation with a caput medusae-variant known from medical history: the elflock. This elflock, especially in its artificial form, also has a magical and mystical quality, just as its ancient model of the head of Medusa. With the help of C. G. Jung's concept of the “collective unconscious” and the prime symbol of the snake rooted in it, an attempt will be made at a holistic approach of all manifestations of the caput medusae in mythology, art, culture, biology and medicine.

Caprine κ-Casein (CSN3) Polymorphism: New Developments in Molecular Knowledge

A high degree of polymorphism was recently found at the κ-casein (CSN3) locus in the domesticated goat (Capra hircus). In the present study, 2 new patterns previously identified by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP) were characterized. The allele provisionally named “X” (GenBank Accession no. AY350425) differs from CSN3*C (AF485341) by a (silent) A→G substitution at position 509 of the goat CSN3 reference sequence (X60763). As this newly identified sequence changes the amino acid sequence, and the already known CSN3*C allele (AF485341) has an additional silent mutation, we proposed a change in nomenclature to reflect these changes, indicating the silent mutation with the prime symbol (i.e.,′). The CSN3*M allele (provisionally named “Y”) results in a new protein variant, differing by 2 nonsynonymous mutations from the CSN3*F allele. The new variant is characterized by a G→A transition at nucleotide position 384, resulting in the amino acid exchange Asp90→Asn90, and a C→T transition at position 550, resulting in a Val145→Ala145 substitution. Thus, the number of alleles identified in the domesticated goat has increased to 16, of which 13 are protein variants and 3 are silent mutations, involving a total of 15 polymorphic sites in CSN3 exon 4. Data on the distribution of the main alleles in 7 goat breeds of Europe, West Africa, and the Near East show differences in the occurrence and frequency of the alleles between breeds and geographic origin with the highest number of alleles found in goat breeds from the Near East.

Our architectural conception of space

This is a translation of the inaugural lecture Asplund gave as Professor of Architecture at Stockholm's Tekniska Högskolan in 1931.E. G. Asplund. ‘Var arkitektoniska rumsuppfattning’, Byggmästeren: Arkitektupplagan 1931, pp.203—210. There is a photograph of Asplund giving this talk, in Christina Engfors' book E. G. Asplund: arkitekt, Arkitektur Forlag, Stockholm, 1990, p.69. Asplund used the opportunity to affirm his support for the ‘new conception of space’ in contemporary architecture. His acknowledgement of the influence of Le Corbusier is expected; but the emphasis on Spengler's The Decline of the West,Oswald Spengler. Der Untergang des Abendlandes, (Vol.1) Gestalt und Wirklichkeit (1918), (Vol.2) Welthistorische Perspektiven (1922), C. H. Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munchen, translated by C. F. Atkinson as The Decline of the West, (Vol.1) Form and Actuality (1926), (Vol.2) Perspectives of World-History (1928), George Allen & Unwin, London.Spengler's ‘theory of historical cycles’ was broadly dismissed as unsound by contemporary academic historians (cf. R. G. Collingwood — ‘Oswald Spengler and the Theory of Historical Cycles’, in Antiquity, 1927), but his use of the generic spatial organizations evident in architectures of the past, as evidence of the ‘culture souls’ of the civilizations that produced them, retains interest from an architect's point of view. and to its identification of ‘infinite space’ as the ‘prime symbol’ of Western culture, suggests that maybe Spengler's work had more influence on architects in Europe during the 1920s than is generally recognized.

Development and infinity

This article examines the links between development and the infinite, suggesting that the idea of sustainable development is simply a means of extending the idea of development indefinitely. Western society is viewed as operating under the “prime symbol” or “imaginary social signification” of infinity and infinite development. The article then proposes an interpretation of perception through the use of metaphor, arguing that metaphors shape interpretations of development, and that contemporary ecological projects such as sustainable development are largely metaphorical. The conclusions note that the mainstream concept of sustainable development is inherently conservative and therefore adds little to a clearer understanding of nature-society relations and development policy.

Lynching and Antilynching: Art and Politics in the 1930s

Lynching became a fact of American life after the Civil War, but it only became an important subject for writers of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and a subject for visual artists in the 1930s. During the Depression, antilynching works were first a reaction to the widespread outrage over the Scottsboro case and then part of the political and legislative efforts to make lynching a federal offense. In early 1935, both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Communist Party's John Reed Club held competing art exhibitions that not only condemned lynching but also supported their legislative objectives. After World War II, when Civil Rights legislation became the main priority, images of lynching continued primarily in the works of African-American artists. But in these later works, lynching became the prime symbol of American racism, springing from a black perspective rather than from particular political campaigns or from contemporary experience.