Symbolic Space Research Articles

Symbolika przestrzeni miejskiej a symbol w przestrzeni publicznej

The Symbolism of Urban Space Versus the Symbol of Public Space The article presents an original analysis of the symbolism of urban space and types of symbols complementing public space. It describes the symbolism of a space, what creates it, how it can be interpreted and what role it played in the past and now. Extremely interesting examples of symbolic structures in Poland and other European countries are presented. The features and functions of the symbol in the public space are distinguished and its meaning for the recipient is indicated.

La interacción simbólica en un espacio emocional. El ejemplo de Fushimi Inari Taisha en Kyoto, Japón

The Fushimi Inari sanctuary, in Kyoto is a sample of passable and emotional architecture at the same time, in which each element aesthetically complements the composition of the whole, creating a symbolic space, which comes into harmony with the natural environment and fuses the past with contemporary traditions and practices of an ancient faith. The architectural and visual language that the whole sanctuary of Fushimi Inari presents to us.

Ainu in modern Japanese society: the problem of returning the remains of ancestors

The article is devoted to the issue of repatriation of Ainu ancestral remains, collected by Japanese researchers in the second half of the 19th - 20th centuries. It is the most crucial current issue for many Ainu people who are trying to regain the language, the distinct culture, and identity. The article analyzes the positions of the Japanese Government, the Hokkaido Ainu Association and Ainu rights activist groups and movements. The article examines the contradictions that arose in Japanese society concerning the process of repatriation. Discussions in Japanese society during this problem were analyzed, and its significance for the Ainu communities is revealed. It was found that the discussions mainly arise in connection with the idea of transferring the remains to the memorial hall located in Symbolic Spaces for Ethnic Harmony, which was opened in July 2020. Research also showed that the problem under study is largely related to limitations in ethnic policy implementation and realization of indigenous peoples rights in Japan. In addition, the process of repatriation of Ainu ancestral remains is compounded by the lack of unity of the Ainu as a community. Therefore, reaching agreement between the government, the academic community, and critical Ainu rights activist groups proved extremely difficult. However, it was concluded that there is a potential to resolve the issue and consensus could be reached in the near future.

Dimensions of ‘self-affine sponges’ invariant under the action of multiplicative integers

AbstractLet $m_1 \geq m_2 \geq 2$ be integers. We consider subsets of the product symbolic sequence space $(\{0,\ldots ,m_1-1\} \times \{0,\ldots ,m_2-1\})^{\mathbb {N}^*}$ that are invariant under the action of the semigroup of multiplicative integers. These sets are defined following Kenyon, Peres, and Solomyak and using a fixed integer $q \geq 2$ . We compute the Hausdorff and Minkowski dimensions of the projection of these sets onto an affine grid of the unit square. The proof of our Hausdorff dimension formula proceeds via a variational principle over some class of Borel probability measures on the studied sets. This extends well-known results on self-affine Sierpiński carpets. However, the combinatoric arguments we use in our proofs are more elaborate than in the self-similar case and involve a new parameter, namely $j = \lfloor \log _q ( {\log (m_1)}/{\log (m_2)} ) \rfloor $ . We then generalize our results to the same subsets defined in dimension $d \geq 2$ . There, the situation is even more delicate and our formulas involve a collection of $2d-3$ parameters.

Finite-Dimensionality of Tempered Random Uniform Attractors

Finite-dimensional attractors play an important role in finite-dimensional reduction of PDEs in mathematical modelization and numerical simulations. For non-autonomous random dynamical systems, Cui and Langa (J Differ Equ, 263:1225–1268, 2017) developed a random uniform attractor as a minimal compact random set which provides a certain description of the forward dynamics of the underlying system by forward attraction in probability. In this paper, we study the conditions that ensure a random uniform attractor to have finite fractal dimension. Two main criteria are given, one by a smoothing property and the other by a squeezing property of the system, and neither of the two implies the other. The upper bound of the fractal dimension consists of two parts: the fractal dimension of the symbol space plus a number arising from the smoothing/squeezing property. As an illustrative application, the random uniform attractor of a stochastic reaction–diffusion equation with scalar additive noise is studied, for which the finite-dimensionality in L^2 is established by the squeezing approach and that in H_0^1 by the smoothing framework. In addition, a random absorbing set that absorbs itself after a deterministic period of time is also constructed.

A Sociolinguistics of Mobility, Mundane Translinguistic Practices and Speakers’ Resourcefulness: Implications for ELT

The idea of language deterritorialization has radically revolutionized the way we perceive, use and teach the entity we call language. Language has become porous and borderless, making its users capable of crossing borders at ease. Furthermore, language users can adeptly and creatively shuttle and mesh different linguistic resources either to index their new identities or to accomplish their communicative goals. Driven by the concept of mobility typified by the movement of people, ideas and objects from one real geographical or symbolic social space to other spaces, language is not only borrowed, but is also blended, remade, repurposed and even localized. Drawing upon the notion of ‘a sociolinguistic of mobility’, this article will illustrate the mundane sociolinguistic phenomena in diverse settings as exemplary instances of translinguistic practices, and then show that the quotidian linguistic practices in these settings reflect speakers’ resourcefulness. The article ends by discussing some implications of mobility for teaching English in a local context.

Trzydzieści lat dekomunizacji na Ukrainie

The aim of the article is historical, political analysis and analysis of scientific discourse on the direction of decommunization transition since Ukraine’s independence. The main research question concerns the effectiveness of the process. When describing the decommunization of public space in Ukraine, it should be stressed that it was characterized by varying intensity and regionality. The process can be divided into two main phases – 1990- 2014 and after 2015. The first period was determined by the historical policy pursued by the presidents of Ukraine. During the presidency of Yushchenko, with the increasing interest in historical politics, and especially the theme of Holodomor 1932/33, the names and monuments in honor of those responsible for these events were removed. The last phase of decommunization involves four acts passed in April 2015. The pace and consistency with which the laws were implemented, especially 317-VIII on communist symbolism, was linked to the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. It determined the need for radical steps towards the Ukrainian state taking control of its own symbolic space. A parliamentary majority and a social atmosphere have made the implementation of the laws effective and today Ukraine can be considered to have decommunized public space. This does not apply, of course, to occupied areas.

Truncated cluster algebras and Feynman integrals with algebraic letters

We propose that the symbol alphabet for classes of planar, dual-conformal-invariant Feynman integrals can be obtained as truncated cluster algebras purely from their kinematics, which correspond to boundaries of (compactifications of) G+(4, n)/T for the n-particle massless kinematics. For one-, two-, three-mass-easy hexagon kinematics with n = 7, 8, 9, we find finite cluster algebras D4, D5 and D6 respectively, in accordance with previous result on alphabets of these integrals. As the main example, we consider hexagon kinematics with two massive corners on opposite sides and find a truncated affine D4 cluster algebra whose polytopal realization is a co-dimension 4 boundary of that of G+(4, 8)/T with 39 facets; the normal vectors for 38 of them correspond to g-vectors and the remaining one gives a limit ray, which yields an alphabet of 38 rational letters and 5 algebraic ones with the unique four-mass-box square root. We construct the space of integrable symbols with this alphabet and physical first-entry conditions, whose dimension can be reduced using conditions from a truncated version of cluster adjacency. Already at weight 4, by imposing last-entry conditions inspired by the n = 8 double-pentagon integral, we are able to uniquely determine an integrable symbol that gives the algebraic part of the most generic double-pentagon integral. Finally, we locate in the space the n = 8 double-pentagon ladder integrals up to four loops using differential equations derived from Wilson-loop d log forms, and we find a remarkable pattern about the appearance of algebraic letters.

The relationship between gender transformations and the evolution of fashion

The purpose of the article is the formation of a base for fashion research in Ukrainian culturological science. Carrying out a culturological analysis of gender transformations in the evolution of fashion and fashion trends. The methodology of the research is due to the need of using specific culturological methods for the analysis – diachronic and synchronous methods, comparative-historical method, semiotic method. The scientific novelty of the article includes conducting a cultural analysis of the phenomenon of fashion and gender; conducting a semiotic analysis of the fashion industry; identifying the features of the functioning of fashion in the context of the symbolic space of culture. Conclusions. In postmodernism, fashion begins its transformation from a symbolic unit that provides information about certain means to the means of communication that help people realize their own human potential, encourage freedom of choice, self-identification, and self-expression, which is reflected in the gradual leveling of gender and other sociocultural clothes. Modern fashion is beginning to blur the boundaries between social status, gender and age. After all, the transformational processes taking place in society are directly related to the transformation of culture and changes in fashion, because fashion is one of the structural elements of culture.

Language of Space in Live of Saint Erasmus

The article is devoted to the consideration of the category of space in the Old Russian text. The text of the live of Erasmus was used for analysis. The novelty of the work lies in the reference to the text of the monument, in which the category of space was not previously considered. The research is based on nominative vocabulary with spatial meaning. In the course of consideration, various types of spaces in the live were identified: real-geographical, urban, sacred, biblical, symbolic. The axiological attitude of the genre becomes important for understanding space in live: space is interpreted in a religious-symbolic way. It is showed in the article that the living space is built horizontally and vertically. It is emphasized that the horizontal movement of the hero reflects the movement of the hero in the geographic space. The path is understood both literally and metaphorically. Particular attention is paid to the opposition of the top and bottom that is significant for the text of the live: the top is associated with the divine, the bottom is associated with the concept of the devil. It shows how the biblical space is created by references to the biblical text. The symbolic space is also associated with vertical opposition and has a religious and ethical interpretation: the image of the city of the saint appears, intended for the righteous. The axiological attitude is also reflected in the transformation of space or its overcoming when describing some miracles in the text.

Debating the Two-child Policy on Sina Weibo: A Study of Social Media as Symbolic Space in China

ABSTRACT The two-child policy profoundly impacted on many aspects of Chinese society, ranging from population structure to economic development. Social media served as a public symbolic space for diverse viewpoints on the issue. Situated in a revised public sphere framework, this study explores how the two-child policy was contended by various publics using a semantic network analysis of Sina Weibo posts. The results demonstrate relationships among the various publics comprising family members, gendered individuals, and multiple social institutions. Our findings have important implications for understanding reproduction, gender and social relations, and social media’s role as a symbolic space in contemporary China.

THE TOURISM ETHNIC SPACE AND ITS SYMBOLIC INTERFACES

This article discusses the touristic ethnic space in an indigenous community located in the metropolitan region of Manaus. The study is based on the ethnic perspective, as a historical construction of the identity of a specific group of people, a social group that has a different way of life from the urban world. The research purpose was to analyze the absolute, relative and relational space of a touristic indigenous community, pointing out the territorialities that were built from the touristic activity. The methodology was based on an exploratory study, and the geographic constituency was the Sahu-Apé community, in which it was possible to identify not only the functional dimension, but also its symbolic dimension within the space formed by a set of unique symbols of the ethnic group, compared to other groups. For Haesbaert (2004), these mastery constitute the identity and establish the ways in which relationships are built in indigenous societies based on their ancestors. As main results, it was found that the identity of the Sateré people is configured in its most important object in the tourist activity, and the physical and symbolic space is the tourist product that has been built over time.

Reducing the Risk of Co-Optation in Alternative Food Networks: Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives, Social Capital, and Third Spaces of Cooperation

Farming cooperatives are organisations fundamentally based on social capital. However, the neoliberal and globalisation turn in the food system have led to the economisation of agricultural cooperatives as their main objective and criteria for evaluating their performance, and to a retreat from their participation in the wider cooperative movement. Nevertheless, new models of cooperation may provide a method to divert from this neoliberalisation trend by promoting social capital and mutual learning amongst different actors committed to a transition to sustainable food systems. This paper applies the anthropological concept of third spaces to examine the case of multistakeholder cooperatives. This type of food and farming cooperatives are composed of a diverse membership groups (e.g., producers, consumers, coordinators, buyers, etc). A nuanced analysis of these cooperatives’ capacity to generate social capital, and more specifically to blur the boundaries between bonding, bridging, and linking social capital, is presented. Evidence from five case studies suggests that multistakeholder cooperatives that remain at the border of their game, operating in both real and symbolic third spaces, are more likely to be based on and reproduce different types of social capital as well as social and environmental sustainability, while in turn reducing the risk of co-optation of their transformative practices.

Sacred (re)Collections

Abstract This article discusses how state-organized, memory-cultural production drawing on religious signifiers contributes to a sacralization of Turkish public memory institutions and public space. This reinforces an Islamic-nationalist imagination of contemporary Turkey. The article explores state-led, disciplinary interventions in museal space (the Sacred Trusts exhibition of relics at Topkapı Palace Museum) and commemorative ritual in public space, display and education (the rise, fall and recalibration of Holy Birth Week (Kutlu Doğum Haftası). Drawing on theories of symbolic politics, nationalism, memory and space, the article elucidates the sacralization of Turkish memory production as a contesting yet malleable negotiation of nationalism. Innovative Islamic memory practice and ritualization requires careful discursive and disciplinary boundary drawing, catering to theological sensitivities and Sunni-orthodox mores. Then again, the spatial boundaries between various memory-cultural domains are becoming less distinct. Today, Islamic-nationalist imaginaries surface in the interstices of public memory institutions, public education and everyday public space.

The permissible and the perverse: Indian geographies of interspecies sex

We argue in this paper that what separates permissible from perverse acts of killing, or sex with, an animal is a matter of material and symbolic space. We focus on interspecies sex –which is often, but not always, bound up with killing –to argue that what separates permissible from perverse acts of interspecies sex in India, or husbandry from bestiality, is where it occurs geographically in proximity to an upper-caste, anthropatriarchal imaginary of a Hindu nation. We argue that the state-sanctioned abattoir and its breeding facility are spaces of normalized exception, in which anthropatriarchal violences are relatively permissible, and on the same grounds as in the “human” space of the home. We trace interspecies sexual contact across spheres of bestiality, animal husbandry, petkeeping, and population control. We conclude with a queer bestial ethics of avowal, one that dispenses with anthopatriarchal innocence towards a more capacious embrace of the panspecies desire for touch and thriving.

Organ donation: A study of its representations among organ procurement coordinators and their staff

Making the life-saving treatment of transplantation available to patients who need it re-quires the cooperation of individuals and families who decide to donate organs. Healthcare workers navigate organizational, bureaucratic and relational aspects of this process, including cases in which a deceased individual has not specified a wish about organ donation and their surviving family members must be asked for consent to donate during a delicate phase of mourning. This research aims to understand the experience of these health workers regarding their work. We collected 18 interviews from organ donation healthcare workers in five of the major hospitals in Rome. The transcripts underwent a multivariate text analysis to identify the repre-sentations of organ donation and the symbolic categories organizing the practice of these workers. This research elucidated a symbolic space constructed of four factors: the "Context", in-volving family and health workers; the "Work purposes", including the procedures and the relationships; the "Transplant", which involves omnipotence and limits; the "Donation", which involves ideals versus reality. The characterizing elements of these representations, belonging to organ donation work-ers, are the prestige, the certification of brain death, the communication, the transplant, and the salvation. In the lives of these workers, to be a "bridge between life and death2 evokes feelings of prestige rather than difficult feelings associated with confronting one's limitations. These aspects concern the difficulties met by the health staff in their work, and they are useful ele-ments to design a focused training and support program for organ donor workers.

Photo-elicitation and the voiceless: Narrating the “lived experiences” perspective of informal street food vendors in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

This research delves into the symbolic spaces and everyday practices of street food vendors in Khayelitsha, Cape Town - specifically, how traders interact and negotiate their agency within food systems of the poor and marginalised. A key objective for this study is to gain insight into street food vendors’ understanding of the right to food and what it means for them as food system actors. Taking on a gendered lens, findings speak to informal traders existing in a complex space - caught somewhere between exclusionary urban politics, and waiting for the state to address the many governance and political bottlenecks that define the complex environment in which they operate. By focusing on symbolic experiences and actions of vendors in Khayelitsha, the study unveils the often invisible, ordinary, everyday realities of the vendors, through which ‘social capital’ is produced. The irrelevance of an actual constitutionally codified right to food for informality is also revealed through the qualitative essence of informal food traders’ experiences of navigating a livelihood in the fluid and unstable context of the informal economy.

Symbolic Capital as a Brand Tool of Sociocultural Life (on the Material of the Northern Cities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia))

Aim. The aim of the research is to study the symbolic capital of northern cities (semiotic potential) contained in "urban texts" and the influence of the historical memory of a multiethnic region on the political process of the region and the country as a whole, through a comprehensive and interdisciplinary study of the symbolic space of cities in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
 Methods. The study used the cognitive approach, the method of space-time analysis, and the method of historicism and questionnaire survey. Symbolic space as a text is a heterogeneous content.
 Results. The results of the study show the importance of a symbolic resource as a brand tool, first, depending on the political context and introduction into the collective memory through a constant "reminder" of its importance and significance in the socio-cultural and everyday life of citizens. The resulting databases of monuments served as the basis for compiling a virtual album of monuments and art objects in the cities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The research results can practically be applied in the field of education, politics, culture, in the study and promotion of the cultural and historical heritage of the regions of Russia.
 Conclusions. The urgent problem is the task of preserving the accumulated experience and values, places of memory, relics of the past, as well as ideas about the past that are stored in the memory of its inhabitants and the transfer of this knowledge to the younger generation.

English

Let $${{\cal D}_{\lambda ,\mu }}$$ be the space of linear differential operators on weighted densities from $${{\cal F}_\lambda }$$ to $${{\cal F}_\mu }$$ as module over the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebra $$\mathfrak{osp}(3\left| 2 \right.)$$ , where $${{\cal F}_\lambda }$$ , $$\lambda \in \mathbb{C}$$ is the space of tensor densities of degree λ on the supercircle S1∣3. We prove the existence and uniqueness of projectively equivariant quantization map from the space of symbols to the space of differential operators. An explicite expression of this map is also given.

Re-Negotiating National Identity Through Chinese Fashion

As cultural and creative industries have been used by china to modernize the country, it is critical to talk about the emergence of new creative subjectivity. The lack of creative agency in China is a deficit position from which these industries began to gain attention within the policy circle. Much of the research and understandings on Chinese creative industries have been at the periphery of scholarly discussion on agency, identity, social class and so on. It has not been concerned with the question of how creatives deal with the conflicts between economic rationality and cultural esthetics. O’Connor and Gu’s research in China on this is an exception (c.f. O’Connor and Gu). In relation to fashion, scholarly attentions concern overwhelmingly with national identity (c.f. Tsui; Clark; Kunz) rather than how fashion identity is increasingly shaped by universal cultural values. Segre-Reinach’s works on the influence of international fashion industry (esp. Italian fashion) on Chinese national identity are of particular interests here (c.f. 2009). In this paper, we explore meaning making process within the emergent sustainable fashion field, drawing interests primarily from small independent labels in China. Their attempts to connect with universal cultural values in the field of sustainable fashion are testimonies to how creative subjectivity is evolving within contemporary China. We argue that whether Chinese creatives are going to break through is dependent on the following three aspects: availability of a symbolic space nurturing source of imaginary for creative subjectivity; the exchange structures attached to local imaginaries; and creative’s esthetic reflexivity framed by sense of belonging to this symbolic space—“Chineseness”.