Symbol Of Motherhood Research Articles

Monalisas Without a Smile: Female Characters in Romanian Cinema between the ‘false feminism’ of the socialist era and the ‘antifeminism’ of the 1990s

Abstract In Romanian Socialist cinema, filmul de actualitate (topical/contemporary/everyday life film) represented a topical genre that was supposed to reflect and legitimize – using the propaganda apparatus – an ideal but fictional society in which the protagonist had to be a hero with exceptional qualities, who reflected and promoted socialist ideology. My paper takes into account cinematic representations of female characters in this genre that reflect the Communist Party’s ideology regarding the role women should play in a socialist society. Once emancipated through work, their social roles changed in the 1970s as they became the symbol of motherhood. I will also discuss the way these representations changed after the fall of the communist regime and how the postcommunist transition highlighted the emergence of a new type of femininity when women were considered exportable goods, a product fitted for the free market.

«Живите в благоденствии!» (к вопросу об обрядах введения невесты в свадебной обрядности у калмыков)

The article deals with one of the Kalmyk marriage rites, the longstanding tradition of which was disrupted in the second half of the XX century. This topic has not been the subject of the research before. The purpose of the article is to identify the symbolism and origins of the fat-throwing rite in Kalmyk wedding ceremony. Methods. Methods used in the research are synchronous and diachronic, descriptive, comparative-functional and comparative-semantic. Results. Various variants of this ritual have been studied in many Kalmyk families, its comparative materials in wedding traditions of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples have also been analyzed, the ideas that determined the origins and functionality of the ritual among Kalmyks have been revealed. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the original symbolism of this rite is associated with the ancient form of the cult of fire, various deities as well as the cult of ancestors. The ritual of throwing fat during the wedding ceremony in Kalmyk family is aimed at making offerings to various sacred forces through the fire of the hearth as a polysemantic marker and entering under their patronage. The image of fire among the Kalmyks continues to retain its ancient form, despite the adaptation of Buddhist practice. It is suggested that the image of the ancient deity is a taboo in the ritual exclamation-appeal “tsog/tsog” directed towards him. In rites associated with fire, a ram was used as a “solar animal” with the” hot living breath (“halun kiita”). The original meaning of offering the brisket of a ram to the deity of fire in context of the marriage rite is lost. In the ceremonial sphere, it is associated with female symbol, symbols of motherhood, the emotional world of a man.

Women as a Symbol of Motherhood, Love and Peace: The Manipur Narrative

Women as a Symbol of Motherhood, Love and Peace: The Manipur Narrative

Philosophical dimensions of the symbols of ukrainian tradition: symbols of natural and sociocultural in folklore

The article analyzes the symbolism of the natural and cultural meaning of the symbol in the Ukrainian traditional culture. It is proved that natural symbols have artistic and socio-cultural symbols, primarily due to the social and mythological hierarchy. The images of birds that combine the heavenly and earthly world, the sacred and everyday cultures are united. The nightingale becomes a personification of art, the swan becomes an embodiment of experience and poetry, the crane becomes a symbol of the veneration of ancestors, the stork becomes a symbol of motherhood and love for the Motherland, the family. This is due both to authentic Ukrainian mythology and cultural contacts with the ancient and European worlds. Particularly complex and long-standing symbols, its philosophical and ontological content in Easter eggs (pysanka), since the pysanka reflects the ancient cosmological myths.

Women’s experiences of breastfeeding: A narrative review of qualitative studies

Globally, breastfeeding remains the primary method of infant feeding. Despite the indisputable benefits of breastfeeding, studies have identified both positive and negative aspects of women’s experiences. This article aims to enhance our understanding of these breastfeeding experiences. Methods: Using a narrative review approach, 26 papers using different qualitative approaches were synthesized in order to consider the findings of real-life experiences of breastfeeding women. Selected qualitative studies described women’s experiences of breastfeeding across international regions. This was intended to provide a critical review of the existing evidence and contribute to improving the knowledge of breastfeeding practice. Results: The inclusive studies yielded five main themes. The essence of breastfeeding was described in relation to a symbol of motherhood, feeling connected between the mother and baby, the dilemma of mother’s expectations versus reality of breastfeeding, and mothers’ need for consistent reassurance and support, and lastly social-cultural construct of breastfeeding. Conclusion: The findings identify the wider importance of breastfeeding experience that goes beyond simply providing the baby with nutrition.

The Black Madonna in Latin America and Europe: tradition and transformation

A cultural icon, the Black Madonna is a blend of the Virgin Mary and ancient mother-goddesses from Eurasian, Native American, and African cultures. She is worshipped and adored by millions of people around the world. In this examination of the dark mother archetype, Oleszkiewicz-Peralba explores the Black Madonna's functions in the varied cultures of Poland, Mexico and the American Southwest, Brazil, and Cuba. In these four geographic settings, the Black Madonna has become a symbol of national identity, resistance against oppression, and empowerment for the female population. opening chapter considers the Black Madonna in early East-Central European popular spirituality, folklore, and symbolism. Chapter two discusses the Virgin of Guadalupe and the creation of national mestizo identity in Mexico. third chapter follows up with a study of Afro-Indo-European syncretism involving the Black Madonna in Brazil and the Caribbean. fourth and final chapter discusses the Madonna in the form of the Virgin of Guadalupe in greater Mexico and the Latino United States. As shown in The Black Madonna in Latin America and Europe, this revered image has been a symbol of motherhood, protection, and identity in public ceremonies and private devotions, while subtly becoming a visible manifestation of the blending of cultures and religious beliefs over time and place.

Interprétation du « convolvulus » des égyptologues par Cynanchum acutum L. (Asclepiadaceae)

A unidentified plant, named « convolvulus » by egyptologists, is shown on numerous frescoes, bas-reliefs and ostraca from the 18th to the 20th dynasty (ca. 1593 to 1080 B.C.). Several scenes are linked with birth or breastfeeding. The authors argue about different botanical aspects: morphological, bio-geographical an ecological. All the tested identification hypothesis show significant lacks, furthermore impossibilities. A new hypothesis, the Cynanchum acutum hypothesis, fits to almost every morphological feature of « convolvulus » as pictured and satisfies every ecological or phytogeographical criterion. This hypothesis also allows advances in symbolic and historical interpretations: on one hand the white latex of Cynanchum acutum may be considered as a symbol of motherhood; on the other hand the fact it twins up on another symbolic plant, the papyrus, may match with a protective function.

Táhirih: A Religious Paradigm of Womanhood

Every religion has had its paradigm of the “ideal” woman. In Hinduism this has been Sita, the perfect wife who remains faithful to her husband at all costs. In Christianity the most eminent woman is the Virgin Mary, symbol of motherhood. Islam has Fátimih, Muhammad’s daughter, who figures in the role model of mother, wife, and daughter together. Táhirih, the archetypal paradigm of womanhood in the Bahá'í Faith, presents a startling contrast to theformer models. She is remembered by Bahá’ís not as the typical wife, mother, and daughter but as the courageous, eloquent, and assertive religious innovator whose actions severed the early Bábís from Islam completely. This paper will first examine the biographical details of Táhirih’s life, focusing on her years as a Bábí leader from 1844 to her execution in 1852. Then it will explore Táhirih’s meaning as a paradigm to writers in the Middle East and in theWest, both to Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís. But most especially it will look at the meaning Táhirih has for Bahá'ís in their perceptions of what a woman ought to be.

Prehistoric Venuses: Symbols of Motherhood or Womanhood?

Upper Paleolithic Venus figurines are traditionally explained as symbols glorifying female fertility. This study suggests the hypothesis that Venuses represent women throughout their entire adult life, not just when they are pregnant; therefore, it is womanhood rather than motherhood that is symbolically recognized or honored. First an estimate is made of the age group (pre-childbearing, reproductive, post-childbearing) of each of the 188 extant Venuses. Contemporary hunter-gatherers are then used to estimate the age structure of Upper Paleolithic groups. A comparison of the proportions of both Venuses and contemporary hunter-gatherer women estimated to be in the three reproduction-related age groups results in statistically significant support for the womanhood hypothesis. Motivations for sculpting the figurines, and their functions, are suggested by considering the probable economic, social, and reproductive roles of Paleolithic women.

A New Look at Navajo Social Organization

The concrete social system of the Navajo is ordered by the conceptual or symbolic system. The central symbol of Navajo social organization is motherhood. The symbolic meaning of motherhood is found in life, reproduction, and subsistence. It is expressed in affectionate care and in the giving or providing of food. The basic unit of the concrete social system of the Navajo, the subsistence residential unit, is organized, structured, and integrated by the symbols of motherhood.