Comparative studies of Japanese mythology have developed since the 1920s above all through eftbrts of Japanese ethnologists. They have paid attention to the possible ethno-cultural complexes that brought mythological ...Comparative studies of Japanese mythology have developed since the 1920s above all through eftbrts of Japanese ethnologists. They have paid attention to the possible ethno-cultural complexes that brought mythological motifs into the archipelago. In the present paper the theories set forth by Nobuhiro Matsumoto, Akihide Mishina, and Masao Oka are examined in terms of retrospect. The result shows that they shared the view that at least three different complexes, based in ancient Yamato, Izumo, and Kyushu respectively, contributed to the formation of Japanese mythology compiled in the 8th century CE （Common Era）. Their assumptions were synthesized by Taryo Obayashi in 1961, the hypothesis which has survived until today. In future we should cooperate with other disciplines and address the formation process of Japanese mythology.展开更多
This paper deals with the Mangal Kavyas of Bengal, folk epics arising out of an oral tradition practiced by rural women. The female deities to whom these epics are devoted, like the snake goddess Manasa, are also part...This paper deals with the Mangal Kavyas of Bengal, folk epics arising out of an oral tradition practiced by rural women. The female deities to whom these epics are devoted, like the snake goddess Manasa, are also part of the folk tradition, far removed from the Hindu pantheon of gods or the Vedic ways of worship and are related to the particular fears of village life. There is therefore, a de-mythologized version of these deities represented in these epics, a crystallization of the desires, wants, and ways of life of the rural population through the figure of the goddess, a version these village women can readily empathize with, making these epics rich in social documentation of contemporary village life.展开更多
This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church （CC） in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze...This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church （CC） in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Catholic groups work, in particular groups of Pastoral Youth and Charismatic Renovation prayer groups. As a result, observations are presented from an ethnographic work in groups identified with the spirituality of Liberation Theology and from charismatic ones. Besides, the text shows, from participants＇ experiences, the differences between both perspectives of religious living and the detachment and lack of dialogue which exists inside Catholicism.展开更多
In many of his most memorable ballads, Cowboy Junkies lyricist and lead guitarist Michael Timmins combines imagery of seasonal change, of the year, notably of Winter, with religious and mythological references to crea...In many of his most memorable ballads, Cowboy Junkies lyricist and lead guitarist Michael Timmins combines imagery of seasonal change, of the year, notably of Winter, with religious and mythological references to create richly textured metaphors and analogies of love, loss and anguish. Some of the band’s songs which display these symbolic networks and thematic linkages which we Will consider here are “Winter’s Song,” “’Cause Cheap is How I Feel,” “Crescent Moon,” “First Recollection,” “Sad to See the Season Go,” “Good Friday” and “Ring on the Sill.” We will show that Timmins succeeds not only in rendering vivid tableaux of life in a world where Winter dominates the seasonal round, but also in making those exterior visions, in effect, objective correlatives of the inner lives of the characters of his ballads.展开更多
Given that preaching is the primary mode of public theological discourse for most Christian ministers, an intellectual virtue of verbal restraint is required when practicing public theology and it is wise to address t...Given that preaching is the primary mode of public theological discourse for most Christian ministers, an intellectual virtue of verbal restraint is required when practicing public theology and it is wise to address the ways that homilies can shepherd public discourse practices. A theology of rhetoric includes the homilist＇s moral purpose. Homilies either enhance public discourse or pervert it. This essay sketches a pattern of sermon movement that respects the logic operative in public theology, given the social context of America. Homilies can help cultivate the pastoral care of public rhetoric by modeling discourse that nurtures the politics of accountability. While many call for a public ethos where divergent moral voices engage each other in highly contested arenas, a precondition to practicing effective public theology requires that one exercises discourse in a way that respects the social limits on the free exercise of religion. It is important that a public theology of rhetoric clarifies the original social agreement for acceptable religious discourse in the public arena. Homiletics, as a dimension of practical theology, can teach preachers methods of pastoral care for public discourse. The social agreement in liberal democracies to contain the combative nature of religious discourse assumes a logic that is circumscribed by commitments to （1） religious pluralism, （2） theological agnosticism, and （3） epistemological pragmatism. Here we propose that a sermon＇s form, which implicitly touches upon these commitments, can tap into the basic modes of persuasion in secular liberal societies. This respects the moral purposes previously agreed upon and expected of partisans during highly contestable times. This calls for incarnational humility on the part of the Christian public theologian and it guides her/his practice.展开更多
This article explains how modern European travelers, particularly European women adventurers, described East Asia. Travel writings that are expected to be truthful are not free from travelers＇ own personal, cultural,...This article explains how modern European travelers, particularly European women adventurers, described East Asia. Travel writings that are expected to be truthful are not free from travelers＇ own personal, cultural, social, and political experiences and perceptions. At the turn of the 19th century, Europe was dominated by colonial discourse based on Western-centered textualized or imaginary knowledge of ＂the Orient＇＇1. The imaginary texts affected European travelers. In turn, their travel writings helped substantiate and reinforce the texts. European women travelers, who were in a relatively disadvantageous situation at home, enjoyed going beyond the sexual boundaries imposed on them at home by using their assumed racial superiority in the Orient. However, their marginal position in Western society helped them ponder their own understanding of other peoples and cultures, of themselves, and of their home societies. This article traces not only the surface discourse of travelogues on East Asia, particularly on Korea, but also travel writers＇ inner worlds, focusing on differences between men and women.展开更多
At the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, Vietnamese literature witnessed unprecedented innovations in the aesthetic thinking of writers and the narrative structure of their works. One of the m...At the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, Vietnamese literature witnessed unprecedented innovations in the aesthetic thinking of writers and the narrative structure of their works. One of the most interesting manifestations of this new movement was not merely the introduction of new aesthetic materials and factors, but the adoption and positive ＂reprocessing＂ of traditional factors---especially historical factors and folk narrative factors. Based on intertextual theory, we would like to address the strong penetration, reproduction, and transformation of some folk storytelling models and historical materials in Vietnamese literature since 1986. Two corresponding phenomena we examine are ＂historical rewriting＂ and ＂alternative fairy tales＂--as part of the whole process of incredulity towards grand narratives and postmodernism in the contemporary Vietnamese prose.展开更多
Ancient Greece having survived uninterruptedly through centuries, consists an incontestably cultural capital of overriding importance for the global community and especially for Greece itself. Mythical elements usuall...Ancient Greece having survived uninterruptedly through centuries, consists an incontestably cultural capital of overriding importance for the global community and especially for Greece itself. Mythical elements usually become frameworks or structures, in which Greek literary tradition encodes Greek national virtues and promotes nationalistic goals. On the other hand, myth＇s adaptations to different chrono-topes generate diversified cultural reception, adjusted to the era and the audience＇s expectations. The mythical figures are constantly invested in different conceptual schemata, which correspond to the altered way of thinking. Myth is also usually embedded in or underlies fantasy genre, which becomes a vehicle for utterances on women＇s rights. In this paper, we are going to examine closely three ＂fantasy＂ novels for children with mythical intertextual elements： The Fortunate lsles （1989）, Torch （1987）, and Sirena （1998）, whose plot takes place in Greece and we will try to explore： （1） how is Greekness being perceived and presented; and （2） how is female identity being introjected or depicted, in order to find out if the subversive potential of the fantasy genre reworks and rationalizes femininity and Greekness, which have for so long been exploited by the patriarchal or nationalistic status quo.展开更多
Environmental writing has attained a new relevance in the 21st century. In the present scenario, environmental writing becomes a social discourse. This is the result of a new, vibrant and growing environmental constit...Environmental writing has attained a new relevance in the 21st century. In the present scenario, environmental writing becomes a social discourse. This is the result of a new, vibrant and growing environmental constituency in societies such as Brazil, India, Thailand and other Third World Countries. The features of environmental writing include a visible concern for social justice, defence of livelihood and the determining part played by women. This new discourse has emerged with a new focus on redefinition of terms like human rights, common good, democracy and CPRs （common property resources）. Environmental Writing becomes a powerful discourse when it protests against the increasingly intrusive and interventionist developmental projects, implemented by the government, which in turn assert dominion over indigenous people of the land. There is also a strong emphasis on prudence among the poor as contrasted to the ecological profligacy of the rich. This paper is an attempt to examine the voices of dissent and the accountability of postmodern writers and environmental activists in India regarding environmental issues in India.展开更多
Alarm calls are emitted by Richardson＇s ground squirrels Urocitellus richardsonii in response to avian and terrestrial predators. Conspecifics detecting these calls respond with increased vigilance, promoting predato...Alarm calls are emitted by Richardson＇s ground squirrels Urocitellus richardsonii in response to avian and terrestrial predators. Conspecifics detecting these calls respond with increased vigilance, promoting predator detection and evasion, but in doing so, lose time from foraging. That loss can be minimized if alarm call recipients discriminate among signalers, and weight their response accordingly. For juvenile ground squirrels, we predicted that the trade-off between foraging and vigilance could be optimized via selective response to alarm calls emitted by their own dam, and/or neighboring colony members over calls broad- cast by less familiar conspecifics. Alarm calls of adult female Richardson＇s ground squirrels were elicited in the field using a predator model and recorded on digital audio tape. Free-living focal juveniles were subjected to playbacks of a call of their mother, and on a separate occasion a call from either another adult female from their own colony, or an adult female from another colony. Neither immediate postural responses and escape behavior, nor the duration of vigilance manifested by juveniles differed with exposure to alarm calls of the three adult female signaler types. Thus, juveniles did not respond preferentially to alarm calls emitted by their mothers or colony members, likely reflecting the high cost of ignoring alarm signals where receivers have had limited opportunity to establish past signaler reliability [Current Zoology 58 （5）： 773-780, 2012].展开更多
This article will discuss how the official discourse on the Chinese Dream is transformed in the meeting with the public in China. The Chinese Dream will be discussed both as a political framing discourse and as a publ...This article will discuss how the official discourse on the Chinese Dream is transformed in the meeting with the public in China. The Chinese Dream will be discussed both as a political framing discourse and as a public communication campaign in order to understand how the very selective responsiveness to the central theme of the Chinese Dream, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation, influences the impact of the Dream discourse. An analysis of a selection of posts from Sina Weibo demonstrates how the Dream discourse contributes to national identity building, or in Benedict Anderson＇s words （in Imagined communities： Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, 1991）： to the imagined community that is China.展开更多
文摘Comparative studies of Japanese mythology have developed since the 1920s above all through eftbrts of Japanese ethnologists. They have paid attention to the possible ethno-cultural complexes that brought mythological motifs into the archipelago. In the present paper the theories set forth by Nobuhiro Matsumoto, Akihide Mishina, and Masao Oka are examined in terms of retrospect. The result shows that they shared the view that at least three different complexes, based in ancient Yamato, Izumo, and Kyushu respectively, contributed to the formation of Japanese mythology compiled in the 8th century CE （Common Era）. Their assumptions were synthesized by Taryo Obayashi in 1961, the hypothesis which has survived until today. In future we should cooperate with other disciplines and address the formation process of Japanese mythology.
文摘This paper deals with the Mangal Kavyas of Bengal, folk epics arising out of an oral tradition practiced by rural women. The female deities to whom these epics are devoted, like the snake goddess Manasa, are also part of the folk tradition, far removed from the Hindu pantheon of gods or the Vedic ways of worship and are related to the particular fears of village life. There is therefore, a de-mythologized version of these deities represented in these epics, a crystallization of the desires, wants, and ways of life of the rural population through the figure of the goddess, a version these village women can readily empathize with, making these epics rich in social documentation of contemporary village life.
文摘This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church （CC） in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Catholic groups work, in particular groups of Pastoral Youth and Charismatic Renovation prayer groups. As a result, observations are presented from an ethnographic work in groups identified with the spirituality of Liberation Theology and from charismatic ones. Besides, the text shows, from participants＇ experiences, the differences between both perspectives of religious living and the detachment and lack of dialogue which exists inside Catholicism.
文摘In many of his most memorable ballads, Cowboy Junkies lyricist and lead guitarist Michael Timmins combines imagery of seasonal change, of the year, notably of Winter, with religious and mythological references to create richly textured metaphors and analogies of love, loss and anguish. Some of the band’s songs which display these symbolic networks and thematic linkages which we Will consider here are “Winter’s Song,” “’Cause Cheap is How I Feel,” “Crescent Moon,” “First Recollection,” “Sad to See the Season Go,” “Good Friday” and “Ring on the Sill.” We will show that Timmins succeeds not only in rendering vivid tableaux of life in a world where Winter dominates the seasonal round, but also in making those exterior visions, in effect, objective correlatives of the inner lives of the characters of his ballads.
文摘Given that preaching is the primary mode of public theological discourse for most Christian ministers, an intellectual virtue of verbal restraint is required when practicing public theology and it is wise to address the ways that homilies can shepherd public discourse practices. A theology of rhetoric includes the homilist＇s moral purpose. Homilies either enhance public discourse or pervert it. This essay sketches a pattern of sermon movement that respects the logic operative in public theology, given the social context of America. Homilies can help cultivate the pastoral care of public rhetoric by modeling discourse that nurtures the politics of accountability. While many call for a public ethos where divergent moral voices engage each other in highly contested arenas, a precondition to practicing effective public theology requires that one exercises discourse in a way that respects the social limits on the free exercise of religion. It is important that a public theology of rhetoric clarifies the original social agreement for acceptable religious discourse in the public arena. Homiletics, as a dimension of practical theology, can teach preachers methods of pastoral care for public discourse. The social agreement in liberal democracies to contain the combative nature of religious discourse assumes a logic that is circumscribed by commitments to （1） religious pluralism, （2） theological agnosticism, and （3） epistemological pragmatism. Here we propose that a sermon＇s form, which implicitly touches upon these commitments, can tap into the basic modes of persuasion in secular liberal societies. This respects the moral purposes previously agreed upon and expected of partisans during highly contestable times. This calls for incarnational humility on the part of the Christian public theologian and it guides her/his practice.
文摘This article explains how modern European travelers, particularly European women adventurers, described East Asia. Travel writings that are expected to be truthful are not free from travelers＇ own personal, cultural, social, and political experiences and perceptions. At the turn of the 19th century, Europe was dominated by colonial discourse based on Western-centered textualized or imaginary knowledge of ＂the Orient＇＇1. The imaginary texts affected European travelers. In turn, their travel writings helped substantiate and reinforce the texts. European women travelers, who were in a relatively disadvantageous situation at home, enjoyed going beyond the sexual boundaries imposed on them at home by using their assumed racial superiority in the Orient. However, their marginal position in Western society helped them ponder their own understanding of other peoples and cultures, of themselves, and of their home societies. This article traces not only the surface discourse of travelogues on East Asia, particularly on Korea, but also travel writers＇ inner worlds, focusing on differences between men and women.
文摘At the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, Vietnamese literature witnessed unprecedented innovations in the aesthetic thinking of writers and the narrative structure of their works. One of the most interesting manifestations of this new movement was not merely the introduction of new aesthetic materials and factors, but the adoption and positive ＂reprocessing＂ of traditional factors---especially historical factors and folk narrative factors. Based on intertextual theory, we would like to address the strong penetration, reproduction, and transformation of some folk storytelling models and historical materials in Vietnamese literature since 1986. Two corresponding phenomena we examine are ＂historical rewriting＂ and ＂alternative fairy tales＂--as part of the whole process of incredulity towards grand narratives and postmodernism in the contemporary Vietnamese prose.
文摘Ancient Greece having survived uninterruptedly through centuries, consists an incontestably cultural capital of overriding importance for the global community and especially for Greece itself. Mythical elements usually become frameworks or structures, in which Greek literary tradition encodes Greek national virtues and promotes nationalistic goals. On the other hand, myth＇s adaptations to different chrono-topes generate diversified cultural reception, adjusted to the era and the audience＇s expectations. The mythical figures are constantly invested in different conceptual schemata, which correspond to the altered way of thinking. Myth is also usually embedded in or underlies fantasy genre, which becomes a vehicle for utterances on women＇s rights. In this paper, we are going to examine closely three ＂fantasy＂ novels for children with mythical intertextual elements： The Fortunate lsles （1989）, Torch （1987）, and Sirena （1998）, whose plot takes place in Greece and we will try to explore： （1） how is Greekness being perceived and presented; and （2） how is female identity being introjected or depicted, in order to find out if the subversive potential of the fantasy genre reworks and rationalizes femininity and Greekness, which have for so long been exploited by the patriarchal or nationalistic status quo.
文摘Environmental writing has attained a new relevance in the 21st century. In the present scenario, environmental writing becomes a social discourse. This is the result of a new, vibrant and growing environmental constituency in societies such as Brazil, India, Thailand and other Third World Countries. The features of environmental writing include a visible concern for social justice, defence of livelihood and the determining part played by women. This new discourse has emerged with a new focus on redefinition of terms like human rights, common good, democracy and CPRs （common property resources）. Environmental Writing becomes a powerful discourse when it protests against the increasingly intrusive and interventionist developmental projects, implemented by the government, which in turn assert dominion over indigenous people of the land. There is also a strong emphasis on prudence among the poor as contrasted to the ecological profligacy of the rich. This paper is an attempt to examine the voices of dissent and the accountability of postmodern writers and environmental activists in India regarding environmental issues in India.
文摘Alarm calls are emitted by Richardson＇s ground squirrels Urocitellus richardsonii in response to avian and terrestrial predators. Conspecifics detecting these calls respond with increased vigilance, promoting predator detection and evasion, but in doing so, lose time from foraging. That loss can be minimized if alarm call recipients discriminate among signalers, and weight their response accordingly. For juvenile ground squirrels, we predicted that the trade-off between foraging and vigilance could be optimized via selective response to alarm calls emitted by their own dam, and/or neighboring colony members over calls broad- cast by less familiar conspecifics. Alarm calls of adult female Richardson＇s ground squirrels were elicited in the field using a predator model and recorded on digital audio tape. Free-living focal juveniles were subjected to playbacks of a call of their mother, and on a separate occasion a call from either another adult female from their own colony, or an adult female from another colony. Neither immediate postural responses and escape behavior, nor the duration of vigilance manifested by juveniles differed with exposure to alarm calls of the three adult female signaler types. Thus, juveniles did not respond preferentially to alarm calls emitted by their mothers or colony members, likely reflecting the high cost of ignoring alarm signals where receivers have had limited opportunity to establish past signaler reliability [Current Zoology 58 （5）： 773-780, 2012].
文摘This article will discuss how the official discourse on the Chinese Dream is transformed in the meeting with the public in China. The Chinese Dream will be discussed both as a political framing discourse and as a public communication campaign in order to understand how the very selective responsiveness to the central theme of the Chinese Dream, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation, influences the impact of the Dream discourse. An analysis of a selection of posts from Sina Weibo demonstrates how the Dream discourse contributes to national identity building, or in Benedict Anderson＇s words （in Imagined communities： Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, 1991）： to the imagined community that is China.
