Search

This paper considers changes caused by new technologies that enable an increasing participation of average Internet users in the field of cultural production. From the perspective of pyramidal participation, different forms of achieving user participation in culture are presented, according to the level of freedom they achieve, that is the structure of the relationships in participation. The main argument of the paper is that development of culture can be accelerated by increasing participation in cultural production. Accordingly, a link between participation pyramid and the competencies related to transmedia literacy is made, in order to point out the potential that transmedia literacy can have for enriching global culture.

Period of fifties is marked by the dispersion of the extremely large number of cultural institutions, which included the construction of typological group of buildings of culture - Houses of Culture. The importance of this typology of buildings represented a clear ideological and cultural influence, which as a result had the appearance of their significance, in architectural terms as well. Historically, the time frame that covers the period from their construction until today, testifies to the fact that Houses of Culture suffered various social, ideological and economic turmoil, which caused the transformation, both in terms of their meaning, and in terms of the name itself. The phenomena of programme and semantic transformation of Houses of Culture are explored in the paper through causal links of programme configuration, character of architectural space, Zeitgeist and the problems of contemporary cultural needs identified through phenomena such as openness, diversity and co-creation. The aim of this paper is to present the results of scientific project TR 36051 in general, the outcome of which was to draw attention to the issue of Houses of Culture in the Republic of Serbia and demonstrate their potential and paradigmatic model of values. In addition, the paper emphasizes question whether the need for redefining the meaning of Cultural Centers, in the context of today, sets them closer or further to the original meaning of the House of Culture.

This paper investigates the context - cultural context and culture as a context - as a paradoxical structure that is simultaneously found within a space and outside of it. Therefore the paper differentiates between the space as a given category, and the locus as something that contextualizes space by giving it identity. The context needs a referential point and that point, paradoxically, belongs to the context (it is a foundational myth) and also resides outside of the context since it cannot be contextualized (that point is outside of time and space). Heterotopies emerge as theoretical instruments that indicate that every culture while demanding homogeneity still comprises varied spaces, different loci, nonconformity of words and things, as well as things and their contexts within a culture, thereby leading to a problem of establishing an order, rules of the order and its effectiveness. This postulate leads towards the language and the problem of communicability of culture, i.e. two opposed forces that act in every context: the one force that tries to close and thereby preserve the autonomy (politics of identity) and the other that opens toward different contexts (politics of translating).

The culture of a nation as understood by Slobodan Jovanovic (1869- 1958) encompasses all aspects of intellectual life, science, religion, ethics, literature, art, politics, law, army, economy, customs and leisure. The paper presents the phenomenon of a semi-intellectual as described and understood at the time the term was invented. It points to association with the concepts used in Bogdan Popovic's (1864-1944) 'theory of the parvenu'. The semi-intellectual's evolution ends with his taking over the position of the intellectual. The paper examines if the concept of the semi-intellectual as defined by S. Jovanovic is applicable to the present time.

In this paper, cultural factors of overwork death in Japan are examined. The frequency of karoshi (death from overwork) and karo-jisatsu (suicide from overwork) tends to increase. Although these phenomena are somewhat present in other countries, they are the most frequent in Japan, which, for the purpose of explanation, imposes a need for examining its specificities. In literature, these phenomena are most often explained by economic factors. Although the cultural specificities of Japan may also represent important factors of these phenomena, their significance is not recognized. Therefore, some characteristics of the Japanese culture which may be important for overwork death are examined. In this sense, maintaining harmonious relationships with others (within the company) and loyalty (to the company) represent some of the key values of the Japanese (work) culture.