Search

This paper aims to take a closer critical look at the multiple and multi-layered nature of urban centrality. Centrality is conceptualized here as a kind of prominence, perceived, planned and represented quality within the urban timespace. We employ three distinct ontological categories of the urban centre (centre-as-event, centre-as-thing and centre-as-structure) to take a deeper insight into the symbolism, ideological narratives and planning practices behind the genesis of the prominent urban places and times. With this approach, we expose even the seemingly subtle phenomena that (co-)shape multiple urban centralities. We are empirically focusing on the case of the city of Brno (Czech Republic). Attention is paid in particular to the period of socialism, more specifically to the influence of socialist ideology on the reorganization of urban central places and times. We are trying to overcome the traditional view of centralized and all-encompassing socialist transformation. Instead, the socialist Brno provides the case study to demonstrate a subtle fabric of overlapping, competing or simply coexisting socialist and pre-socialist centralities. We argue that the physical re-centralization of the city was in the end less significant than the efforts to symbolically recode the urban environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education-UK and British private schools more specifically are often framed as a global brand of 'world-class' quality. However, the increased competition within the international education market has meant British private schools cannot rest on their laurels but instead must continue to project their 'world-classness' in a way that does not diminish their brand image. Drawing on interviews of parents and key gatekeepers, this paper examines how British private schools in Nigeria (BPS-NIG) and British private boarding schools in the UK (BPBS-UK) evoked and projected their supposed world-classness through the strategic use of white symbolism and the expensive admission process. The paper contends that the latter are types of soft-sell marketing techniques utilised by BPS-NIG and BPBS-UK to sell British schools without imperilling their brand image. The paper concludes by drawing attention to the racial implication of framing whiteness and white British specifically as synonymous with high-quality, 'world-class' education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of sound symbolism receives increasing interest in psycholinguistics. Recent research – including empirical effects of affective phonological iconicity on language processing (Adelman et al., 2018; Conrad et al., 2022) – suggested language codes affective meaning at a basic phonological level using specific phonemes as sublexical markers of emotion. Here, in a series of 8 rating-experiments, we investigate the sensitivity of language users to assumed affectively-iconic systematic distribution patterns of phonemes across the German vocabulary:After computing sublexical-affective-values (SAV) concerning valence and arousal for the entire German phoneme inventory according to occurrences of syllabic onsets, nuclei and codas in a large-scale affective normative lexical database, we constructed pseudoword material differing in SAV to test for subjective affective impressions.Results support affective iconicity as affective ratings mirrored sound-to-meaning correspondences in the lexical database. Varying SAV of otherwise semantically meaningless pseudowords altered affective impressions: Higher arousal was consistently assigned to pseudowords made of syllabic constituents more often used in high-arousal words – contrasted by less straightforward effects of valence SAV. Further disentangling specific differential effects of the two highly-related affective dimensions valence and arousal, our data clearly suggest arousal, rather than valence, as the relevant dimension driving affective iconicity effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the use of metaphorical cards in psychotherapy with anorexic patients. The cards contain symbolic images that allow patients to communicate their emotions and connect with their true selves in a nonverbal way. The article emphasizes the importance of integrating nonverbal treatments like these cards alongside other therapeutic techniques for patients with eating disorders. The use of these cards can help patients establish emotional distance from painful memories and feelings, reduce resistance, and address conflicts within therapy. Overall, the use of metaphorical cards can be a highly effective tool in the therapeutic process for anorexic patients. [Extracted from the article]

Sound symbolism refers to non-arbitrary associations between word forms and meaning, such as those observed for some properties of sounds and size or shape. Recent evidence suggests that these connections extend to emotional concepts. Here we investigated two types of non-arbitrary relationships. Study 1 examined whether iconicity scores (i.e. resemblance-based mapping between aspects of a word’s form and its meaning) for words can be predicted from ratings in the affective dimensions of valence and arousal and/or the discrete emotions of happiness, anger, fear, disgust and sadness. Words denoting negative concepts were more likely to have more iconic word forms. Study 2 explored whether statistical regularities in single phonemes (i.e. systematicity) predicted ratings in affective dimensions and/or discrete emotions. Voiceless (/p/, /t/) and voiced plosives (/b/, /d/, /g/) were related to high arousing words, whereas high arousing negative words tended to include fricatives (/s/, /z/). Hissing consonants were also more likely to occur in words denoting all negative discrete emotions. Additionally, words conveying certain discrete emotions included specific phonemes. Overall, our data suggest that emotional features might explain variations in iconicity and provide new insight about phonemic patterns showing sound symbolic associations with the affective properties of words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article delves into the multifaceted symbolism of the ear in William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," exploring its roles in gender dynamics, political manipulation, and tragic character flaws. It argues that the ear metaphorically embodies patriarchal control, gendered vulnerabilities, and political corruption within the play.

The article offers literary criticism on Mary Elizabeth Counselman's story "The Three Marked Pennies," highlighting its Modernist exploration of language's disconnection from reality. Topics include early speculative fiction's empirical view of language, Counselman's pioneering use of Modernist language deconstruction, and the breakdown of linguistic meaning in the narrative.

The article offers literary criticism on Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," focusing on the symbolic significance of architecture within the narrative. Topics include the contrast between the schoolhouse and church, Ichabod Crane's power dynamics, and the community's resistance to cultural intrusion.

Schools are critical spaces for young men from refugee backgrounds. They play an integral role in literacy development, educational attainment, and providing a sense of belonging. Inclusive education practices for this group are largely absent in Australian schools. Research shows focusing on these young men from a non-deficit position assists with inclusivity. There is a lack of research exploring the agentic practices of young men from refugee backgrounds within schools. This paper explores the symbolic value of swagger for a group of young men from refugee backgrounds at a high school in Australia. A Bourdieusian theoretical framework guided critical awareness of power in schools. This research shows how a group of young men found a meaningful way to acquire social and cultural capital. Despite the school's constraints, this group developed a group identity reflected in their clothing and embodied dispositions referred to here as swagger. Our findings demonstrate the complex power relations at work, including the opportunity for the young men to resist and be included. In the spirit of Bourdieu's concern for reflexivity our findings point to the need for schools, teachers, and education policy makers to consider the workings of power in schools in more considered ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two experiments utilizing sound symbolism were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of how the sounds and letter curvatures of a brand name evoke image associations among global consumers. The study applied the sound symbolism context and empirically tested the meanings that US and Vietnamese consumers associate with brand names using the Roman alphabet and the Korean writing system, Hangul. The results indicated that the criteria for recalling the word–shape association differed when a brand name was presented to American and Vietnamese consumers in Roman alphabetical form versus when it was presented in an unfamiliar foreign alphabet. When Roman alphabetical forms familiar to both American and Vietnamese consumers were presented, there was a tendency for letter curvatures and the associated shapes to match. When consumers were presented with letters and sounds in a foreign language, they tended to select a shape that corresponded to the sound characteristics of the given names. The influence of foreign letter shapes varied based on consumers' native language and whether they had learned a foreign language. Only Vietnamese consumers who had learned Korean tended to match the shapes to Hangul letter curvatures, even for subtle differences in curvature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional Malay song about a yellow ship, lancang kuning, recorded in 1979 for a research project on oral traditions in North Sumatra, is still popular today and can be found in multiple versions on the Internet. This article tries to find possible reasons for this lasting popularity by looking into the meaning and background of this song as performed by singers and storytellers in North Sumatra. Through a discussion of various versions of the song-text and its interpretation, the article shows how the theme functions in different contexts in Sumatra and beyond. Exploring its symbolic value in songs, traditional poetry, stories and ritual performances featuring a lancang kuning helps to explain its continuing relevance in various social contexts of the Malay world in past and present times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"On the Edge: Life Along the Russia-China Border" by Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey is a monograph that explores the dynamics of bordering and de-bordering along the Sino-Russian border regions. The authors argue that state power, national interests, and border work have different impacts on the two territories, and that social groups on the ground define their home, community, similarity, or difference in ways that do not necessarily align with national frameworks. The book challenges the idea of a homogeneous understanding of states and borders, and examines topics such as security, migration, resource extraction, ethnic communities, trade, and urban development through rich ethnographic research and interviews. The authors also highlight the cultural and normative differences that affect relationships and mobilities between the two countries. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive and comparative analysis of the border region, shedding light on the complexities and nuances of life along the Russia-China border. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the meaning and significance of Gringsing textiles for people of Tenganan Pegringsingan village specifically, and for people in Bali more generally. People in this village treat Gringsing textiles as a sacred object that provides protection for the people who make and wear it. The textile's name aligns with the literal meaning of Gringsing, which is the absence of, or protection from, illnesses. The concept of protection interconnects the makers and the users. During the process of creation, the makers create protection through each step of the process; then, in reciprocation, the textiles provide protection to the makers and users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of the book "Ulysses" by James Joyce, authored by Nandini Ramesh Sankar, explores the symbolic significance of the mysterious herb "moly" in the novel. The analysis suggests that the composite object, referred to as "potatosoap," consisting of a dried potato and soap, acts as Bloom's moly, including the botanical ambiguity of the original moly in Homer's Odyssey, the potato's historical connotations in Irish culture, and the alchemical symbolism associated with the soap.

This article discusses the tyranny of science and the masses' reaction to it, considering the situation in which the overturned mask norm, which is different from the medically desirable mask norm, has been practiced in Japanese society. The model of the human being that science assumes is frequently inclined to be limited to a very narrow model of the modern citizen or a rational, ideal human being with sufficient information to make decisions. Such a metaphysical understanding of human beings and society does not assume that the masses will not accept it. As a result, science has no choice but to use mathematically derived fear to control the masses. Science will always have a tyrannical and magical character in the sense that fear is necessary for the realization of the scientific expectations of experts. To incite fear, technology should be not only scientific but also symbolic (ritualistic) in the society in which it is used. However, once the fear becomes a reality, the masses, instead of being increasingly frightened by it, begin to doubt the scientific explanations of the experts. As a result, the tyranny of science starts to collapse. It is in the masses, who are perceived as the furthest removed from science, that the opportunity exists for science to be relativized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Iranian Kurds' production of territory during two rounds of street demonstrations in October 2014 and September 2017. Findings from semi-structured interviews and qualitative online data indicate that Kurdish demonstrators produced imagined territory by employing embodied discourses and symbolic practices. Situating the demonstrations within the context of the Iranian state's securitisation of the Kurdish space, the article shows that the demonstrators deployed such discourses and practices as co-constructed tactics of resistance to avoid violent confrontation with security forces. The state's oppressive power and its securitisation of space, therefore, had the ironically productive effect of prompting demonstrators to articulate and produce imagined territory through embodied, discursive, and symbolic tactics. Expanding on research that has focused on the territorial struggles of minoritized populations, the article makes a broader point that marginalised yet persistent collective geopolitical imaginations – in this case, Kurdistan – simultaneously inspire and are reproduced by minoritized peoples' alter-geopolitical resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Michaël Ferrier's work, the color white primarily symbolizes absence and death. However, by writing the blank, Ferrier chooses to reveal it and bring to light what has disappeared. The absence thus materialized can no longer be ignored. The writer uses white as a memory tool that allows him to rehabilitate those forgotten by History, those he calls ghosts. Ferrier uses the shades of white but also the colors that compose it to bring his ghosts back to life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing people are willing to protect wildlife when they feel connected with nature, we used owls as a case study to review owl symbolism in Greek history (2900 BC - 2000 AD). For five millennia, Greek civilization thrived and used owls as a dominant symbol in major cultural expressions. Consequently, a broad spectrum of social beliefs evolved towards owls. Until 1500 BC, they were mainly used as decorative attributes. During the Mycenaean era, though, owls began to be worshipped as eerie creatures in funeral rituals, inducing fear and respect. When Greek civilization peaked during the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods, an important shift is noticed in social perceptions. Owls are transformed into major symbols of wisdom, power, justice and divinity, connected to the goddess Athena and the city of Athens. Their significance faded in the subsequent Roman period and was absent throughout the Byzantine era, for 1500 years. When owls reappeared after 1800 AD in cultural aspects of modern Greece, society again considered them fearsome creatures. We finalize our historical review with a recent survey in Greece, capturing up-to-date trends. Our survey indicates that today: (i) owls are mostly considered beneficial and deserving of protection, but part of the population still perceives owls as bad omens, powerful and scary; (ii) elementary concepts of raptors' importance in ecosystems are still unknown to many; (iii) a small but impactful percentage still deliberately kill house-nesting owls, outlining the need to educate and provide nest-boxes as a relocation solution. By performing a thorough review of historical perceptions toward owls, important insights are offered on how to positively connect people with their wildlife and cultural heritage. We claim that people who understand how nature was related to their country in the past are inspired and more inclined to protect it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Kasuga's art came to me; it is not the other way round", says Sugimoto, addressing the agency of ancient art embodying a rich cultural and religious context of Shintoism (Norimatsu [3]). Other artworks in this section of the exhibition include traditional six-piece folding screens adorned with landscape photographs of the Kasuga-Taisha temple and the long-exposure seascape works of the artist. Hiroshi Sugimoto, a leading Japanese photographer whose artistic oeuvre now expands into sculpture and architecture, steps into the field of curatorial practice with I The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit i . [Extracted from the article]

Trade policy and negotiations have lain at the heart of the Brexit process. Initial UK trade policy has been characterised by: (1) the need to limit the impact of changes in trading relations (mainly with the EU) to minimise challenges for businesses and the possibility of economic losses; (2) a strong ideological commitment to free trade, and related to that; (3) symbolic and 'placebo' actions designed to show that the UK can enact an independent trade policy. Negotiation of free trade agreements (FTAs), thus, became a priority of trade policy. This article explores how approaches to FTAs have evolved, focusing specifically on post-Brexit FTAs with Australasia. Overall, the desire to complete speedy agreements has at times trumped business and societal interests, and precluded the development of a coherent long-term UK FTA vision, revealing the symbolic motivation of being seen as 'delivering Brexit' behind the initial years of post-Brexit trade policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored incidents in schools involving the controversial campaign slogan, Make America Great Again (MAGA). Using a cartography of controversies approach, we located news reports to understand how educators, students, and families engaged with MAGA as a cultural symbol. In addition to mapping the location of each incident and grade level, we interpreted news reports through a cultural studies lens during weekly meetings. While discussing MAGA related incidents in schools we scripted a blogcast as we worked thematically with data. Our interpretations coalesced into three key findings. First, MAGA's symbolism, as an extension of Trumpian rhetoric, aroused emotions. Second, actors wielding the symbols exhibited entitlement racism. Third, those provoked to act in response to fear and anger faced a double-bind—they were at risk of punishment for reacting to MAGA and at risk of harm (i.e. political trauma) if they ignored it. We discuss the implications of the findings for educational leadership and offer recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores Elizabeth Barrett Browning's interpretation of Hiram Powers' "The Greek Slave," highlighting its challenge to racial norms and oppressive systems. Topics include the statue's symbolic representation of slavery, the critique of racial binarism, and the broader commentary on tyranny and oppression in different contexts.

This article critically reflects upon the symbolic role of sport in relation to nationalism and national identity within contemporary Scottish society. Drawing upon an ethnosymbolist theoretical approach, the article discusses: (a) the mythology associated with Scottish 'national sports'; (b) the existence of independent Scottish teams; and (c) the evocation of ancient Scottish history and warfare within the symbolism of Scottish sport. It underlines the import of sporting issues to ongoing theoretical debates regarding nationalism and national identity in contemporary Scottish society, concluding that ethnosymbolism remains an effective theoretical explanation of the nature of contemporary Scottish nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the role of color in the animation film "Loving Vincent," by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman focusing on its emotional and psychological aspects. Topics include the symbolic use of colors reflecting moods and characters, the significance of color in conveying emotions, and the choice of color schemes to influence audience perception and enhance storytelling.

In the Middle Ages, angels were a constant presence and participated with the faithful in praising God. Due to the manifold roles played by angels in Christian theology, it is not surprising that they were a popular subject for church decoration. At the abbey church of Sainte-Foy at Conques, the attention paid to and regard for angels was expressed to an exceptional degree and therefore provide an excellent case study through which to understand how monumental sculpture communicated monastic identity and exegesis. This article considers the formal attributes and spatial arrangement of the sculpted angels at Conques as they relate to early medieval monastic conceptions of angels' function and role within the heavenly community, providing the monks with a celestial model to negotiate the boundaries between the active and contemplative life as articulated by Gregory the Great and the Venerable Bede. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intimate relationship between religion and parties of the right in European politics has been well documented in political science, encompassing both the long-standing partnership between the church and Christian Democrats as well as the more recent adoption of Christian identity and symbolism by radical 'right-wing' parties. Yet in this contribution, it will be argued that in the 2019–2024 session of the European Parliament (EP), it is a third right-of-centre group that has now emerged as the clearest proponents of the role of Christianity in the modern-day European Union (EU). The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), led by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from Poland's Law and Justice Party (PiS), regularly and consistently advance the case for 'freedom of religion' and the positive role of churches as institutions in public affairs. While Christian Democrats have become secular, 'catch-all' peoples' parties and 'far-right' politicians are criticised for exploiting tensions over multiculturalism, it is the European conservatives, with their 'Euro-realist' agenda, who now represent the most novel and intriguing aspect to the interface between religion and the right in EU party politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mongolia the cat is viewed ambiguously. It is seen either as a good, a bad or an ugly creature, or as a mix of all these. This ambiguity stems from the cat's function as a mirror of Mongolian society, where the transition to socialism and post-socialism was traumatic, interrupting the cosmological order. This paper explains these diverse images by analysing old legends and modern folk stories about felines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a Tara thangka (from a complete set of 21) dating to the mid-Qing Dynasty (1776–1839 CE) at Daxingshan Temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China was analyzed using various techniques, including portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (p-XRF), Raman spectroscopy (RS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical microscopy (OM), and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Through a multi-analytical methodology, in situ non-invasive testing was complemented with an analysis of a limited number of samples. By complementary evidence derived from the above analyses, it can be determined that the thangka was painted on a hemp substrate, with common colorants such as cinnabar, orpiment, gold, azurite, and malachite, and porcine glue as binding material. These results provided important scientific data for the production crafts of the precious Tara thangkas, contributing to the revelation of its value in art history and enabling conservators to make informed conservation decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the impact of East Asian philosophical ideas on the origins and development of martial arts. The article argues that the ideas of Daoist philosophy were developed into 'soft styles' or 'internal schools' that are based on the doctrine of 'wuwei' (action through non-action, effortless action) which follows the path of Yin. These styles are in opposition to 'external' or 'hard styles' of martial arts that follow the path of Yang. Daoist philosophy of 'ziran' (naturalness, spontaneity) influenced 'animal' or 'imitation styles' and the paradigm of natural, unplanned, and unforced combat movements. The influence of Buddhism on martial arts is found in techniques of mental tranquillity training for the extreme conditions of combat. The work also shows the significance of Confucianism for the formation of a code of honor for warriors, which includes the ethics of duty and respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This book explores liminal and extra-ordinary spaces and how they function and complement one another in contemporary psychoanalytic practice and ancient Greek thought. I begin with my autobiography and describe how I came to recognize and live in liminal spaces as a child and continue with the early death of my mother and how my grieving led to the study of psychoanalytic theory and the transitional spaces and transitions in ancient Greek literature from epic to tragedy, showing a psychic transformation of culture from Homer to Aeschylus. This shift led to the interiorization of the "unthought known" from a matricentric to a patriarchal paradigm. I explore how to regain and integrate the feminine into a western patriarchal paradigm. I conclude with clinical revelations that liquidity in multiplicity can lead to a coherent self while maintaining its sense of the liminal. At all points this book represents the crucial importance of art and symbolism as a necessary component of the psychoanalytic imagination and emphasizes poetic metamorphoses as crucial a way to heal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When discussing the governance of immigrant integration, researchers and policymakers have gone back and forth in either conceiving national governments as determining immigrant integration or ascribing the local level as a strong influence in this field of policy-making. This article focuses on the regional level instead, which has so far often been left out of the picture. Based on extensive fieldwork in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration in the regional state Baden-Württemberg in Germany, we examine the character of immigrant integration policy-making in Baden-Württemberg in the aftermath of the long summer of migration. Our findings show the pertinence of symbolic uses of integration policies in combination with substantive uses. We make sense of these findings in light of an increased role of the regional level, the intrinsic symbolic character of immigrant integration, and the resurgence of anti-immigrant politics after 2015 in Baden-Württemberg. Based on our findings we counter a common binary of substantive and symbolic uses of policies and argue that these are often combined and entangled. Furthermore, the results of this study underscore that policy-making on immigrant integration is not reserved for municipalities and national governments and adds that the regional level plays a role too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on analyzing the spatial symbolism of Gregor's room in Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," highlighting its significance in reflecting the dynamics of domestic space politics. Topics include the evolving symbolic meanings of Gregor's room as he transitions from a member of the family to an outsider, the impact of his confinement on the family's domestic life, and the ultimate transformation of the room into a symbol of neglect and alienation.

Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling and Hayes PROCESS Macros, this study posits that product design triggers product loyalty and museum visit intention. The findings suggest that (1) Aesthetics positively affect enjoyment in product-human interaction and satisfaction; (2) Symbolism positively affects satisfaction and brand love; (3) Enjoyment mediates the effect of aesthetics on repurchase intention and eWOM; (4) Satisfaction mediates the path from aesthetics to product loyalty and museum visit intention; and (5) Brand love mediates the links among symbolism, product loyalty, and museum visit intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes how socio-cultural structures shape the interpretation and consumption of western luxury fashion brands among Kuwaiti Muslim women. Synthesizing solutions, which is the notion of two opposing ideas being resolved within consumption, is employed as a theoretical framework. Qualitative research consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews guided by photo elicitation was employed as the data collection method. The findings show that Muslim women in Kuwait "unveil" the sexual symbolic meanings of luxury brands through their interpretation of advertising. However, they then "veil" this sexual symbolism by drawing attention to their own modesty and utilizing the status of the brands to communicate their family name. The western luxury fashion brand offers a synthesizing solution; a delicate balance between constraint and choice, allowing Kuwaiti women to "unveil" sex appeals, yet also re-constructing such appeals to represent socio-cultural structures. Understanding socio-cultural dynamics of Kuwaiti women's fashion consumption extends marketing theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC) iconography has been posited to have had its origins in pre–AD 1200 Greater Cahokia. The recovery of fragments of an engraved shell cup, a few engraved pottery sherds, and copper residue from Mound 34 at Cahokia as well as two regional rock-art sites are said to confirm that the early Braden art style had a Cahokian heritage. Furthermore, on this basis, the origin, production, and distribution of engraved shell cups and copper repoussé plates have been attributed to Cahokian artisans. Here the archaeological context and chronology of this evidence is reexamined and found to be problematic—it does not support Cahokia origins for engraved shell cups and copper repoussé plates. The small amount of early Braden materials attributed to Cahokia are better explained as byproducts of the demonstrable presence of early Caddo immigrants and influences in the American Bottom. The skewed distribution and early chronology of Mississippian engraved shell cups and copper repoussé plates confirm they are likely products of Spiro-influenced ritual practitioners. The production and accumulation of such ritual paraphernalia at Spiro can most reasonably be attributed to the site's rise as a sacred place and central locus for regional pilgrimages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Love in the Teachings of Ibn 'Arabī" by Hany Talaat Ahmed Ibrahim is a book that explores the theory of love in the writings of the Andalusian Sufi Sheikh, Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn 'Arabī. The book examines divine and human love as found in the works of previous Sufi masters and then focuses on Ibn 'Arabī's teachings. It presents an overview of Ibn 'Arabī's doctrine and brings together important primary sources to understand his mystical philosophy. The book is a comprehensive introduction to the subject and will be of interest to scholars and general readers alike. [Extracted from the article]

Products are often valued for what they mean to people. The theoretical dimension that describes the meaning of products is referred to as symbolism. Symbolism plays an important role in product evaluations in pre-use conditions. This paper suggests a framework for the analysis of this dimension in product evaluations. Symbolism comprises varying mixtures of pragmatic, product, and user symbolism. Pragmatic symbolism, which includes the product's instrumental benefits, affects product symbolism, or the overall impression of the product. Product symbolism, in turn, affects user symbolism, which refers to the self-image of the product's user. Our findings, based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, suggest that while symbolic value formation often occurs in a bottom-up process, from pragmatic considerations upon which the product's image is built that transfer to the user, it can also be in a top-down process for specific types of products whose design elements directly affect the user's self-image. Symbolism is not a unified dimension, but comprises three sub-dimensions. Perceived usefulness and functional affordance positively affect the symbolic value of products. For most product types, the image of the product positively affects the image of its user. For most product types, the effect of product usefulness on user image is mediated by product image. While symbolism is usually formed in a bottom-up process, it can also be formed in a top-down process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working within the framework of the "city-as-archive," this article investigates recent place-making processes that have occurred in Seoul, South Korea—debates over the function and symbolism of Gwanghwamun Square. The nature of the dynamics in who archives a city is determined by which actors hold power in place-making. In turn, archiving a city is a vigorously political process. In order to understand how the actors of Gwanghwamun Square's place-making affect the visualization and formation of shared city stories and memories, three significant stages of development at Gwangwmun Square will be examined: 1) the construction of a historical site that archives political ambition and nation-building, 2) the creation of an icon for global brand-building, and 3) as the archival site of conflicts between political leaders' ambitions and their citizens' priorities. By analyzing three phases of re-development, it becomes clear how power shifts, and how the scope of stakeholders expands and changes. It reveals the city as an archive, how a public space has been (re)collected, revised, retrieved, and erased by different stakeholders during different political contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liz Moor's Communication and Economic Life analyzes the overlaps between communicative practices and economic actions. Economic actions can convey information and can carry a symbolic dimension. Communication practices—that is, promotion, information, narrative, and discussion—shape how people understand themselves as economic actors and also the actions they take. Moor's analysis is particularly compelling when power inequalities come to the foreground, as in her treatment of asymmetries in data mining and her treatment of how the contemporary employment system compels workers to engage in self-promoting communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly developed fungal-based materials have promising potential with regard to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enabling a shift towards a more circular economy. However, an important step towards their success in the bioeconomy is consumers' acceptance and sustainable consumption of these materials. Highlighting the power of narratives, this paper looks at the symbolic nature of fungi and discusses how common perceptions can be reshaped through narrative structures. We first identify common expectations, hopes and fears of fungi and then focus on how potentially negative beliefs or fears regarding fungal-based materials can be transformed through disseminating and reframing scientific information in a narrative structure. Specifically, we discuss characteristics of a story that can induce changes in attitudes and behaviours among consumers to induce sustainable consumer choices. To adjust and promote these sustainable narratives within the society, we suggest innovative science communication and especially citizen participation formats as adequate tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burnt frame of Grenfell is a site of sacrificed lives. Employing the imagery of the charred remains of the burnt-out tower as an 'optical machinery', this paper examines the iconography of the condemned tower block through its forensic remains. Grenfell as an inferno of suffering is a site of 'visual hysteria' locked through the screams of death and carnage of flesh, blood and bones. In the process, the iconography of the charred tower is a slippage of chronotopes, unresolved human anguish, austerity politics and a spectacle of interrogation through public enquiry. This archive of the tragic functions as a site of multiple renderings of temporality, testimonies and the 'hauntology' of the death event imagined both in real time, through flesh witnessing and as a repository of death narratives online. Coding it as an 'optical machinery', this paper deconstructs Grenfell as a mutilated iconography of necroaesthetics consummated through the flesh of the 'blackened'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to contemporary criminological debates on police visibility by exploring the relationship between police uniforms, artefacts and occupational identity. The article is influenced by visual criminology and semiotics and draws on elicitation interviews with officers and staff from four English police services. Participants were asked to bring with them an object or image that they identified as being an important expression of their occupational identity, which was then discussed. Most often objects or images were associated with their uniform. Findings are presented in relation to the visual symbolism, iconography and performativity of uniforms and related material artefacts. Participants drew upon visual representations in making sense of positive and negative aspects of their role and in defending their occupational identity in the light of perceived external challenges, such as reductions in police numbers and threats of violence and danger. It is argued that the communicative properties of this material culture play an important symbolic role in the self-legitimation and professional identity of police work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on his 'Epístola a Mateo Vázquez', this article studies how Cervantes captured through multiple poetic resources the soundscape of Mediterranean captivity and war. The epistle establishes a series of sonic archetypes that appear with striking persistence in the author's later literary output, which signals not only the potential presence of trauma but also a nascent critique of heavy artillery. By privileging the auditory, this analysis demonstrates how Cervantes' lyric voice summons the sonic resonances of fury as both martial and poetic power, compelling readers to contemplate the trans-Mediterranean violence that the Lepanto veteran and captive writer experienced firsthand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the IAEA's Mobile Radioisotope Exhibition (1960–1965) through the eventful roads of five Latin American countries (Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia), a variety of photographs were taken by an unknown Mexican official photographer, and by Josef Obermayer, a staff driver from Vienna. The exhibition carried not only bits of nuclear sciences and technologies, but also the political symbolism of the 'friendly atom' as a token of modernization. The photographs embarked on different trajectories, though all of them ended up at the training and exchange official's desk in charge of the exhibition, Argentinian physicist Arturo Cairo. The ones taken in Mexico also had a local circulation as propaganda intended to promote radioisotope applications. The two sets of images were intended to show the contrast between modernity and traditional society, but they did it from different gazes. Our paper argues that, in the case of Mexico, the photographer reinforced representations of the country which were already popularized by Hollywood for foreign and local audiences. On the other hand, the Viennese photographer's gaze delivers an autoethnography of his dutiful journey. We also argue that Obermayer's projection is one of what Roger Bartra has conceptualized as the 'salvage on the mirror'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Christogram, the sign combining the letters chi with a rho, an iota, or a cross, became extremely common in Early Christian art, in both the East and the West, where it was freighted with multiple and overlapping meanings, whether theological, imperial, or both. The Christogram's capacity to create meaning through letters and words was elaborated upon in later medieval art in the West, in a way that had no counterparts in Byzantium. In the medieval West, the sign of the Chi Rho sometimes assumed the status of an intellectual puzzle, the solution of which could lead to spiritual understanding. There was nothing comparable in the art of Byzantium. Following the crisis of iconoclasm in the East, the type of Christogram that combined the chi or the cross with a rho, creating a loop at the top of the vertical bar, almost completely disappeared from the monumental decoration of Byzantine churches, even while other types survived. One major problem was that the rho made the Christogram resemble ring signs, which were ubiquitous in Eastern magic from antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. The issue of magic had become particularly sensitive in the Byzantine Church as a result of the iconoclastic dispute, in which both sides, the supporters and the opponents of images, accused the other of sorcery. In the Byzantine East, the removal of the loop from the upright letter stripped the Christogram not only of its more overt magical associations but also of many possibilities for word-play and meaning that were exploited by artists in the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role and functions of Latin in the political rhetoric of Benito Mussolini. Through an analysis of his published writings and speeches, it investigates how Mussolini's understanding, perceptions, and uses of Latin evolved over time, from his early days as a Socialist leader to his years as head of Italian Fascism. Despite his limited knowledge of the language, Mussolini accorded Latin special symbolic significance and actively sought to cultivate an image of himself as proficient in it. The article demonstrates how Mussolini's initial association of Latin with the Roman Catholic Church and bourgeois culture gave way to a recognition of its political potential in the context of the Fascist cult of Rome. It is shown how Mussolini employed Latin words and phrases for various purposes throughout his political career. Particular emphasis is placed on the ways in which he used Latin to communicate Fascist ideas and to construct his public persona as the 'Roman-style' leader of Fascism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to assess the mental images associated with different categories of patient medical information, depending on literacy level. 52 participants divided into two groups (high vs. low literacy) were asked to draw the first picture that came to mind after reading or hearing information taken from leaflets supplied with medication. There were 16 items of information in total. The drawings were analysed using a symbolism grid. Results suggest that each group produced specific visual representations of the information items. Participants in the high-literacy group tended to draw symbolic forms to illustrate the medical information, while those in the low-literacy one mainly produced concrete forms. Each group had its own set of canonical forms. These findings underscore the need to use health pictograms in medical practice, providing they correspond to the social representations of individuals with low literacy, to ensure optimum treatment adherence and reduce the risk of misunderstandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at Lev P. Karsavin's experience with the heritage of early Christian Gnosticism, from his attempts at stylization based on his study of genuine Gnostic texts and his systematic presentation of Gnostic systems in art almanacs published in the Soviet Union, to his perception of Gnosticism as a kind of "other principle" in his original religious–philosophical texts. We show that, following Silver-Age traditions, Karsavin uses myth as a form of philosophical thinking. He teeters on the edge of Gnosticism, applying certain Gnostic concepts, but he generally turns to Gnostic thought only to distinguish it from his own, which he presents as authentic to the Christian tradition. He criticizes both ontological and anthropological postulates of Gnosticism: the hierarchization of intradivine life, the introduction of the cosmic feminine into the bosom of the Divine, the interpretation of the Fall as the kenosis of God in time, and the explanation of the perfect God from the imperfect world, as well as the type of religious personhood that leads to a rupture in theory and personal faith. We examine Karsavin's reception of Gnosticism against the background of interest in Gnosticism in post-revolutionary Russia, as expressed by Kropotkinite anarchists, A. Karelin, V. Murav'ev, Yu. Danzas, and M. Kuzmin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]