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The article is devoted to developing an interpersonal model of communicative simulations constituted by a series of communicative practices within which various forms of social interaction are reproduced. The theoretical basis of the work was the study of the concepts of “Model/Simulacrum” and “Mimesis” in philosophy and narratology. The methodological approach proposed within the study was aimed at parameterizing interpersonal interaction in a communicative simulation through establishing the structure of interaction, its participants and the roles they actualize. Based on the model proposed, a typology of communicative simulations was suggested. Three types of communicative simulations were identified: narrative simulation, simulation for entertainment purposes, and falsification. The first type of communicative simulations (the narrative one) is the indirect interaction between the sender of a message (concrete or abstract author, narrator) and its recipient (concrete or abstract reader). The communicative practices of simulations of the first type include ASMR videos and fake news. The second type (simulation for entertainment purposes) involves the interaction of communicants within a fictional world. The participants in the interaction are a particular sender/recipient of a message, an abstract sender/recipient of a message, and avatars (characters). The communicative practices of simulations of the second type include sexting and role-playing games. The third type (falsification of social practice) is the interaction in which one of the participants is unaware of being involved in a communicative simulation. The participants in the interaction are a specific author of the simulation, a specific recipient of the message, an abstract author/recipient of the message, and an avatar, which is a social mask of the author of the simulation. The communicative practices of simulations of the third type include telephone fraud.

Introduction. Technological transformations and the expanding processes of digitalisation, which have encompassed the space of an individual and social life, have given a new meaning to escapism as a form of existence and behavioural strategy. Virtual practices have become the most important component of life and activity of an individual and have created conditions that have strengthened escapist tendencies and moods. Theoretical analysis. The social phenomenon of escapism, including digital escapism, is the subject of interdisciplinary research due to the complexity and ambivalence of this phenomenon. In the centre of research interest there is the essence of escapism, the processes of formation of escapist consciousness and worldview, the influence of historical and social contexts on the evolution and demand for escapist practices. Conclusion. Escapism is a specific means of escape from the everyday life into the world of other-reality. The existing differences in assessments of the ideology of escapism allow us to reveal its contradictory nature, which consists in the presence of negative aspects that form the space of dependence (including digital), and positive components that contribute to the development of the sphere of imagination, thanks to which there is a deeper understanding of the true reality, awareness of its dominant role for the existence of an individual.

The purpose of the study is to define the features of kitsch in the context of its application in contemporary pop culture. To investigate the relationship between kitsch and hyperreality using Baudrillard's philosophical theory of hyperreality. The research methodology includes general scientific principles of systematisation and generalisation of the problem under study, which made it possible to identify and scientifically substantiate existing theories, conceptual approaches to understanding the content of the concepts of ―kitsch‖, ―hyperreality‖, ―grassroots‖ and ―high‖ culture. The following methods were used: analytical, historical, and comparative. The historical method helped to find the origins of kitsch and establish the chronology of its development. The comparative method was used to identify and search for properties and characteristics based on the collected information. The use of the analytical research method helped to analyse the data and form hypotheses based on it. The scientific novelty is a comprehensive consideration of kitsch in the context of its application in the modern era of hyperreality. On this basis, the specific features of kitsch were synthesised, namely: hyperbole, idealisation, commercialisation, loss of authenticity, superficiality, vulgarity, template, imitation (parody), mass and emotional manipulation. Conclusions. Contemporary pop culture is heavily influenced by the processes of globalisation and digitalisation, which have radically affected and continue to influence the development of culture in general. The result of these processes is the emergence and rapid development of kitsch Its characteristic features are hyperbole, idealisation, commercialisation, loss of authenticity, superficiality, vulgarity, template, imitation (parody), mass appeal, and emotional manipulation. These are the main features inherent in kitsch, and they allow us to unmistakably identify the presence of kitsch in a particular work of art. It is important to note that the specificity of contemporary pop culture is also dictated by the general context of its existence in the era of hyperreality. Most often, this is expressed in the hyperbolisation of the images conveyed. These and other features give kitsch a special status of an important part of pop culture, and also influence its formation by creating new standards. Accordingly, kitsch should be seen as a means of analysing contemporary cultural trends. After all, these trends are in a constant stage of formation and development, which require vigilance and frequent attention from contemporary scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary art is in a state of value collapse, which is the result of different factors: the process of art and reality becoming one, the influence of information technologies, globalization, and commoditization. On the one hand, the globalizing world finds it increasingly difficult to find intersections, which makes it impossible to establish collective and shared values and norms, and on the other hand, voluntary living in simulated informational realities breaks the connection with reality, leading to living instead in the giant simulacrum of hyperreality. The universal commoditization and the turning of art into a fetish create an anti-cultural situation in which there are no areas left outside of monetary exchange. All these factors influence the erosion of artistic values. The final stage of this process is sacralization through destruction and immortalization through the annihilation of the work of art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the motives for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The topic is explored through five principles developed by Kenneth Burke to analyse motives: act, scene, agent, agency and purpose. The major claim is that the war is being waged to ensure the longevity of the Putin regime and so allow the corrupt and power-hungry political elite to retain their positions. The kleptocratic state is kept afloat by means of waging war only through a system which can implicate wealthy and powerful individuals in serious crimes at any moment, suppresses dissent and produces expansive propaganda for the broader population. This war is a result of the privatisation of the political state and its deliberate transformation into the state of nature, which poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but to Russia itself and the entire world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Law & International Relations / Relações Internacionais no Mundo is the property of Relacoes Internacionais no Mundo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bulletin of Ablai Khan KazUIRandWL: Series 'Philological sciences' is the property of Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations & World Languages and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this article is to conduct cultural research of the specifics of the processes of virtual communication and commemoration that arise from the interaction between individual and artificial intelligence in the digital space of culture in the XXI century. The research methodology is based on the principles of interdisciplinarity, combining cultural, historical, and psychological methods of analysis, which allows to deeply understand the various aspects of influence of artificial intelligence on the transformation of communicative models of culture in era of Internet technologies. The scientific novelty. Taking into consideration the emergence of numerous cultural, creative, and leisure practices related to the use of digital tools of artificial intelligence, in the article, the article analyses for the first time the ways and specifics of commemoration using the creation of digital copies of deceased persons based on the tools of artificial intelligence, which are considered in the context of the new communicative paradigm of the digital culture of the XXI century. Conclusions state that from a cultural point of view, the circulation of digital copies of deceased persons in the digital space of culture, which have emerged on the basis of technological progress, aesthetic and socio-cultural demands of society, refers to the category of simulacra and forms precedents of socio-cultural impact on the environment and the person themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon encountering Deleuze's Nietzschean reiteration that it is the task of modern philosophy to overturn Platonism, as put forth in Difference and Repetition (1968), this article worms its way in, seeking to unearth not merely what Deleuze's differential repetition signifies, but also what such gestures generate in (re)turn. By considering Deleuze's intervention as a manifold performance of (re)purposeful gestures that put the notion of reversal itself into question, and after providing a brief, Deleuzian, exposition of Platonism, this article not only homes in on Deleuze's demiurgic detection of an overturning gesture paradoxically already present in, if not itself initiated by, Plato's writing, but additionally calls attention to other curiosities turn up when reading besides, instead of against, the grain. In introducing Michel Serres as a critical companion, this experimental article ultimately ponders over and entertains the productive possibility of framing Plato's poignant predicament as a (problem of the) parasite. Composed as fruitful conceptual personae, parasites emerge throughout this article in unforeseen manners, time and time again bringing new food for thought to the table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mavi Atlas is the property of Mavi Atlas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Baudrillard’ın simulark ve simülasyon kuramının sanata dönük izdüşümlerinin ve sanattaki hipregerçekçi pratiklerinin birey, tarih, din, sanat, coğrafya, uygarlık vb. alanlardaki kültürel farklılıklara göre değerlendirilmesi bazı ilginç tespitler ortaya koymaktadır. Zira Uygur sanatındaki farklı kombinasyonların ve bazı teknik stilizasyonların gerçeküstü anlatılarla yorumu, Baudrillard’ın simulark ve simülasyon kuramının sanattaki varyasyonlarını çağrıştırmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu araştırmadaki ana argüman, hipergerçekçi sanat ile Uygur sanatının mukayeseli ve ikonografik açıdan nasıl sonuçlar doğurduğunun çözümlenmesi konusudur. Orta Asya steplerinin önceleri göçebe daha sonra yerleşik hayatının getirdiği kültürel etkileşim kodları ile harmanlanan Türk sanatının mistik Uygur eserlerindeki olağan dışı sanatsal verilerinin hipergeçekçi sanatın üslup ve ikonografik belirlenimleriyle benzer sonuçlar doğurması son derece ilginçtir. Postmodern felsefenin simülasyon ve simulark teorisi daha çok yapay, sahte, yozlaşma, istismar, sosyal ve politik dezenformasyona yönelik oluşumları tenkit eder. Bu teorinin hipergerçekçi sanat bağlamındaki gelişmelerinin Uygur sanatı ile teması zamansal, kültürel farklılıklarına rağmen birbirine yakın üslup, içerik kesitinden eserler ortaya koyma motivasyonu ve fikirsel arka planındaki sırların olabildiğine rafine bir değerlendirmeyle aydınlatılması bu araştırmadaki amaçlardan biridir. Nitel yöntemin tarama, gözlem, alan yazın ve doküman araştırması metodu ile yapılandırılmaya çalışılan bu inceleme, felsefe, sosyoloji, tarih, teknoloji, iletişim, kültür gibi yan disiplinlerden de faydalanılarak diyalektik bir zeminde işlenmektedir. Simülasyon ve simülakrlarla yapılandırılan sanat, gerçek ile sanal arasında uzanan sınırları keşfeder. Hipergerçeklik perspektifinden, Uygur sanatının simülasyonu ve simülakrlarla inşa edilen sanat dünyası gerçeklik kavramını sorgulayarak, izleyiciye kendi algılarını yeniden değerlendirmek ve aydınlatıcı bir deneyim yaşamak fırsatı sunar. Zira hipergerçekçi sanat ile Uygur kültürünün, tarihinin sanata yansıyan örneklerinin yakın ilişkisi, sanat adına ilginç tespitler ortaya koymaktadır.

Snapchat dysmorphia is a body dysmorphic disorder where a user of filtered selfies becomes dissatisfied with his or her “natural” appearance and seeks surgical procedures in order to look like in the filtered selfies. This study presents the current discussions of Snapchat dysmorphia and proposes to further analyse the phenomenon against the backdrop of the concepts of hyperreality and simulacra. The critique of Snapchat dysmorphia is fuelled by the implicit dualism of “natural” vs. “artificial”, “real” vs. “fake” and takes place in the context of an unacknowledged effort to defend the inviolability and sanctity of human nature. In order to overcome the binarity and normativeness of understanding Snapchat dysmorphia as an “unnatural” phenomenon, this study proposes to view it as an instance of “second nature”. It is a habitualised practice, an attempt to appropriate, to manifest the already accustomed image of the self on the corporeal level. In this analysis, the phenomenon of Snapchat dysmorphia becomes a case study of the limits of our views of the relationship between selfhood and corporeality.

The purpose of the article is to trace the fictional features of the reception of marginality through the prism of social communication of the main characters in Patrik Süskind`s texts “Der Kontrabass”, “Das Parfüm”, “Die Taube”, “Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer”. The task is to find out the signs of marginalization of the main characters, to understand their symbolic essence, to determine the triggers that provoked the “borderline” state of a person, and the literary techniques used by the author to reveal the problem of marginality. Historical-literary, cultural-historical, hermeneutic, comparative research methods, sociological approach in the study of marginality were used in this investigation. The concept of “marginality” is interpreted as the presence of an individual in a borderline, peripheral state in relation to other social or professional communities. In the works of Patrick Süskind, within the framework of postmodern aesthetics, a type of marginal hero is invented, and some variations of him are built. The key motif in reproducing the mechanism of marginalization of characters in P. Süskind`s stories is the motif of loneliness in its various manifestations: the seclusion of the hero, his alienation from society, sociophobe. It was found that the image of a marginal hero is not typical, Süskind’s characters are different: the contrabass player is a procrastinator, the perfumer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is a brilliant criminal, the bank guard Jonathan Noel is a modernized image of a “man in a case”, the eccentric traveler Herr Sommer is a sociophobe. The last literary character is open to the world (three other characters can be described as “recluses”). The image of Grenouille is a simulacrum, and as for other literary characters, readers can find their prototypes in real life. It is emphasized that the author forces readers to look at the problem of marginality in a new way: these are not only scum but also creative people who somehow ended up in the peripheral state of a certain professional or social community. Such creative natures appeared in Süskind’s texts as a contrabass player and a perfumer – in order to clarify the mechanism and features of their marginalization, the author reconstructed the professional environment in the historical context in detail. The author`s reproduction of the specifics of the behavior of marginal heroes is traced: from mental suffering to suicide, with an emphasis on determining the triggers that provoked suicide. The analysis of Süskind’s works shows that the extreme forms of marginalization of literary characters caused the psychological trauma experienced by the characters. The writer is guided by deep knowledge of psychology, in particular, the theory of psychoanalysis, the phenomenon of procrastination, and suicidal behavior. The article decodes the socio-historical background, which is present as a dotted line in each of Patrick Süskind’s stories. They take place in Germany and France in the second half of the 20th century (in the novel “Perfume” – in the French city of the 18th century). Undoubtedly, the author, who is apolitical in the public sphere, consistently condemns the war, Nazism and its manifestations in all his texts. P. Süskind posed to the readers numerous questions relevant to German society: overcoming the legacy of Nazism, for instance, in music, the impact of the Holocaust on the psyche and fate of its victims, re-evaluation of the value system and the role of art in it. Such fictional techniques of postmodernism as the “multilayering” of the texts, their open ending, irony, parody, allusions, the reception of binary oppositions, the motif of energy vampirism, materialism, the blurring of genre boundaries, etc. made it possible to realize author’s ideas.

The influence of developments over time has caused traditions and culture in society to begin to be marginalized because they are considered unreasonable or pre-logical. However, currently many parties are starting to revive the tradition, including the government through tourism and involving writers. Apart from that, writers also express traditions through literary works. This can be seen in the novels Puya ke Puya and Natisha Persembahan Terakhir. The traditions described are people's beliefs about the rambu solo and parakang ceremonies. However, the traditions depicted have been influenced by developments over time so that the traditions depicted are no longer traditions that are believed to be considered sacred like previous societies. Therefore, we can see the depiction of the existence of a tradition through a literary work. The research method used is the literary anthropology approach which discusses the relationship between literature, anthropology and culture. This research aims to see how traditions and culture exist in literary works. The result of this research is that there is a simulakra process of Sulawesi culture in the literary works of the two authors. Apart from that, there is criticism conveyed by the author towards the culture that develops through the response of society as depicted in the characters. Thus, it can be concluded that the culture presented in literary works through the simulakra process does not just introduce culture, but also criticizes society's response to cultural developments.

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of ICT in Muzical Field / Tehnologii Informatice si de Comunicatie in Domeniul Muzical is the property of Tehnologii Informatice si de Comunicatie in Domeniul Muzical / ICT in Musical Field and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The impact of virtual reality on identity and the process of formation of «virtual reality» as its component have been studied. The relationship between virtual and personal identities is analyzed. Goal. To reveal the reasons for the formation of virtual identity and its influence on the formation of personal identity. Methods. The analytical-synthetic method, abstraction, generalization, comparative and systematic methods, as well as the principles of scientificity: historicism, comprehensiveness, contradiction, objectivity and concreteness are used. Conclusions. As a starting point for building a virtual identity, we establish a person, namely his needs for dominance, identity deformation in virtual reality. The impact of virtual reality on identity is coherent with the level of self-identification of an individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Deceit is conceived by ufology theorists as intrinsic to the behavior of UFO phenomena, often experienced as slippery and theatrical. In abduction experiences, there is what has been described as a simulacrum of medicine and science, whose content can be absurd and whose purposes are largely obscure. If we begin from the humanist perspective, we could say that these experiences produce antipodal stances—contradictory statements and affective postures that show intense paradox within a schema of play. I argue that this play has two fundamental and oscillating (or simultaneous) aspects. It is both bottom‐up, in the sense that it is a confined or segregated aspect of society, and top‐down, in the sense that it is experienced as a cosmos of aliens with unknown designs that manifest paradoxically. I argue that the terms of our analysis in the social sciences must reflect the fact that, in this simultaneity of opposites, these extraordinary and sometimes traumatic experiences are neither subjective nor objective but lie in a sort of "hermeneutical" middle ground that recognizes the deeply ironic and recursive nature of UFO phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Literature & Humanities / Edebiyat ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article considers death as a social phenomenon. Statistical mortality indicators are given only to characterize its all-Russian, regional, and ethnic scales. The focus is on the social aspects of causes of death with their conditional division into diseases of the flesh, spirit, and society. Among the latter, special attention is paid to the consequences of the instability and inconsistency of the all-Russian situation and crisis of family relations. Incidences of stable spatial heterogeneity of the spread of mortality are presented. It is shown that these trends are associated not only with living conditions in certain territories, but also with the ethnic factor, an example of which is the outstripping dying off of the Russian population. The role of domestic geographers in the study of the relationship of mortality with the characteristics of socioeconomic and other parameters of specific territories (the doctrine of geodemography) is noted. The causes and forms of the changed attitude to death are highlighted. The issues under consideration are closely related to the specific Russian problems of aging and old age, which will be explained in a subsequent publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article attempts a critical philosophical analysis of the ways to reinvent the production of contemporary media culture on the example of two franchises, “The Last of Us” and “Cyberpunk 2077”. Modern media culture is a complex mechanism ensuring the transmission of various messages through the production and subsequent human consumption of media products. Douglas Kellner, following Jean Baudrillard, positions media culture as a spectacle for pleasure. In the digital space, media culture includes a number of mediums, such as video games, movies, music, etc. Since postmodernism is an integral part of modern capitalism, the production of media culture for profit involves the (re)invention of various media texts. Using philosophical vocabulary, the example of the franchises “The Last of Us” and “Cyberpunk 2077” show how such media culture products are created. Simulation, pastichization, and remediation become tools for the production of contemporary media text and thus refer to what has already been produced. The article presents an analysis of video games as a simulative space within the framework of the philosophical categories of Jean Baudrillard, Fredric Jameson, and Gilles Deleuze. The author also analyzes the genre component of franchises using the proposed by Fredric Jameson terminology of pastiche, and the developed by David Bolter and Richard Grusin concept of remediation. Within the “The Last of Us” franchise we can see that the transition from one medium to another, from a video game to a film, is an actively used way of copying media text. When such copying occurs, there is a loss of interactivity with the media text, which can negatively affect the consumer experience. In the “Cyberpunk 2077” franchise the same transition not only does not impair the consumer’s interaction with the media text but complements it by connecting the stories of two different mediums with each other. It is concluded that the analyzed franchises, having a similar base of production, diverge in terms of creativity, showcasing the potential approaches through which media culture products can undergo reimagining and reinvention.

The article describes the existential category of the Other and the Otherness in V. Sorokin's screenplay for the film called 4, which was directed by I. Hrzhanovsky in 2004. The Otherness helped V. Sorokin to realize his artistic idea of post-Soviet Russia. According to Jean Paul Sartre, the Other conveys a feeling of the last days: without a single scene of physical violence, the reader develops a feeling of nausea. The essence of the Other is based on the principles of rejection, fear, and inevitability; the Other is the only verifier of one’s existence. In 4, the frightening atmosphere of the Other World is created by such artistic means as coding, dying, masking, and deconstruction of symmetry. They highlight the artistic intent to portray the chaotic nature of being and the absence of time, where human fate is meaningless, and people are reduced to functions in the game of life. The Otherness of the chronotype gives the script and the film a new code: the loss of the holy number four desacralizes existence, thus condemning the world and people in it to a life of hopeless dismay.

Donor eggs have become commercialized and egg agencies mediate between egg consumers and donors. Despite the rapid growth of this industry, there is a paucity of research focusing on the imaginary aspects of the marketing strategies employed in the egg donation commerce. This article is based on a content analysis of American egg donor profiles. Inspired by Baudrillardian theory, I analyze the marketing strategy and show how egg donors are perfectionized using cultural notions of hegemonic femininity, in order to attract egg consumers by tacitly encouraging them to create an imagined hyperreal ideal self. This marketing strategy aims to de-commodify genetic substance in order to facilitate the exploitation of consumers' self-concept for business goals. The identity of the donor is imbued with greater meaning for consumers than merely her genetic material, hence offers possibilities for the imaginary actualization of consumers' ideal selves. Consumers are invited to exercise their agency and form a simulacrum of their desired self and materialize their utmost psychological identity aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to problematize objects in the context of changing social reality. An object is considered within the framework of the work, among other objects, as something with extension (i.e., the property of occupying a certain place in space), impenetrability, and the ability to resist external influences, which brings us to the possibility of considering an object as a subject. The problems of interaction between objects and social agents in modern society are considered. The phenomenological approach and the theory of social constructivism were chosen as the methodological basis, putting forward a thesis. The authors pay special attention to the study of the influence of the transformation of material elements on the characteristics of social space through social interaction. The authors analyze the process of adapting the operational potential of an object in the context of a game. The influence of objects on the social environment and interaction with agents is considered. The role of objects in communication and their social significance is determined. The authors define objects through three aspects: activity, discursive and spatial levels. The main focus is on studying the influence of objects on social interactions and their symbolic structures. It is argued that objects determine the boundaries of a social act and influence the process of socialization, and also gives examples of their regulatory impact on communication. The work also examines the symbolic content of objects and their influence on the nature of interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While critical utopias sought to rescue the political import of utopia, recently scholars have questioned their overemphasis on literary forms and a disempowering pluralism. Challenging the applicability of these claims to one of the instigators of critical utopias, I provide a political reading of Miguel Abensour's understanding of utopia and connect this to councils as a concrete institutional infrastructure. This begins with a re-reading of his influential conception of the 'education of desire' in relation to the simulacrum as a utopian 'model' that, in rejecting identity-thinking, refuses to reduce utopias to a blueprint. I then turn to conceptualising the utopia of councils through the simulacrum on two fronts: first, as a form subject to innovation in the context of the dialectic of emancipation; second, as a content that aims to both 'democratise utopia' by embracing plurality and 'utopianize democracy' by expanding the realm of democratic space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mevzu is the property of Ali Sever and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fifty years after its first edition, "Forme estetiche e società di massa" by Alberto Abruzzese remains a book to be read as a precious testimony of the crucial transition from a sociology of social subjects, in their political and economic relationships, to a sociology of the imaginary, in its contemporary communicative and relational declinations. Furthermore, is equally important and fruitful a rereading aimed at identifying further suggestions and orientations regarding the dialectic between hyperrealism and virtuality, in the cultural horizon of the digital revolution and today's mediamorphoses of values. The objective of this contribution lies precisely in the proposal of a philosophically and semiotically oriented rereading of some important chapters of the book in question, dedicated to the code switching involved in the procedures of monumentalisation. These are traditional procedures of decontextualization and spatiotemporal delocalization, which found an innovative and emphatic development especially in the context of the great nineteenth-century Exhibitions, but which still appear capable of highlighting, from an aesthetic and ethical point of view, some crucial phenomena of postmodernity: charismatic powers and political correctness, the fetishism of identity claims and the fickleness of media consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Humanitas: International Journal of Social Sciences / Uluslararasi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Humanitas: International Journal of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article examines the code of painting and the media codes of other sign systems that are inseparable from it, forming a peculiar picture of the modern information world as a world of simulacra in M. Houellebecq’s novel “La carte et le territoire” (“The Map and the Territory” in English translation). The purpose of the work is to reveal the role and functions of the painting code and related to it media codes of photography, video art, architecture, advertising, and the Internet in the author of “The Map and the Territory” narrative strategy, that permits to identify some general laws of, typical for postmodern art, intermedial thinking and to clarify the concept of intermediality itself. We have applied intertextual, intermedial, hermeneutic, historical and literary research methods to conduct the research. The simulation, real world depiction imitation, which is replaced in the novel by its numerous “copies of copies”, begins with the first appellative structure of the text, the title itself – “The Map and the Territory”. The title announces the principle of replacing reality (territory) with its conventional image (map), which makes an emphasis on the intermedial prism as a decisive idea of world reproduction in the novel. Painting, as one of the most expressive forms of world depiction, is presented in the novel as a product of the simulacra multiplication technology, which is the leading one for the modern information society, where secondary modeling systems occupy an increasingly significant place. Painting, as a kind of litmus test, allows Houellebecq to show how various media zones, that create a distorted picture of the real world, interact and influence a modern person. Painting as “The Map and the Territory” central hero’s profession underpins the intermedial discourse of the novel, being in the focus of characters’ philosophical discussions and revealing its dominant role in the plastic accuracy of Jed’s paintings and photographs description. In the novel the literary text is consistently synchronized with the works of painters Koons and Hirst, whose images are depicted in the painting “Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons divide the art market” which opens “The Map and the Territory”. There is a verification of the painting by a word and vice versa. Multimedia spaces are superimposed on each other, giving birth to an intermedial, whimsical image of the modern world, which is successively destroyed by man, giving it to secondary sign systems. The idea of the simulacrum as a marker of modern culture determines both the form and the content of Houellebecq’s novel which carried out a “realist-postmodern synthesis” through an intermedial narrative strategy. Conclusion. The principle of simulacrum thinking, as a leading in modern art, was born by the world of simulacra in which modern man lives. The narrative strategy chosen by Houellebecq to demonstrate the secondary nature of modern ways of representing the world should prove to the reader, not only through the content but also through the intermedial narrative form itself, that it is necessary to wake up in order not to perish in the artificial world created by man as a “second nature”: a culture that, thanks to technological progress, erases a person from the planet’s map, leaving a free area covered with vegetation waves, where there are no people and cannot be. The pictorial code is dominant in Houellebecq’s narrative, through the prism of which the real world is shown in the novel. It demonstrates the modeling principle toxicity in the artworks based not on a mimetic mechanism but on the technique of simulation, simulacrum.

Barbie, the doll-symbol, the pop culture icon and significant prop on the artistic, political, social and business scenes, has been arousing emotions in subsequent generations for several decades. It is worth noting, however, that today Barbie is no longer just a passive instrument illustrating desired ideas, but has become a factor creating reality independent of her creators. In the present discussion, the author focuses on the interpretation of the phenomenon of Barbie perceived as an object and a thing in the sense of the Italian philosopher Remo Bodei. The article attempts to trace the transformation of the image of the Barbie doll from its creation to modern times, when its popularity peaked thanks to the excellent marketing strategy accompanying the distribution of Greta Gerwing's 2023 film Barbie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ICT in Muzical Field / Tehnologii Informatice si de Comunicatie in Domeniul Muzical is the property of Tehnologii Informatice si de Comunicatie in Domeniul Muzical / ICT in Musical Field and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Peter van Inwagen's short piece on the possibility of resurrection via simulacrum from 1978 has been regularly condemned for its overall implausibility. However, this paper argues that van Inwagen's thesis has been unfairly criticized and remains a live and salutary option. It begins by summarizing the metaphysics of the simulacrum theory of the resurrection alongside the motivation for such a theory. Next, it challenges the four main criticisms against the van Inwagen styled simulacrum model. First, it argues that while van Inwagen's model may appear unnecessary or irrelevant for those that reject his metaphysics of human persons, an account like his is necessary for those that desire to maintain the traditional metaphysics of resurrection (e.g., the resurrection of the "self-same" body). Second, it argues that his model does not implicate God in mass deception or irreverence for the dead. Third, it rejects the idea that van Inwagen's model is analogous to the implausibility of young earth creationism and its required claims like dinosaur bones being given the appearance of age. Fourth, it argues that his model is not metaphysically impossible for scenarios where someone is simultaneously killed and destroyed, such as in nuclear blasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we tried to illustrate how various literary and philosophical theories can be applied to interpretation of the play Balkanski špijun (Balkan Spy) by a famous contemporary Serbian playwright, Dušan Kovačević. In the introductory part of the paper, we analyzed the play Balkanski špijun according to the basic principle of Manfred Pfister's drama theory-the overlapping of the internal and external communication system. We used Pfister's theory to better explain in which ways reality figures in Kovačević's play and to show that his work relies on comedies written by the great Serbian comedy writer, Kovačević's predecessor, Jovan Sterija Popović. In the second segment of the paper, we considered the functioning of ideologically determined subjects, Ilija and Danica, and in the third and the central part of the work, we tried to present Ilija's world as simulacrum induced. In all the segments of this work, we tried to show how modern theories related to different domains of human thinking can be successfully applied in the interpretation of a complex work of art such as Balkanski špijun by Dušan Kovačević.

Copyright of Perífrasis. Revista de Literatura, Teoría y Crítica is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Problem Definition: Baudrillard's prominent popularity is due to the presence of essential theories such as Simulacrum and Hyperreality. He considers the post-modern world a simulacrum world in which the boundary between reality and representation has disappeared. In matching image and reality, he recounts four stages during which the image goes from the stage of reflecting reality to the stage of concealing reality, then to the stage of concealing the absence of reality. Finally, in the fourth stage, it reaches a stage that has nothing to do with reality and produces Simulacrum. This research explores Baudrillard's philosophy, mentions the four stages of Simulacrum, and reviews it in photography. For this reason, to explain the empirical evidence, Azadeh Akhlaghi's photo series entitled "By an eyewitness" has been chosen to answer the following questions: "What is the function of staged photography? How is Simulacrum depicted in this particular type of photography?"Objective: This research's primary goal is to review Simulacrum in staged photography, specifically in the photo series entitled "By an eyewitness".Research Method: This research is descriptive-analytical, and the data collection method is library-based.Results: This research describes the simulacrum theory and explains its different stages. While introducing staged photography, it concludes that according to the definition of Simulacrum and its function from Baudrillard's point of view, the main focus of the photo series entitled "By an eyewitness", is based on Simulacrum. The photos of this collection, like what Baudrillard mentions in the definition of Simulacrum, are opposed to simulation and have the power to produce reality; thus, they have obviously challenged the reality that happened in the past.

The corpus of modern Russian and foreign popular texts is analyzed, in which the simulative space is considered and the question of simulative reality as a manifestation of escapism is raised. The theoretical basis of the work was the works of M. A. Chernyak, M. A. Litovskaya, N. A. Kupina, V. I. Mildon and other researchers devoted to popular literature in the broadest aspect. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that today the corpus of such texts is a promising social project that claims to be one of the dominant positions in the modern cultural context. The experience of many years of work of the authors in the field of modern mass culture is reflected in the article. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the nature of such a phenomenon as the phenomenon of simulated emigration in modern popular literature is considered. It is shown that works about travels recreate the national picture of the world, broadcast national specifics and acquaint the reader with the peculiarities of human life in a different geographical space. It is noted that the mass text is designed to immerse the recipient in a state of escapism, forcing them to master, among other things, a mentally alien reality. It is argued that popular travel texts tend to create a more eventful reality

Copyright of Boletín Galego de Literatura is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Art Inquiry is the property of Lodz Scientific Society / Lodzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper attempts to consider the connections between postmodernism, aesthetics and Herman Hesse's novel The Glass Bead Game referring to the history of the last most influential manifestation of the theoretical and aesthetic thought of the West- postmodernism, also characterized by paradoxes. Based on a number of fundamental principles of the aesthetics of postmodernism and data on the work of Hermann Hesse, the specific relations that connect Hesse's work with postmodernism, are considered. This refers first to the ideas of the world as chaos, then aesthetic eclecticism, multiculturalism and finally game. Within the framework of the idea the world as chaos, the wide use of the concept of simulacrum in both Hesse's and postmodernist works is considered. Aesthetic eclecticism, which is "the dominant sign of the culture of the postmodern era" (J.- F. Lyotard, I. Ilyin), is also found in Hesse's novel in various manifestations. Multiculturalism, both as a social utopia and as an aesthetic principle, is also widespread among postmodernist aesthetes (especially L. Fiedler) and in Hesse's novel. In the novel the East-West political and cultural dialogue also deepens. Finally, the game, being one of the stable European cultural codes, is rediscovered both in Hesse's novel and in postmodernist aesthetics (U. Eco). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]