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The book review in the Sixteenth Century Journal discusses the collection "Sacred and Secular Transactions in the Age of Shakespeare," edited by Katherine Steele Brokaw and Jay Zysk. The collection explores the intersection of the sacred and secular in literary and dramatic works, emphasizing the coalescence of these themes in performance narratives. Divided into four parts with essays from early modern drama specialists, the volume challenges traditional binary views and highlights the complex relationship between religious and secular elements in Shakespeare's plays and other works of the era. The review praises the scholarly volume for its insightful analysis of the intertwining of the sacred and the secular in Renaissance literature and drama. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: This study addresses demographic changes at HBCUs and proposes an anti-colonial organizational framework for Historically Black emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions (HB-eHSIs, also referred to as Hispanic-serving HBCUs) to support both Black and Brown students while preserving the historic mission of HBCUs. Methods: We use qualitative methodology and rely on 45–60 minute semi-structured interviews with 15 faculty and administrators from three Historically Black emerging HSIs in Texas to develop the proposed organizational framework. Results: Findings are highlighted through four key tenets, each operationalized based on themes from extant literature and the practices and organizational logics of Black and Brown faculty and staff at HBeHSIs: 1. Tending to white settler colonialism, 2. Tending to fiscal precarity, 3. Tending to sacred spaces, 4. Tending to fallacious notions of essentialism. Discussion: The proposed framework aims to foster solidarity between Black and Brown students and challenge oppressive systems through a radically inclusive approach to serving both communities. Recommendations include reexamining leadership structures, forming coalitions, and creating consortiums to support HBCUs' evolving needs and diverse student populations. Findings also emphasize the need for dual federal designation for HB-eHSIs to secure funding and legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early modern Catholic shrines were sites of emotional encounters. It was there that the sacred manifested and lives were changed by miracles. This article contributes to our understanding of what made a shrine legitimate in early modern Catholicism through close examination of the sixteenth-century Italian shrine of the Madonna of Lendinara. The role of miraculous shrines in devotional life came under new scrutiny in the period following the Council of Trent (1545–63). By foregrounding the co-productive relationship between emotions and sacred space, I argue that emotional practices endowed the Lendinara shrine with spiritual authenticity and contributed towards its institutional approval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how South African gym culture crafts racialised, gendered and classed identities through the aesthetics of the body (“bodywork”) and the discipline of diet (“foodwork”). Following various scholars who have conceptualised fitness regimes as religion, I conceptualise gym culture as a form of “wild religion”. Challenging mainstream literature on fitness and masculinity – which largely overlooks race and class dynamics – I draw on autobiographical embodied experiences within fitness spaces to reveal the power of this culture to function as a quasi-religious domain, with its own symbols, rituals and beliefs. This analysis exposes how ideals of masculinity are forged within these sacred spaces, underscoring the need to interrogate how race and class intricately shape these ideals in ways that are often hidden from view. By reframing fitness as a site where masculinities are not only formed but ritualised, this work calls for a new understanding of gym culture as a potent arena for exploring race, class and masculine identity in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 3 Maccabees, the timely prayers of two priests, Simon and Eleazar, save the people and their various holy spaces. However, one related ritual element that is often overlooked is the socially disruptive mourning rites of vulnerable women. These performances immediately precede both highly efficacious prayers and accompany the arrests of those Jewish people who resisted Ptolemy’s decree. The cities, their various urban social functions, childcare, and marital rituals are all disrupted in a hyperbolic description of the disorder caused by Ptolemy’s wanton attacks on explicitly Jewish spaces. In all three cases, the texts present a highly stylized description of mourning performed in ways that disrupt and subvert the spatial expectations of the urban environs of the narrative’s setting. This disorder is best understood as a ritual focusing that leads to the dramatic prayers of the two priests that counteract Ptolemy’s spatial trespasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the changes made to the Roman General Calendar after Vatican II, focusing on the liturgical year's structure and the prioritization of Sunday and liturgical seasons. It highlights the challenges faced during the reform process and the controversies surrounding the decisions made. The text also addresses the issue of votive feasts, their historical origins, and the objections raised against their reduction. Additionally, it examines the primacy of Sunday in liturgical celebrations and the potential impact of thematic diversions on the liturgical calendar. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to reflect on the dilution of principles established by the liturgical movement and Vatican II to prevent confusion in the liturgical year. [Extracted from the article]

This essay explores the various types of spaces, primarily montane forested areas, where human access was restricted, either conditionally or entirely, during late imperial times. The range of restrictions always included felling trees, but often also encompassed other forms of extraction from local ecosystems. Based on the motivations for setting up and regulating such zones, it proposes a typology that includes imperial parks and graves, sacred sites, military exclusion zones, and certain forested commons. Based on some commonalities between these types, it concludes by reflecting on the place of notions of sacrality in local policies that directly impacted forested areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Dadan, the capital of the kingdom of Dadan and, later on, of Lihyan, was an important trading hub and place of worship in North‐West Arabia during the first millennium BCE. Located in the AlUla valley (Saudi Arabia), with naturally available fresh water, fertile soil and relative ease of travel through it, people gathered there for trade, religious ceremonies and cultural exchange, as attested by the sanctuaries, artefacts and inscriptions in the area around Dadan. In this work, the connection of the main sacred and funerary monuments of ancient Dadan and associated neighbouring sites with the surrounding landscape and skyscape was explored from an archaeoastronomical perspective. The results suggest that the observation of particular astronomical phenomena was considered for the location and orientation of the sacred spaces included in the sample. Together with epigraphic and archaeological sources, these results offer new clues about different aspects of social and religious life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "The Foci of Worship" by Michael P. V. Barrett discusses the importance of worshiping the one true and living God in the Trinity of His persons. It emphasizes that true worship arises from the knowledge of God and should focus on God's infinite assets and perfections. The article highlights that worship should center around God as the object and subject of worship, with themes including God's august person, attractive perfections, and awesome works such as creation, providence, and redemption. The text underscores the significance of worshiping God through Jesus Christ as the only acceptable mediator. [Extracted from the article]

Many countries have recognized the significance of religious tourist destinations and actively included them into tourism systems. This study took the pilgrimage route on the Mount Miaofeng, a famous sacred place in northern China, as the research site to comprehensively understand visitors' on-site experience when walking along it. The visitor-employed photography technique, supplemented by a questionnaire survey, was used to explore visitors' preferences for landscape elements and spatial sequences. The landscape elements were identified in eight categories (including vegetation, religious symbol, mountain, route, human, village, temple fair, and facility), and the spatial sequences of photos along the route were divided into containing views at close, middle, and remote distances. Visitors were classified into three types: those motivated by religious purposes, recreational purposes, and multiple purposes. It was concluded that visitors normally preferred the vegetative landscape and religious symbol categories, and they preferred to take photos with views at close distance (with cultural and aesthetic significance) in human settlements. Visitors motivated by different purposes showed different patterns of preferences for landscapes which are in consistent with their travel motivations. This study contributed to an in-depth interpretation of the people-place relationships and the enrichment of tourism motivation theory, and it could provide valuable references for the conservation, management, and planning of religious tourism destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of performing the obligatory prayers in different congregations (salat al-jama a) within the Masjid al-Haram is a tradition that, based on the available evidence, dates back to the late 5th century of the Hijri calendar and remained uninterrupted for over eight and a half centuries, continuing until 1344/1926. Although it is not possible to precisely date the beginning of this practice, the existing data suggests that it emerged in the second half of the 5th century. This period corresponds with the restoration of Abbasid control over the Hejaz, following a century-long dominance by the Fatimids. The earliest information on the practice indicates that, out of the four congregations representing different schools of law, three were Sunni, and one followed the Zaydi madhhab. The presence of the Hanbali congregation, the fourth Sunni school, can be estimated for the first decades of the 6th century, indicating that the practice evolved gradually. This also suggests that the local rulers of Mecca, who adhered to the Zaydi school, played a role in shaping if not initiating the practice. Although later scholars such as Tujibi (d. 730/1329) and, in a similar vein, Zarkashi (d. 794/1392)-- writing more than two centuries after the practice began--tend to attribute its origins to lack of a Sunni authority or to the attitude of the local Zaydi rulers of Mecca respectively, earlier accounts, particularly those from Ibn al-Jabbab (d. 555/1160), suggest that the introduction of the four Sunni congregations was in fact a directive from the Abbasid Caliph. Since the beginning of the practice, the Shafii imam, and thus the Shafii congregation, held a privileged position by leading prayers behind Maqam Ibrahim and being the first to commence the prayers. The positioning of the congregations at different sides of the Kaaba helped prevent the mixing of the sounds to some extent, and differing opinions among the legal schools about the optimal time for prayers allowed for further temporal adjustments to ensure the tranquility of the worship. However, the short time window for the Maghrib (evening) prayer was the cause of a much-criticized issue in this arrangement. It seems that the Shafii school's privileged position, even during the Maghrib prayer when all congregations performed it simultaneously, remained largely intact with a symbolic priority until the Ottoman period. At that time, in a decision driven primarily by political considerations--though not without legal justification-- the Hanafi congregation was given the honor of leading and completing the Maghrib prayer first. Although the origins of this practice can be traced to the political context, with the Abbasids likely using it to assert their legitimacy as the rightful leaders of the Sunni world following their victory over the Fatimids in the struggle for hegemony over the Hejaz, it is equally evident that the legal discourse of the period played a crucial role in shaping and initiating this arrangement. The prevailing debates on the permissibility of praying behind an imam from a different school of law suggest that legal doctrines rendered this regulation a necessary and inevitable solution to the issue of congregational prayers in the most sacred space, for which no alternative existed. As a result, the idea that the Masjid al-Haram, under the discretionary authority of the caliph, can be regarded as separate mosques did not provoke significant opposition. It seems that strong objections only emerged when evening prayers began to be performed by all congregations of different madhhabs simultaneously, at which point critics began voicing their opposition to the very essence of the arrangement. Despite being criticized at different times the practice remained in place. The legal discussions and fatwas related to the issue can be divided into two phases, based on the time and focus of the debate. The first phase begins with treatises or fatwas written in 550/1155 A.H. by Ibn al-Jabbab (d. 555/1160) and al-Gassani, with Ibn al-Jabbab identified as a Maliki scholar from Fatimid-era Egypt. These works represent the earliest known critique of the practice. Responses to Ibn al-Jabbab's critiques were issued by Maliki scholars in Alexandria in the early 7th century. These texts, which address the legitimacy of the practice, were later referenced by Meccan scholars in the 9th and 10th centuries. The second phase of the debate not covered in this study took place in the latter half of the 10th century. This phase primarily involved Hanafi scholars, such as Rahmatullâh al-Sindi (d. 993/1581), Amir Padishâh (d. after 998/1581), and 'Ali al-Qâri (d. 1014/1605), who concentrated on how a Hanafi follower should navigate the now well-established practice, without directly questioning its legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the Miñita settlement, northern Chile, yields information on two groups of monuments, one from the late pre-Hispanic period consisting of two clay chullpas and another of Republican times corresponding to a series of burials from the late nineteenth century, located at the entrance of a Catholic Christian temple. Both monuments are linked by a ceremonial path that moves through the different areas of activity that make up the village of Miñita and can be explained as a readaptation of the sacred space and the dead cult. The strategic location of the church in the middle of the Inca period settlement suggests the purpose of breaking with the pre-existing indigenous ideological structure, which, from the archaeological point of view, constitutes a valuable background to discuss the way in which the representatives of the church operated around evangelization, through the extirpation of idolatry, in the villages of the foothills of the Arica and Parinacota region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans and more-than-humans experience injustices related to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Nurses hold the power and shared Responsibility (Note on Capitalization: Indigenous Scholars resist colonial grammatical structures and recognize ancestral knowledge by capitalizing references to Indigenous Ways of Knowing (Respect, Relations, and Responsibilities are capitalized to acknowledge Indigenous Mi'kmaw Teachings of our collective Responsibilities to m'sit no'ko'maq (All our Relations). Respect for Land, Nature, Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and the names of Tribes, including the Salmon People and sacred spaces, such as the Longhouse, are also denoted with capitals)) to support the health and well-being of each other and Mother Earth. The heart of the Planetary Health movement to address these impacts centers on an understanding of humanity's interconnection within Nature. As nurses, we seek partnerships with more-than-human communities to promote personal and collective wellness, Planetary Health, and multispecies justice. This article introduces a longitudinal, collaborative autoethnography of our initial engagement with more-than-human communities. In this research, we utilize reflexive photovoice and shared journals to describe our early conversation about this interconnection with three waterways across diverse geographies. This work acknowledges the importance of relational and embodied Ways of Knowing and Being. We invite nurses to embrace the heart of the Planetary Health movement and share these stories with their more-than-human community partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the intricate relationship between Baroque religious architecture and the transformation of the territory in Paredes de Coura, Portugal. Between the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 19th century, Paredes de Coura, located in northern Portugal, gradually transformed its religious spaces and buildings. Parish communities and private initiatives, driven by a deep religious motivation and favourable conjuncture factors, rebuilt, enlarged, and built dozens of chapels and churches from scratch, mostly in Baroque configuration but with differentiating characteristics. This process gradually gave the rural landscape a unique singularity, i.e., a transformation of significant cultural and historical importance. Numerous artisans constructed these buildings and filled their interior spaces with works of sacred art, mainly carved altars, originating primarily from Paredes de Coura and Alto-Minho municipalities. This systematic study, based on the analysis of contemporary documentation of religious buildings and extensive fieldwork, ensures the thoroughness and reliability of our research and aims to disseminate the data related to this process, presenting an overall reading of religious architecture and seeking to understand the reasons which were at the base of the construction of such a large number of temples in the municipality of Paredes de Coura during this period that changed the territory. This also highlights how Baroque religious architecture was a product of artistic and spiritual ambitions and a powerful agent of territorial reconfiguration, affecting settlement patterns, infrastructure, and social hierarchy. The legacy of these transformations continues to influence the region's cultural landscape today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The religious landscape of Aotearoa New Zealandis a dynamic and shifting field. One of the most riveting dimensions of religion is blooming via an indigenous Māori renaissance, which is displayed in a struggle over narratives, language, and tikanga (protocol) around sacred sites. In the digital age, social media platforms have become sites of negotiation, contestation, and the clarification of Māori religious authority in relation to sacred places. One of the hallmarks of digital culture is the flattening of traditional modes of hierarchical authority. In this article, we explore the discourse in an online news article's comment section debating tikanga around nudity on the summit of Taranaki Mountain, a place widely regarded as sacred to Māori. This project follows the work of Neumaier and Klinkhammer in tracing the contours of what we identify as a form of mediatised interreligious contact between settler secularity and Indigenous Māori. Using this frame, we argue that this case study affords a deeper understanding of Māori perspectives, settler appeals to secularity, and the digital environment shaping and forming these points of contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architecture of Jerusalem has for centuries been defined by its being a space sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The end of World War I marked the beginning of British Mandatory rule, which lasted until 1948. During this period, Jerusalem witnessed a proliferation of architectural projects that repositioned religion within modern typologies representing the city's communities. This research investigates four such buildings: the British Rockefeller Museum, the Palestinian Palace Hotel, the American YMCA Building, which functioned as a community center and hostel, and the new Zionist Executive Building. The integration of religious elements into these edifices is examined using the concept of inter-religious engagement and by applying the theory of purification and hybridization. The research demonstrates that British and American Christians, Zionist Jews, and Muslim Palestinians, used different strategies to produce inter-religious engagement—either intentionally or because of British-dictated political constructs. British and American Christians embedded religious elements within modern typologies to reflect peaceful co-existence, while Zionist Jews and Muslim Palestinians used them to construct national identity. Although conceived as "purely" secular, these modern typologies were hybridized by the integration of religious spaces or emblems, revealing further dimensions to our understanding and assessment of 20th-century urban secular architecture and its intersection with religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most prominent Hindu festivals is the Rath Yatra, or Festival of Chariots, which is celebrated by parading three brightly decorated chariots containing statues of the deities Jagganath, Subhadra, and Balaram through the streets of a city on brilliantly decorated chariots. Rath Yatra is celebrated throughout India and increasingly throughout the world through such efforts as the Festival of India sponsored by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which stops in several prominent locations throughout North America. Within Krishna Consciousness, temple worship is an aesthetically vivid sensory experience in which the various art forms—music, dance, theater, and the visual arts—serve to attach the devotee's senses to the Divine through worship practices, including darshan—the exchange of gazes, kirtan—the singing of sacred mantras, and lila—the re-creation of the pastimes of divine characters. The festival experience—and the Festival of Chariots in particular—can serve to bring the practices typically associated with temple worship to the public. This article draws on several Rath Yatra events, giving special attention to the annual Rath Yatra parade held in New York City, where devotees parade their deities down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, and that held in Los Angeles on Venice Beach. These prominent American Rath Yatras serve as a study of the spiritual necessity of beauty and the spiritual necessity of joy, which are both addressed by the festival experience, as music and vivid visual imagery serve to transform urban space into sacred space by allowing bypassers as well as devotees to come into sensory contact with sacred imagery and sacred sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Mystery Cults in the Ancient World" by Hugh Bowden explores the enigmatic and evolving nature of the mystery cults in ancient Hellenized societies and the Roman empire. The book delves into the rituals, ceremonies, and significance of these cults, which allowed initiates to experience divine communion through guided physical and spiritual journeys. Bowden discusses various deities such as Dionysus, Isis, Demeter, Mithras, and the Great Mother, shedding light on the secretive and transformative nature of the Mysteries. The text also touches on the processions, sacrifices, and sacred objects associated with these cults, providing insights into the spiritual practices of ancient civilizations. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of this research is to determine the manner in which the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) addresses and incorporates the topics of al-Quds and the Masjid al-Aqsa within the khutbahs it prepares. Additionally, the study aims to analyze the current state of affairs and provide evaluations regarding the approach implemented in relation to this matter. The significance of this study lies in its potential to contribute to the identification of any pertinent needs, deficiencies, and problems, as well as to enhance the effectiveness of the messages conveyed to the target audience. The research methodology employed is a qualitative case study approach, with a sample comprising 607 Friday and eid khutbahs delivered nationwide between the years 2011 and 2024. The data collection technique utilized is document analysis, wherein the khutbahs were meticulously examined as research documents. The obtained data was then subjected to a comprehensive content analysis, leading to the formulation of codes and the subsequent derivation of four prominent themes: the frequency of references to al-Quds and the Masjid al-Aqsa in the khutbahs, the value and significance ascribed to these sacred sites, the fundamental human rights violations observed during attacks on them, and the responsibilities of the target audience in addressing and responding to these attacks. The findings related to these themes were thoroughly discussed and evaluated in comparison to the existing body of literature, and relevant recommendations were developed to address the identified needs, shortcomings, and issues within the context of this important subject matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the earliest tensions in Jewish history arose between the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. These regions, known as Samaria and Judea, became areas where two distinct and conflicting traditions emerged. These traditions, each claiming to be the true guardians of the law of Musa and the faithful implementers of God’s commands, have exhibited distinct characteristics in various aspects, including sacred texts, belief principles, the nature of the prophet and the Messiah, and the practice of rituals. One of the most significant differences between these two traditions lies in their understanding of holy places. Jews assert that al-Quds was designated by God, and that the construction of the Temple there was carried out in accordance with divine command. In contrast, the Samaritans contend that the Law of Musa does not reference the sanctity of al-Quds; instead, they argue that all narratives concerning the Jewish ancestors, beginning with Ibrahim, contain clear references to Mount Gerizim. They vehemently oppose the traditions that emerged in the Judean region, as well as the dominant interpretations of al-Quds and the Temple. This perspective of the Samaritans is also evident in their negative portrayals of significant prophets and kings, such as Samuel, Dawud, and Suleyman, who played crucial roles in the development of the Jewish tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to a hadith of the Prophet, journeys undertaken specifically for worship should only be made to three masjids: Masjid al-Haram, Masjid alNabi, and Masjid al-Aqsa. Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabi are revered by Muslims as central sites of worship, while Masjid al-Aqsa is considered a place of sanctity in all three Abrahamic faiths. The first verse of Surah alIsra in the Qur’an affirms that Masjid al-Aqsa and its surrounding area are divinely blessed. The Prophet Muhammad offered guidance on the virtues of worshiping in Masjid al-Aqsa and encouraged visits to this sacred site. This article examines the concept of barakah, exploring the meaning of the blessing associated with Masjid al-Aqsa and its surroundings, as well as the boundaries of this sanctity. This study employs document analysis, a qualitative research technique, to gather and interpret data. Masjid al-Aqsa and its surroundings are endowed with both material and spiritual barakah. Nevertheless, the spiritual barakah associated with Masjid al-Aqsa and its surroundings holds greater significance. These sites are significant as they are the locations where numerous prophets were sent, where they faced challenges, and where holy books were revealed. The hadiths of the Prophet regarding visits to Masjid al-Aqsa and the practice of sending gifts to the site underscore the significance that Muslims attach to al-Quds and Masjid al-Aqsa, highlighting the need for focused attention on this sacred location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Book III of the MT Psalter (Psalms 73-89), all of the psalms, save for one (Psalm 86, a Davidic poem), are Levitical. Building on recent approaches that emphasize a royal, Davidic frame to the whole Psalter, this essay makes the case that the Levitical psalms of Book III contribute to the major theme of intensifying paradoxical perceptions of God's presence, rooted in three supportive sub-themes: (1) the presence of God is perceived as distant, and even absent; (2) the presence of God is perceived as proximal, via the theme of God's sovereign rule over creation; and (3) the presence of God is perceived as proximal, via the themes of holy space and Zion. This analysis is worked out through four major groupings of Levitical psalms in Book III: (1) the framing psalms (73, 89); (2) the lament psalms (74, 77, 79, 80, 83, 85, 88); (3) the praise psalms (75, 76, 84, 87); and (4) the historical or prophetic psalms (78, 81, 82). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a two-week period, various "sacred sites" in Egypt were visited by a group interested in the spiritual qualities of the ancient temples, pyramids, and tombs. The group engaged in informal ceremonies, including chanting and meditation, to pay respect to the sacred sites of the ancient Egyptians. A portable random event generator and palmtop computer were used to generate and record ongoing random sequences accompanied by a time-stamped computer index and onsite notes of relevant observations and activities. Pre-planned hypotheses predicted anomalous deviations of the sequences during visits to the sacred sites, including the inner sanctum or Holy of Holies in each temple and all the interior chambers of the pyramids. A further prediction was made that resonance- or coherence-building activities of the group, including chanting and meditation in these special locations, would also correlate with anomalous deviations. Both formal hypotheses were confirmed with a combined associated probability of 2.7x10^-6. Other categories of data provided context and helped to distinguish the sources of the anomalous effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People have been living as they believe since the beginning of history of humanity. The believers are turning into rituals with habits as a way of life. In the context of fear, the factor of uncanniness is hidden on the basis of the fact that people transform their beliefs into ritual behavior. Uncanniness spreads by creating a culture of fear and influencing the feelings and thoughts of the people. However, gothic and grotesque aesthetics, with their structure that transforms the culture of fear into an image, conflict with the concept of the sacred, which is the basis of folk beliefs. These aesthetic structures, which emerged when superstitions took the place of the sacred, give rise to the allegorical gothic imagination. Thus, the changes observed in the socio-cultural structure with its structure going from observation to image show how folk beliefs have been shaped in pre-modern, modern, post-modern periods. The fact that superstitious beliefs have taken shape in the outside world as references reveals that although they have established a dominant discourse on women since medieval antiquity, the elements based on women's perception of beauty, beauty-ugliness aesthetics and women's gothic have been dealt with by entering different patterns in Turkish folk beliefs. The images that produce a formal form through women's gothic are in the nature of criminalizing women in terms of jinx. As a universal indicator, "jinx" beautifications appear in the Anatolian geography through women and animals with cultural codes. In the cultural field where the desire to reproduce by reproduction is glorified, the othering attitude made through the ability to give birth coincides with the image of jinx. Just as nature cannot renew itself, it is seen that syntax and stereotyped expressions give birth to gothic in folk beliefs through women both renewing themselves by giving birth to a child. It is seen that allegories and images are reflected as a whole on the metaphorical plane. In addition to the superstitious beliefs that are developing, other qualities that change on the subject-object plane are also images of folk beliefs. It is believed that the part of Turkish folk beliefs filled with gothic images has been formed around superstitions. Superstitious beliefs appear as references and as symptoms on the metaphysical plane. Superstitious beliefs about women are transformed into gothic images and allegories within the scope of body aesthetics, baht openness, pregnancy and fertility. Superstitious beliefs about children stem from the tradition of circumcision. Beliefs related to days and vows are also fear-based examples examined in the superstition group. On the metaphysical context, beings are studied through souls and spiritual beings. The study of the beings considered on the metaphysical plane, where spirits are considered as subjects and spiritual beings as objects, in the personal domain, are the elements that reconcile cultural fear. Beliefs that are in the subject position about the spirit of the dead also include narratives about the object task related to demons in the culture of fear. Beliefs such as protection from them, their impersonation, child abductions have turned into gothic rituals over time. In addition to the rituals performed by folk beliefs embodied through personal and spatial means in cemeteries, shrines and deposits, the communication they establish with people through spirits and spiritual beings reveals gothic and grotesque images. In this study, it is aimed to reflect how superstitions emerging from the culture of fear shape social imagery within the context of Gothic aesthetics and how fear is symbolized in popular culture in a manner parallel to the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "EDITORIAL" from Ecclesial Futures Volume 5 Issue 2 discusses the mission of God in local Christian communities and the systems supporting them. It includes book reviews and articles exploring various aspects of the mission of God, such as partnerships in transforming unjust structures, pneumatological missional imagination in migration and mission, and the reception of Vatican II's Directory of Popular Piety and the Liturgy in the Philippines. The journal features authors from diverse locations and denominations, contributing to a growing body of original research on the mission of God in Christian communities. [Extracted from the article]

The document discusses the historical context of European colonialism, particularly focusing on Christopher Columbus's crusading zeal and the impact of European supremacy on Palestine and Abya Yala. It highlights the interconnected struggles against Christian and Jewish Zionism, emphasizing the need to dismantle the one-world world and establish a world where all worlds fit. The text also explores the resistance movements in Abya Yala and Palestine, advocating for coexistence across differences and the creation of a world that accommodates diverse perspectives. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Turkish Culture & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly is the property of Turkish Cultur & Haci Bektas Veli Research Quarterly 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 editorial discusses the controversial history of how skeletons and sacred objects from Indigenous cultures ended up in museum collections, focusing on specific incidents involving the Quai Branly Museum in Paris and European scholars like Charles Rabot and János Jankó. The text highlights the ethical concerns and criticisms surrounding the colonial acquisition of these objects, shedding light on the complex dynamics of power, cultural appropriation, and exploitation in ethnographic practices. It emphasizes the importance of respecting Indigenous perspectives and engaging in collaborative research practices to rectify past wrongs and avoid perpetuating harm in the field of ethnology and folkloristics. [Extracted from the article]

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Indigenous communities' identities are deeply grounded in connections to sacred land. This paper examines how the value of aloha 'āina (defined as an expression of Hawaiian Indigeneity through identity, land, and sovereignty) impacts Native Hawaiian public opinion towards land usage and management. We hypothesize that respondents who express aloha 'āina as a core value correlates to less support for land development. In the 2019 Native Hawaiian Survey, we found that support for Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) increased when respondents felt a deep sense of belonging to the United States of America. In contrast, respondents who considered Hawaiʻi as occupied by the US, or who thought that sacred places should be protected and accessible, were more likely to oppose TMT. This study finds evidence that Native Hawaiian public opinion and policy preferences correlated with expressions of aloha 'āina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

У статті розглядається перетворення внутрішнього обширу хати на сакральний простір під час традиційних пологів, коли допомогу породіллі надавала баба-повитуха. Неординарність події народин та появи «нового» потребувала блискавичної, глибинної трансформації простору. Основною метою дослідження є аналітичне узагальнення механізму зміни просторових характеристик хатнього обширу в надзвичайних обставинах, а отже, осмислення того, як людське мислення структурує простір. У геометрії простору виокремлюються певні об’єкти (вікно, двері, піч / комин, долівка), актуальними для його окреслення стають регламентовані дії закривання / відкривання, входу / виходу, траєкторія руху. У підсумку моделюється замкнений простір із чіткими кордонами, маркуванням «сакрального» центру, виконанням обрядових дій та зберіганням знакових речей, простору, де стають можливими прогнози / пророцтва. The article examines the transformation of the interior space of a hut into a sacred space during traditional childbirth, when a midwife assisted the woman in labor. The extraordinary nature of the event of the birth and the appearance of the baby required a lightning-fast, profound transformation of space. The main purpose of the study is to analytically generalize the mechanism of changing the spatial characteristics of the dwelling in extraordinary circumstances, and thus to understand how human thinking structures space. Certain objects (window, door, stove / chimney, floor) are singled out in the geometry of the space, and regulated actions of closing / opening, entering / leaving, and movement trajectory become relevant for its definition. As a result, a closed space is modeled with clear boundaries, marking the «sacred» center, performing ritual actions and storing symbolic things, a space where predictions/prophecies become possible.

У статті подано одну з методик картографування місць переписування збережених рукописних кириличних кодексів із метою фіксації наявності осередків переписування книг та їх поширення на основі покрайніх записів на кириличних рукописних кодексах, скопійованих на українських теренах. У таких записах часто згадуються населені пункти, де вони були створені чи побутували, або ж є вказівки на релігійні локації, у яких переписували ті книги. Це дає можливість із найбільшою достовірністю зафіксувати найактивніші осередки переписування книг на наших землях. Позначивши на карті згадані пункти, утворено модель, яка відображає частоту переписаних збережених кодексів на певній території. Це дозволило порівнювати книги, створені в одній місцевості, і визначити їхню подібність в оформленні, палеографії та загальному підході до організації, на відміну від книг, переписаних у більш віддалених землях. У результаті вдалося виокремити основні регіони книгописання України, які мають спільні риси в палеографії письма, оформленні та ставленні до створення кодексів: Волинська земля, Київщина та центральні землі, Галичина і пізніше – Гетьманщина. The article presents one of the methods of mapping the presence of centers of book rewriting and their distribution based on marginal notes on Cyrillic handwritten codices copied on Ukrainian territory. Such records often mention the settlements where they were created or stored, or there are indications of religious locations where those books were copied. This makes it possible to reliably record the most active centers of the books copying on our territory. For a researcher of an ancient book, an important factor is the determination of the place of rewriting of the book as an important information about the specifics of the development of a particular region and the determination of its influence on book production, which makes it possible to date and localize defective copies of preserved manuscripts. By marking the mentioned points on the map, a model that reflects the frequency of rewritten preserved codes in a certain area was created. This made it possible to compare books created in the same area and determine their similarity in design, paleography and the general approach to the organization of the book, in contrast to books transcribed in more distant lands. As a result, the main book-writing regions of Ukraine were determined. The following regions with common features in the paleography of writing, design and attitude to the creation of codices include Volyn land, Kyiv region and central lands, Galicia and later Hetman region.