Category: Cultural Studies

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Reversing Through the Living Hell – Exploring the Value System of Human Spirituality and Rationality in the Demon Slayer Anime Series

During the severe period of the Covid-19 pandemic, as if a living hell had descended upon us, the Demon Slayer anime and film series broke numerous records in 2020 and became known as a source of solace during the pandemic. Through narrative analysis, this study applies concepts of values, dignity and humanism to explore the

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The Heart Dharma and Martial Arts of Five Hundred Arhats: From an Analysis of Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi’s Calligraphy Paintings

In the Arhat Belief that has prevailed since the Tang and Song Dynasties in China, people pray to the Arhats for peace, personal safety and health. Individuals are also able to achieve spiritual lift, good health and longevity through self-cultivation of mind and self-practice of the body. In martial arts, there is also a practice

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Textual Analysis of the Publicness in Exploring Indian Hero Films and Democratic Practice of Citizen Participation

South Indian movies bring new public imagination with a variety of plots related to public issues. This study explores how citizens and heroes interact in political thrillers in Tollywood and Sandalwood movies with themes to solve election violence, corruptions, loan defaults and illegal expropriation of land. Textual analysis is conducted for six movies: Sarkaru Vaari

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Online Prosumption of Anime Fan Fiction: State and Self-Censorship

Being a fan has become a ubiquitous practice. As a fan of something myself, I feel interested and even obligated to study more about fandom. In China, increasing attention is being paid to fandom for different social issues. Unlike idol fans who were charged for their “misbehaviors”, anime fans seemingly maintain a peaceful and stable

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More Than Entrepreneurial Activity: The Practice of Selling Nasi Pecel That Reproduces Public Space

Lore into traditional food has documented that the practice of preserving traditional food is as important as the traditional food itself. More than just entrepreneurial activities, everyday practices such as selling traditional food have been influential in the reproduction of public space and the identity of the city. We seek to elaborate this study further

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Role of Local Governance in Creative Placemaking

This study assessed the compliance of the Local Government of Camalig to the Memorandum Circular (MC) 2017-133, which formed the basis for the creation of the Local Culture and Arts Council (LCAC) in every city and municipality in the country. This qualitative-descriptive study employed the Systems Theory of Organizations as methodological framework, with data sourced

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Resee the Beauty of the Temples: A Case Study on Performance in Front of Temple by a Children’s Theatre Workshop Combined an Oral History Story Theatre as an Example

Religious buildings worldwide, including temples in Taiwan, have utilized religious legends, myths, and classical literature to teach people in an expression of art, culture, and humanity. With globalization, people have gradually forgotten the art, education, and entertainment contexts of temples. This study adopted that the temple as a museum and explored whether a teaching activity

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A Kaleidoscope of Colors: Exploring the Vibrant Palette of Taiwan’s Fermented Food Culture

Numerous countries have launched cultural color surveys to emphasize the significance of intangible cultural assets, focusing on local landscapes and human environments. These surveys aim to establish norms that promote historically grounded research, bolstering the identification and cultural value of distinct colors. However, there remains a limited scope of research on the color aspects of

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Unpuzzling the Immigration Process for Taiwanese and Chinese Community in Brazil

Immigration has significantly impacted nations’ relationships, political, cultural, and economic. Overseas Chinese people, also known as overseas Chinese, have contributed to population mobility across continents, including China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This study aims to analyse the differences of overseas Chinese in Brazil, focusing on Taiwanese nationality and first-generation immigrants. The research aims

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Cultural Diplomacy in UAE Foreign Policy Towards China –Sheikh Zayed Center as a Model

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the primary president of the United Arab Emirates, made soft power one of the pillars of the state’s foreign policy, and allowed cultural diplomacy to play more influential roles, this became an approach to which the Emirati political leadership was committed and keen to develop it. This reflected positively

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The Traders of Bastak

Dubai’s historical Bastakiya quarter gets its name from Bastak, Iran; the origin of many textile and pearl traders who first plied their trades in what would become the UAE. The architectural contributions from Bastak are wind towers, courtyards, and wooden carved doors. Those elements are constructed to become places, they are designed to add value

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Interrelationship Between Fandom Activities and Depression of Teenagers

Fandom activities are a hobby and part of life for many people around the world. In particular, for teenagers with great interest in pop culture and celebrities, celebrities are factors that affect various aspects of their overall lives. in this study, we would like to examine not only the effect of fandom activities, which are

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From Dreams to the Woven Fabric: A Cultural Legacy of the Mandaya and the Tboli

In Mindanao, the southern island of the Philippines, two provinces Davao Oriental and South Cotabato, are homes to indigenous communities known for their dream-weavers, the Mandaya and the Tboli respectively. The dream-weavers are mostly women who have continued the tradition of weaving using the abaca fiber. This paper discusses how the dagmay of the Mandaya

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Homosexuality and Bara Manga in Japan – Representation of the Psychological State of Mind of the Contemporary LGBT+ Plus Size Men in Japan

This article discusses various aspects of LGBT representation and history in Japan, including the history of homosexuality in Japanese culture, the challenges faced by the LGBT community in contemporary Japan, and the representation of LGBT people in Japanese popular culture, particularly in the genre of bara manga. This article seeks to promote awareness of the

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Unraveling Young Chinese Addiction With the K-pop Culture: Cultural Identity and Representation

With the rise of the “Second Korean Wave” driven by K-pop culture, it has become ubiquitous in the lives of Asian students, particularly in China. Notably, Chinese students have exhibited a strong addiction to this pop culture phenomenon. This study aims to investigate the reasons behind young Chinese students’ addiction to K-pop culture, utilizing the

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Exploring Cultural Imagination for Indian Most Popular Movies

In India, South India film industries outperform Bollywood in recent years. For Indian audiences, they experience historically different choices for film appreciation and entertaining styles. This study uses textual analysis to interpret public and social meanings for two kinds of most popular Indian movies: Top 10 movies in India movie markets, and Top 10 most

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OTT and Participatory Cultures: The Case of Netflix’s Wednesday

The advent of OTT brought about a comfort in viewing, a personal safe space to indulge into, to escape the bitterness of reality, at your own convenience. The OTT industry off-lately experienced a sharp spike as viewer numbers shot up to touch millions to survive the idleness of the pandemic. Who doesn’t want the freedom

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Conceptualizing Taiwanese Cultural Values in Souvenir Packaging Design for Foreign Tourists: How Japanese Tourists Purchasing for Casual Gift-Giving

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of Taiwanese souvenir packaging design on Japanese tourist purchases with a perspective of how cultural values perceived by Japanese tourists in Taiwanese packaging design. Taiwan has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations among Japanese tourists. The target audience of the research is

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Okakura Tenshin and His Contribution to Japan-India Cultural Exchange

In this study, the author will clarify how the Japanese artist and philosopher Okakura Tenshin contributed to the cultural exchange between India and Japan, which started in the early 20th century. The research is based on secondary data. Desk research was conducted for this study. As an artist and philosopher in the early 20th century,

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Perspectives on Multiculturalism, Migration and Interculturality: The Cultivativation of Belonging in African Migrant Communities in Taiwan

Cultural and immigration policies and public attitudes toward migrants often contribute to the practices of multiculturalism. Under the extremely monocultural conditions in Taiwan, African migrants in particular are a severely underrepresented minority group. As a result, they face constraints and obstacles that affect their ability to adapt, integrate, and cultivate their sense of belonging. Therefore,

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Arts-Based Way of Being and Knowing: Music Therapy With Young People From Multicultural Backgrounds in South Korea

The purpose of this research project is to gain an in-depth understanding of the musical experience of young people from multicultural backgrounds and to explore any effects of music therapy on their well-being. It ultimately focuses on giving voices to young people from multicultural backgrounds and sharing experiences through music. A mixed methodology has been

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Ambivalent Perceptions of Beauty and Fashion: A Qualitative Study of Chinese Female Students Studying in British Universities

The research explored the experiences of Chinese female students studying in the UK concerning fashion and beauty by investigating the students’ definitions of beauty and exploring how social media exposure in different countries and living in a new country affect their perceptions of beauty. This research answered this question through qualitative methods, recruited participants by

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Research on the Design of Cultural Creative Products From the Perspective of Cultural Identity

Improved cultural soft power is now a strategic goal of cultural building in nations all over the globe, as economic globalization has hastened the intermingling and collision of cultures. As a result, we should pay attention to how product design shapes culture, as this aids in developing cultural identity. Cultural creative products are a result

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The Resilience and Innovative Impact of Service Design on Regional Culture

The research potential of resilience has received much attention in recent years, but there is a lack of relevant research on cultural resilience. We should realize that resilience cannot be achieved in isolation from the cultural dimension. So, what does cultural resilience need to draw upon to achieve it? Service design has now emerged as

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Challenges and Opportunities: Musicals in China in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly affected every single aspect of human life, resulting in devastating socio-economic challenges across the world. After the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, China’s performing arts market has shrunk as a whole, the performance market has repeatedly stopped, and the musical industry in China has been in trouble. This paper, however,

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Culture as Data: Notes on the Ontological and Methodological Implications of the Network Turn

After the nine turns in cultural studies as famously described by Doris Bachmann-Medick, here comes another, perhaps among all the most profoundly transformative for the humanities. The network turn – proclaimed in the book of the same title (Ahnert, Coleman and Weingart 2020) – represents a timely reaction to the progressive datafication of the modern

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When Geopolitics Meet Design: -162ºC Trading Power – A Case Study

This paper chronicles and reflects upon a collaborative project between Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) and the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo (AIIT). Titled -162ºC Trading Power, this project started as an exploration into the relationships between the two countries of Qatar and Japan, and it resulted in the design, production

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Dialogue Between Religion and Technology: Case Study of Fo Guang Go

The use of technology to recreate and enhance religious experiences has been increasingly present nowadays. An important Buddhist organization based in Taiwan, Fo Guang Shan, practices Humanistic Buddhism. Its founder, Master Hsing Yun, is famous for his use of technology in Dharma propagation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the case of Fo

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Creating Brand Identity in Museums, the Troy Museum

The Troy Museum was founded in the ancient city of Troy, which is included on the UNESCO world heritage list. For the establishment of the museum, the National Architectural Project Competition was held in 2011 and the foundations of the museum were laid with the project of the winning team in 2013. 2018 was declared

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Blaan Lingen: Folk Music as a Depiction of Culture and Expression of Traditional Values

Oral traditions such as myths, legends, folktales, riddles, and folk music embody significant information about the culture from which they originate. Several researches have successfully recorded and made these available as pedagogical materials in all levels of education, and appreciated by the general public for their entertainment value. Among these forms of oral tradition, folk

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Understanding Wabi and Sabi in the Context of Japanese Aesthetics

Whether consciously or not, aesthetics in Japan often takes precedence over other cultural elements. In fact, the whole idea of “Japanese beauty” is the very foundation of Japanese culture and the unifying medium of national identity. Though Japanese aesthetic concepts are deeply rooted in the country’s cultural fabric, it doesn’t mean that they cannot appeal

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“Three Little Maids” in Occupied Japan: Domestic Things, The Mikado, and Navy Wife

This study explores the embedded subplot in a forgotten Hollywood film titled Navy Wife (1956), a comedy about three maids in Japan under American occupation. Starring Joan Bennett, Navy Wife depicts American domesticity in Occupied Japan, which the three maids undermine. By adopting Robin Bernstein’s theory of “scriptive things,” this paper examines how a comic

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Better Than Not Practicing at All: Resilience and the Okinawan Martial Arts Community Online

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has by necessity transformed how we interact with others, drastically changing every aspect of how we conduct our lives. From work to leisure, education, and fitness, much or most of what we once did in in-person groups moved fully online, but some activities could navigate this

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Reflux and Rejuvenation – Exploration and Practice of Yim Tin Tsai in Hong Kong under the Background of Rural Revitalization

It is a hot topic on the rural areas that are at a disadvantage due to the rural depopulation and the lost civilization. This paper is based on the theory of ecological museum and public art involvement in community building, adopts the methods of qualitative research, experience summary and literature research, refers to the paper

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Cultural Identity and Home in Randa Jarrar’s A Map of Home

As an estranged Egyptian, Palestinian, and Kuwaiti, Randa Jarrar had a tough upbringing. In her novel, the protagonist ‘Nidali’ somewhat reflects her life. Nidali was smart for her age, rebellious, studious, and curious and like any other kid, she longed for a place she can call home forever. Yet, that was complicated due to the

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Concept of Satogaeri Shussan in Japanese Childbirth Rituals: From the Perspective of Contemporary Japanese Women

This paper will study the current trend of Satogaeri-Shussan, a traditional Japanese childbirth custom, when the pregnant woman customarily returns back to her paternal home for seeking physical and mental support as well as childcare assistance from her parents during prenatal or postpartum period. However, the custom of Satogaeri-Shussan has been continued with many changes

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Japanese Kawaii Culture and Hello Kitty as an Identity Marker for Asian-American Women

This thesis examines the character of Hello Kitty, from its creation, to its enduring cultural presence in Japan. In particular, this thesis notes the character’s highly successful marketing among Asian-American women. Hello Kitty epitomizes the concept of kawaii, the Japanese word for cute. But, its symbolism does not end there. Looking at the history of

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Playing through the Pandemic: The Social and Emotional Gratifications of Gaming during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

While most industries were hit hard during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global game industry was not only resilient—it was thriving. With a dramatic reduction of business activity and opportunities for social interaction due to widespread social distancing and stay-at-home orders, gaming not only served as a pleasant distraction, but it provided

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Masked Intimacy as New Dating Culture: The Cultural Identity and Gaze in Masked Dating During Post-COVID-19 in Hong Kong and Taiwan

While the world is getting into the post-COVID19 era, the social structure has been reconstructed in many forms, particularly shifting everything into virtual. Precisely, it would be essential to digest the changes of human culture under various regional public health policies implemented. Started with masks shortage at the beginning of 2020, “Mask” has turned into

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The Role of Soft Power Along the Current Silk Road

The Silk Routes have long been a passage for exchange of goods and commodities as well as the exchange of religion and culture. One aspect in the exchange of culture, was the soft power that was generated along with it, which in turn facilitated closer ties between states and/or formed unique bonds between people of

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A Maid in the U.S. House: Architecture, Occupied Japan, and Tokyo Joe

This paper aims to shed light on the hitherto understudied relations between Japanese women and architecture in the postwar Hollywood film Tokyo Joe (1949), starring Humphrey Bogart. Set in Japan during the postwar U.S. occupation, the film features a well-equipped dependent housing designated as a “U.S. House” and a nursemaid who works there. In historical

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Cultural Formation of the Expo in Japan: The Case of Producer Shinya Izumi

The Japan World Exposition Osaka 1970 was the first Expo to be held in Japan and in Asia. The planners of the Osaka Expo not only struggled to express the uniqueness of the first expo in Asia, but also revised and reinterpreted its significance and format so that it would be accepted by Japanese society.

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Opportunities and Challenges of Korean Politics With B-class Culture: A Case Study of Pengsoo’s Political News

For a long time, politics and popular culture have been intertwined and inseparable. In America, this connection has reached an unprecedented height in the Trump era. For this reason, press and social media seized the interest of the audience and published a large amount of content that combined politics and popular culture during the US

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The Hispanic Heritage in the Cebuano Harana

A study of the harana, a genre of Cebuano folk music, involves reflection on the complexity of cultural phenomenon which has been created and developed in this post-colonial territory. It is a study of historical processes which resulted in the creation of a culture against a differentiated background of Hispanic and indigenous Filipino components. The

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Using Semiotics to Decode Tribal Flag’s Sign on Maguindanaon Culture and Traditions

Flags are part of ornamental accents in tourist spots, important events and festivities. The need to study their structures is deemed necessary to establish their significant implications to culture. The varieties of Pandala involved in this study were analyzed through the theoretical framework of semiotics. Semiotics is one way of evaluating an image’s message to

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Dulang (Death Ritual) among Maguindanaon : Its Semiotic Interpretation

This paper explores the signs and symbols incorporated in the practice of dulang, a death ritual of the Maguindanaon. The dulang is believed to be a ritual of the Maguindanaon where through the use of kulintang(melodic gong music) the bpedtunong( the medium who performs pag-ipat) enters into a trance and is possessed by a spirit

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Death of the Enemy: The Spectacularity of War and a Zombie Enemy

The constructedness of the notion of ‘enemy’ specially during war times often includes demonization and propagandist characterization bordering on depicting inhumanity in ‘them’. But in this paper, the move is from a human enemy to a nonhuman one – a zombie. Keeping in mind its nonhuman characteristics and inhumanity, the argument is carried on to

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Narrative Interpretation in Folklore Studies: Japanese Emigrants to Geomun-do (Port Hamilton), Korea, and Their Psychic World

When researchers encounter storytelling by informants during fieldwork, this serves as important research materials in folklore studies. Storytellers are by no means informants who simply provide indigenous information useful to researchers coming from outside. Rather, they are themselves mobile subjects, accumulating lived experiences while moving temporally and spatially across communities and relocating residences over time.

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Afrofuturism 2.0 – A New Cultural Enabler for the Digital Age

Afrofuturism as a concept is about 25 years old, with Mark Dery’s interview essay Black to the Future (1993) giving the movement its name and paving the way for further interventions. Afrofuturistic works typically include novels, paintings, photography, music such as Sun Ra’s and the Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther. Over the last decade or

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Modern Japanese Girls Flying Into the Sky: Gender Norms and Aviation Fashion in the 1920s

In 1952, the year of the end of the US occupation of Japan, Japan Women’s Association of Aviation (JWAA) was founded. It presented a milestone in Japanese aviation history. The sky was hitherto a predominantly male sphere. During World War II, men alone became soldiers and flew into the sky. Most women (perhaps except for

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Protests in Hong Kong: From Confucianism to Levinas’ Substitution

2019 was a tumultuous year for Hong Kong. The protests began in June with the concern of the extradition bill, but throughout the time, demands have emerged: withdraw the bill, for officers to step down, an inquiry into police brutality, amnesty for arrested protesters, and free elections. The call for Hong Kong independence has also

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Disintegration and Reshaping: Northeast Renaissance and the Working Class Narrative

Northeast Renaissance refers to a cultural movement that reflects the spiritual outlook of youth in Northeast China in 2019. The common inspiration for this generation is the Northeast, which experienced the laid-off reform and guarded the last glory of the old industrial base, and was deeply affected by the popular culture of Hong Kong and

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The Sultan/datu Images in Maguindanaon Folktales as a Means of Cultural Identity

Basically, this study endeavored to ascertain the ideal attributes that could make an exemplary Maguindanaon ruler. It also aimed to probe through analytical criticism the folktales for the purpose of discovering what these reveal of Maguindanaon political organization and cultural identity. The findings of this study were obtained through the use of Joseph Campbell’s Heroic

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The Issue of Stigmatized Identity and Livelihood: Insights From a De-notified Tribe of Rajasthan, India

The people of Nat community, historically known as entertainers for the Rajput patronages, are found in different parts of northern India. Although they are not significant in number, they tend to carry distinct group identities in contemporary society. From a historical perspective, Rajput lost their kingship in various states; in consequence, Nat people lost their

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Animism Belief that Worships the Tree in Malaysia

Worshiping trees in Malaysia is not a wonder at strange sights in Malaysia. Malaysians believe in animism. The objective of this research project is to present some preliminary thoughts of tree animism and analyze the animism practices and beliefs in Malaysia so that a better understanding of animism can be established as the vast research

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An Exploration of Kashmiri ‘Naqash’ Communities, their Craft Practices and Cultural Heritage

Often learnt and mastered over generations, craftsmen and women still use their traditional knowledge systems, customs and practices in the production of regional handicrafts. The Kashmiri naqash is responsible for design development and is an essential bearer of the craft and cultural heritage produced in the Kashmir valley. Kashmir produces distinct floor coverings, one of

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Verbal Communication Through Folk Songs: A Study Based on Sri Lankan Folk Music

Folk songs reflect the identity of a culture. Genre of Sri Lankan folk songs is significant in passing down culture to generations through oral tradition. The composer was uninhibited and frank. The spontaneous verses were stand-alone works bearing structural variations and were instructional. Those songs varied from work to recreation while adding rhythm to manual

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Tracing the Time of the Chinese Ancestors, Yan, Huang and Chi: Weixin Shengjiao’s Religious Care, Enmity-bond Release and Universal Peace

At the beginning of the Chinese People, Huangdi, Yandi, and Chiyou led three tribes respectively and fought against each other fiercely at Zhuolu. Yandi allied with Huangdi defeated Jiuli tribe. Ancestor Chiyou was slandered and his tribal descendants dispersed. Under the reincarnation of birth and death, ignorant enmity causes endless wars in Chinese successive dynasties

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The Religious Interpretation of Ethnic Harmony in Chinese Three-ancestor Culture Expressed in the Worship Rituals Held by Weixin Shengjiao

The Chinese people is a people with long and profound history. It can be dated to Kunlun civilization in ancient times, Fuxishi, Nuwa and Chinese Three Ancestors, Huangdi, Yandi, and Chiyou. I Ching lays a solid foundation for the philosophy of thought in Chinese ethnic culture. What were Chinese religious beliefs before Buddhism reached China?

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The Language of the Right-wing Populism: A Lexical Analysis of the Texts by the Freedom Party of Austria

Today politics is only successful if it is successfully communicated. A political trend that has recently achieved great election success in many European countries and beyond is the so-called right-wing populism. In order to understand and respond appropriately to these achievements and changes in the political culture, it is necessary to look more closely at

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Love Suicides”: A Special Product of Popular Theatre and a Strategic Response for Class Exclusion in Edo Period, Japan (1600-1868)

The Japanese puppet theatre probably was professionally shaped in form, performance regulations, and inventions during the 17th. This theatre could be considered one of the special products of the Edo period in which there is a perfect combination among three different elements: storytellers, a shamisen musician, and puppeteers. Under the rule of the Tokugawa family,

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Organizational Culture as a Primary Driver of Organizational Success: The South African University Experience

The new business paradigm foregrounds accountability, transparency, sustainability and good governance as the pillars on which organizational success is built. It demands attention to a range of strategies that have until recently been treated as “soft issues” deserving of inclusion into organizational scorecards, but having peripheral value only. These strategies include the identification and realization

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The Way of Music: Phraya Phomeesewin

This study aims to explore the path of becoming Thai traditional musician expert of the notorious Phraya Bhumisevin,the royal court musician and composer. Praya Bhumisevin, also known as Jiit Jittasevi,(13 June 1894-5 January 1976) was a master of Thai classical music, particularly of the saw sam sai (three-stringed instrument), during the Rattanakosin period. He was

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Intercultural Communication through an Anthropology Approach

This paper probes some key elements of cross-cultural issues in international business communication and provides a framework for creating competitive advantage for firms engaged in international business. Culture affects many aspects of international business communication. It impacts free trade policies, localization and standardization strategy decisions, advertising, brand effectiveness, business relationships, international business management, international marketing,

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K.J.Yesudas: The Discursive Formation of the Cult of a Playback Singer in the Kerala Public Sphere

K.J. Yesudas, the popular film singer, has been a central figure in the realm of popular culture constituted by Malayalam cinema for more than half a century. The singer’s voice is often accorded the status of ‘the representative modern voice’ and the singer could excel in the dual spheres of Carnatic and film music traditions.

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Multiple Identities of Media Labourers and Experiences of Creative Autonomy: An Empirical Investigation from a TV Programme Producer’s Perspective

The paper shows that media labourers are likely to form multiple selves throughout their career path, and their perception and experiences towards creative autonomy is strongly related to their multi-dimensional identities. This paper argues that there is a need to establish a balanced concept of creative autonomy that embraces the various facets of creative labourers’

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Examining Identity Formation of Third Culture Kids through Transnational Engagements

This paper studies the identity formation of Third Culture Kids (TCKs)—who have spent a considerable amount of their childhood and early adulthood living in a host country, and consequently realizing that they have a different worldview (and sense of identity) with their countrymen from their passport country. In this age of migration, not only of

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Skateboarding Subculture in China: Development Path, Characteristics and Representation of Values and Social Change

Youth subcultures were for a long time located out of the public eye in China. Only over the last 30 years they have been drawing greater popular attention due to their rapid development. The Internet is one of the reasons behind the growth of youth subcultures in China. It constitutes a convenient communication platform to

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Temples: Probing the Possibilities of Economic Regeneration of the Local Communities in Goa

Temples of Goa have played a very vital role as symbols of cultural resistance to the Portuguese hegemony. In the post-liberation era, these temples have been integrated into the national pilgrimage networks and as such receive a large inflow of not only the Goan diaspora, spread far and wide in the country, but also tourists.

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One Nation-Different Fates: Kazakhstan in Pursuit of Cultural Identity

This article provides analysis of experience which modern Kazakhstan went through in process of determination of its own identity and place in the world in midst of rising globalisation. Attempts to restore and safeguard the national identity become common practice in post-soviet countries including Kazakhstan. The transition from soviet identity to its own identity and

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Aspects of Italian Buddhist Presence and Poetry 

The first, shorter section of this paper will briefly inform on how Buddhism was imported to Italy. The latest and most prolific import has taken place in the last five decades. Buddhism in Italy involves about 89,000 Asian migrants, and 100,000 Italian nationals. An aspect of cultural borderland is that Italian Buddhism, like all Western

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Examining a Collaborative Conversational Feature between Australian Men and Women

Many past studies of gender interaction discussed differences in masculine and feminine conversational styles. In particular, collaborative talk is regarded as a feminine conversational style. For example, Holmes (2006) makes a summary that most gender studies found that women tend to collaborative while men tend to be challenging in everyday communication. However the author of

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The Creation of Trans-cultural Belonging: Chinese Artists’ Paintings from Tibet after 1982

Since the 1960s, Tibetan self-government has been established in autonomous areas; there, Tibetans live in compact communities under the unified leadership of the Chinese central government. A number of Chinese artists and scholars have come to work and live in Tibetan cities, in Lhasa in particular. Against this background, this paper is about contemporary paintings

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Intercultural Awareness and Competence: Cultural Differences and Challenges among International Students in a Private Malaysian University

In the past, almost the whole university student population in Malaysia comprised three major ethnic groups, namely Malays, Chinese and Indians, as well as other minorities. The make-up of the student population has evolved dramatically and it is common to see students of other cultures in private campuses throughout the country. These students have significant

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Frontiers in Google Maps: Commodification and Territory in the Borderlands

From carving up empires to enclosing the commons, the history of maps has long been caught up in creating, legitimising and representing borders. As a product of these historical processes, Google Maps now claim to have one billion users per month. Given this unprecedented audience, how the multinational corporation represents the world is very significant,

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Surviving and Thriving in the Borderlands: An Autoethnography

This autoethnography recounts the process of developing my own agency out of a borderland lifeworld formed in multiple geographic sites. I use self-reflection and research to make explicit a functional inbetween space where I belong. Through Gloria Anzaldúa’s work, literature from border and cultural studies, identity formation and my own qualitative research, I analyze the

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Globally Not Yours … The Master Discourse of Transcultural Mediation

Globally not yours … The master discourse of transcultural mediation Intercultural encounters, particularly between civilizationally and power-unequally related cultures, demonstrate the complexity inherent in the process of interlingual communication across cultures. This complexity stems from the carrying-over of specific cultural products (as texts) to and recuperated by receivers that have at their disposal an established

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The New Style of Hybridity in Global Village – Two Cases of Studies of Both Techno Nezha and Old Master Q Puppet Theater

By the rapid flow of internet and media, McDonaldization has somehow mixed with local cultures everywhere. Culture represents our whole life, and nowadays people express their traditional culture by using modern tools and images. We have created a new style called “Hybridity”, which was introduced by Homi K. Bhabha, especially in refernce to the global

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Tolerating Difference: Japanese Experiences with Difference and Multiculturalism

Post-Modernity, Globalization, Neo-Liberalism, many words come to mind to describe the contemporary world, but there is one type of discourse that seems to be gaining hegemonic position regardless of how we describe the present era: Multiculturalism. Particularly in Japan, a country that has since long constructed its identity under the idea of homogeneity, the adoption

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The Exhaustion of the Multicultural Australian Philosophy and the Rise of a New Visual Regime of Signification: Melbourne between Multiculturalism and Globalization

The Second World War caused unprecedented hardship, but it also accelerated change. A massive European immigration reached Australia’s shores, giving rise to a sort of ideal multi-ethnic society. Between history and myth, diverse ethnic groups interacted without coalescing and by maintaining distinctive, national or group cultural identities. Indeed Melbourne rose as one of the world’s

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The Borderlands of Motherhood: Representation of Spatial Belonging of Mothers and Families in Government Posters

Japan, like many developed countries, has seen its population decrease and reached the lowest low fertility rate of 1.41 in 2012. This tendency was first associated with the lower number of children born to married couples. But since the 1970s, the main cause identified is the postponement of marriage, and so childbirth, by women. Following

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Liminality & Belonging in Refugee Resettlement: An Ethnographic Case Study of Bhutanese Refugees in the UK

The paper is based on qualitative, ethnographic research with Bhutanese refugees who resettled to the UK via the Gateway Protection Programme. In this context, borderland is not a physical space, but a state of mind, in which stateless refugees attempt to negotiate between different identities: whilst seeking to ‘integrate’ in the British host society, they

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Unconsidered Ancient Treasure, Struggling the Relevance of Fundamental Indonesia Nation Philosophie “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” in Forming Harmony of Multicultural Society

Indonesia is a multicultural country that consists of hundreds of distinct native ethnic, racial, and religist groups. Historically, the Nation was built because of the unitary spirit of its components, which was firmly united and integrated to make up the victory of the Nation. The plurality become advantageous when it reach harmony as reflected in

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Colonialism, Migrations and Ethnic Integration in Asia: The Case of Modern Sri Lanka

Colonialism fundamentally changed the traditional pattern of Asian migration and opened new avenues for trade and investment for migrant merchant communities and occupational opportunities as indentured labour for agrarian classes. The Indian communities who migrated to Sri Lanka during British rule played vital and diverse roles in the colony’s economic transformation. When Sri Lanka transformed

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Borderlands – Exploring Commonalities and Overcoming Challenges in Sarawak

Today there still exist many borders which hamper transit and crossings for many others. Case in point is the border between Sarawak and Kalimantan, a border whose crossing requires documentation for many a potential traveller. In this regard it is helpful to remember that most national borders are different from natural borders. National borders are

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Practicing Peace: The International Okinawan Martial Arts Community as a Community of Practice

Economists to academics have noted the simultaneous tendency towards globalization and localization in recent decades. At times, the increasingly globalized economy and advances in communications technology seem to bring us together only closely enough to recognize our fundamental differences. Internal divides along cultural, linguistic, political and economic lines become as sharp and clear as geographic

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Representation of Indonesian Beauty in Cosmetic Advertisements

Sari Ayu is a homegrown and local owned Indonesian cosmetic brand. Every year since 1985, Sari Ayu has been featuring different themes for its commercial campaign, which based on certain Indonesian Heritage.Thus, Sari Ayu has been trying to visualize Indonesian women’s beauty and beauty trend through its campaign. This study focus on the magazine advertisements

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Self-identity in Love: The problem of self in Zweig’s Letter from an Unknown Woman

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1922), one of the Stephan Zweig’s monuments, shows the contradiction between self and others in the context of Love, in which, self insists on his (her) own identity while it is required to keep in touch with others by the nature of “I Love you”, that is to say, self

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Reception and Consumption of Korean TV Drama by Asian Audiences: The Fansubbing Phenomenon

Changes in the new media environment are radically shifting the ways audiences consume media products like foreign language TV dramas. The rapid expansion of broadband internet and the development of mobile technology in Asia are changing how Asian fans of these media products interact with each other. The purpose of this study is to examine

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Consuming and Interpreting Japanese Television Dramas: Attitudes among University Students in Malaysia

Japanese media cultures have become diversified in Malaysia, providing opportunities for local audiences to gain access to media products from varied sources and participate in its consumption. This triggers an increase in recognition for audiences as producers of rich cultural readings resulting from cross-border media consumption. This study examines the interpretations of Japanese television dramas

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The Hostess at the Border: An Emergent Anachronism

In 2003 the Actroid range of robotic androids was launched in Japan. Its creators and vendors imagine that the ‘bots will integrate into society, taking on companionship, entertainment and hostessing duties. Actroids are modelled after young females, with the exception of (near) exact copies of two male Professors from Japan and Denmark, and a ‘brother’

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Yayoi Kusama – Manhattan Salvation Addict

Kusama Yayoi is a world famous Japanese artist who has worked in a wide variety of media. Since the 90’s we can observe growing fascination with Kusama’s works, as well as its recognition and rediscovering. The phenomenon is better known as “The Kusama Renaissance”. As a still living and creating artist, she constantly tries to

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Matrilineal Canadian Nikkei Generations: Representations of Belonging and Transnational Nikkei Identities

The Japanese in Canada have a complex cultural identity relating to their sense of (not) belonging in Canada, their imaginings of Japan as homeland, and the growth of Nikkei identifying themselves transnationally. This paper compares representations of Canadian Nikkei families in the post-Redress (1988) and post-Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988) period by Canadian Nikkei authors. It

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Conserving Cultural Landscape as a Driver for Identification in Local Communities in Taiwan

A cultural landscape, which encompasses various elements in a specific area, represents the combined works of nature and man. An organically evolved cultural landscape may represent a specific production process for a place, and may consolidate the identification for local people through conservation process of cultural landscape. With this concept, traditional economical model with special

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Successful Aging among Immigrants after Midlife

Relocation by crossing borders can be a risky endeavor, regardless of the amount of resources and support one receives. While many immigrants experience stress by functioning in a foreign language and culture, aging in a foreign environment can lead to an additional burden among older people. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the number of

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Impact of Cultural Differences on Business Projects between Germans and Swiss Germans: Unravelling Sub-Proximity HR Challenges of Cross-Cultural Projects

Based on Hofstede´s 5 cultural dimension we explored in a study among Germans and Swiss Germans that cross-cultural diversity and distance on a level of geographical proximity is more significant than literature has predicted. Its recognition, human resource management and assignment level holds the promise to leverage benefits of bicultural teams. Therefore we formulated the

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Future Perspectives within Japanese and Chinese Children: A Comparative Study about Children’s Expectations and Concerns for the Future

Adopting a comparative methodology, this study attempts to identify similarities and differences in children’s expectations and concerns for the future between Japan and China. Fourth-grade elementary-school children were invited to describe three future events that they expected and three future events that they were concerned about. Qualitative analysis was conducted on the response contents. Comparison

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Mapping the Concept(s) of Belonging

Various epistemological changes – such as the linguistic, narrative, and cultural turns that have influenced humanistic and social scientific studies since the 1980s – have had an impact on the increased academic interests in politics, discourses, processes, and practices of belonging. During the recent decades, the idea of belonging or non-belonging have been discussed and

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The Hunger Games: Designing the Girl As a Spectacle

Since Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games was published, much attention has been given to the bravery of the young heroine. Overlooked, however, is the subjection of Katniss Everdeen to the image-obsessed Capitol. In the televised world of Hunger Games, Katniss is commodified by the Capitol to be stripped of her young innocence and changed into

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A Socio-Cultural Explanation for the Difference Between Development Trends of Iran and Japan

A socio-cultural explanation for the difference between development trends of Iran and Japan In this research, Iranian and Japanese societies were compared by using comparative method in order to study the issue of underdevelopment of Iran. Historical studies have shown that Iran had a higher ranking than Japan in internal development in terms of economy

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Diaspora and the Politics of Difference and Sameness

Diaspora has established itself as one of the major topics in the literary and cultural studies of the twenty-first century. What is conspicuous about contemporary studies on this topic is that diaspora is regarded either as a liberatory space unmoored from the repressive national identity-formation or as a state pregnant with challenges against the authority

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Pushing Ethnoscape Identity Through Taiwanese Movie Box Office after the Popularity of Cape No. 7

New Media offer Taiwanese as an alternative media to explore their ethnic group identity when other mainstream media fail to present their image and imagined community as the way they want to be presented. After the popularity of Cape No. 7, Taiwanese Movie Box Office shows that almost only movies with good quality which can

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Becoming-other to Belong: Radical Eco-Cosmopolitan Subjectivity in Jeff Noon’s Nymphomation

Critiques of the Industrial Revolution pair it respectively with the twin evils of alienation and the advent of the anthropocene. Such arguments suggest that mechanical and digital technologies alienate individuals from each other and undermine their responsibility towards the future vitality of the places they inhabit. While many environmentalists have proposed a re-emphasis upon the

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Surrogacy on Stage. Theater, Movies and Documentaries about Assisted Reproduction, Kinship and (be)longings

During the last decades, India has become a popular destination for fertility tourism and a growing number of Indian fertility clinics offer treatments and surrogacy services to both Indian and Western customers at prices very competitive to a Western marked. Also artists, theater- and film producers have taken interest in the complex phenomena. This paper

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Debating `Culture´ between Performing Artists and the Goethe-Institut

This presentation deals with contemporary performing art productions as transnational cultural practices realized between artists from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Germany in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. Therefore the introduction of my presentation is characterized by reflections on the multi-dimensional concept of `culture´ with emphasis on designs of `international cultural relations´ shaped by  theories of

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The Analysis of The Vientiane 450 Years Anniversary Logo : Reflections of Lao’s Culture and Society

  This article is derived from the accumulation of data attained from a field study, content analysis of signs and symbols, culture and historiography. Subsequent to the use of the three methods, all the data are put together, decoded, and interpreted with care. And the Study of the data leads to the conclusion that the

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Ikebana to Contemporary Art: Rosalie Gascoigne

Although Japanese art influenced many Australian artists in 1960s, Rosalie Gascoigne (1917 – 1999) is regarded as one of a few artists for whom Japanese art was “the gateway” to her own art. Gascoigne studied ikebana from 1962 to 1972 but became frustrated with its limitations, and started making assemblage.   This study looks into

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Drugs, Racial Stereotypes, and Suburban Dystopia in Showtime’s “Weeds”

U.S. cable television network Showtime’s Weeds became an instant hit when it debuted in 2005, earning high ratings during its eight seasons. The show is a dark American comedy that centers on a housewife whose husband suddenly died, forcing her to find a new source of income. But instead of finding a “real” job with

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The Multicultural Celebrities or Asia in Warsaw

  The goal of the paper is a multidisciplinary and multicultural analysis and interpretation of the particular aspects of celebrity culture – relations of social actors “known for its well-knownness”. Speaking of celebrities in post-communist countries means speaking of hedonism, narcissism and entertainment as well as cultural and economic power, gender and identity management. Eventually,

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Old Communities, New Buildings: Decoding the Home-imagining Narratives of Taiwan’s Military Communities

After WWII, the Chinese civil war had caused over six hundred thousand military soldiers and their dependents to immigrate to Taiwan, led by the Kuomintang (KMT) government. In order to settle those Chinese soldiers and dependents, the KMT established 886 military communities around the Taiwan island and other off-shore islands. These military communities had become

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The Life cycle Rites of the Tatars-krjasheny: Sociocultural Characteristics (the 20th century)

The paper is devoted to the life cycle rites of the Tatars-krjasheny living in the Volga region. These rites are the integral attributes of symbolization for the most important events in daily life of people: birth, reaching of manhood, marriage and death. Necessity of consideration of this theme is caused by two reasons: firstly, analysis

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Cheats, Thieves and ‘the Kids’: Electronic Dance Music and Technological Change

Over the past two decades, electronic dance music (EDM) has shifted away from being primarily a vinyl-based culture due to the adoption of new technologies for production and performance. Whilst enabling new creative possibilities for musicians, these technologies have also disrupted existing norms within EDM culture. Audiences reacted with unease to the initial use of

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Two Waves of Transformation and Construction of Lepcha (Mon) Identity in Sikkim: An Assessment of Intra-Community Divide

Sikkim bears numerous names which reflects the copiousness of ethnic tribes that inhibits it. Lepcha or Mu-tanchi-Rong kup (God’s favorite chosen children) are believed to be the original inhabitant of Mayel Lyang (Sikkim). They have a strong community life, unique culture and distinct identity. The tribesmen were originally animist for whom the holy were their

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Growing with Time: By the Study of the Cultural and Spacial Representation of Three Government-Run Immigrant Villages in Hualien, Taiwan

  In 1909 (the 42nd year of Meiji), Taiwan governor’s office initiated an first immigration project in Central Hualien in Eastern Taiwan by building three government-run agricultural immigrant villages called Yoshino Mura, Toyota Mura and Hayashida Mura. This planning of villages influenced those villages in a great deal. Throughout the course of time, many colonial

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Pessimism about the Jurisgenerative Effects of Human Rights: Ishiguro’s Bleak Cosmopolitan Vision in “Never Let Me Go”

  Kazuo Ishiguro is often seen as an “international writer” of “world literature,” writing for a “global” audience. His novels address cosmopolitan themes of complex belonging in a globalized world, ethical responsibility beyond the ethnos, and universal human dignity. Such concerns loom large in Never Let Me Go (2005), which repeats the hostility to unreflective

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Drawn In

Art, has always been about reflecting and interpreting the world. It also appears that much of today’s output seems directed towards highly individual, so artists seem to demand an intimate, and personal engagement with their art. Drawing has become such perfect platform to accommodate the artists’ personal, intimate and direct experiences of belonging in transcultural

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Jeanette Winterson’s Trans-world and Trans-gender Dystopia

The aim of the paper is to analyse the dystopian apocalyptic vision of both the Western and Eastern civilization in the novel The Stone Gods by contemporary British writer Jeanette Winterson. This postmodern narrative is blending the world’s colonial past with its potentially colonial future, as the mankind is attempting at colonizing a new planet.

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A German Fountain in the Ottoman Capital

The paper is going to focus on “Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain”, or the German Fountain in turkish, as an embodiment of the political landscape of the turn of the century Ottoman-German relations. It will try to understand the Fountain as a german monument in an Ottoman city, away from its origins.   Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain was

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Exploring the Empty Space

   The purpose of my report is to develop theory to support a concept of an Empty space in Fashion design. The idea of the Empty space to serve for creative minds is not new and has been explored in the Far East culture since ancient times. The development and practical applications of the Empty

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ASEAN and the EU: Arts and Culture Festivals as Tools to Promote Regional Identity?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are two of the most studied regional integration processes in the world. For different reasons, they are often regarded as the two most successful too. Over the decades, they have however, chosen very different paths in order to achieve their unique visions of

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Atmospheres of Belonging. The Aesthetic Qualities of the Japanese Installation “wasted” on (in) Fertility and American Videoblogs  (vlogs) about IVF on YouTube

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are two of the most studied regional integration processes in the world. For different reasons, they are often regarded as the two most successful too. Over the decades, they have however, chosen very different paths in order to achieve their unique visions of

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The Heritage of Great “Kyai Besali”, A Community Action Plan for Religious Heritage

Kyai Besali is a great Islamic missionaries, in the 18th century. His cemetery is located in the village Tegalsari, next to the East River Keyang, Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia. There are many housing and new boarding schools around the cemetery . In its development, the cemetery complex suffered severe physical degradation. In fact, almost eliminating some cultural heritage, particularly in the form of the building. Integrated conservation plan is needed to prevent “self-destruction of its own”, and “The destruction caused by New Creation”. Revitalization is needed to make the area not only as a religious place but also become an attractive tourist area. Finally, through a community action plan to raised public participation, so that the

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Tolerated, if Discreet: 1960s Filipino Gays

  Abstract: Today, the gay movement has put male homosexuality into the open. In the 1960s, nations like the Philippines had a gay subculture, but it was hidden. Moreover, studies indicate Filipino gays are relatively tolerated. The two colonizers were homophobic; hence the roots of such tolerance might be of pre-colonial origin, culturally carried over

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The Influence of Cultural Aspects on Risk Communication in the Context of Indonesia

The study in this paper seeks to examine the influence of culture of a society on communicating risk knowledge whether it is related to, for example, social, political, or economic issues. In the context of this paper Indonesian culture will be taken as an example of investigation as this country comprises various customs and traditions

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Educative Approach to the Functions of the Thumb in Piano Playing

In this paper, the efficient use and the misuse of the thumb in piano playing have been investigated by examining appropriate and inappropriate positions of the thumb on the keyboard and analyzing the effects of the positions on the other digits, based on biomechanical aspects and physical dynamics of the piano technique. The appropriate position

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On the Edge and in between: The Predicaments of Taiwanese Subjectivity Reflected by “Cape No. 7” and Its Aftermath

  This paper discusses the formation of Taiwanese subjectivity and its postcolonial predicaments through an analysis of Cape No. 7, a 2008 romantic comedy set in modern Taiwan with remnants of its colonial Japanese past. Many would agree that Cape No. 7 is something of a social phenomenon, due to not only its unexpected blockbuster

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Management of Refugees through Intercultural and Interfaith Dialog

The issues of refugees in Indonesia are considered serious and needed immediate response. These are not only because Indonesia has become the transit destination, but also the origin country of them. The definition of refugees based on Refugee Convention 1951 and Protocol 1967 is those who left their origin countries due to persecution caused by

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Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Legacy? Brahmanical Ceremonies of Tri-yumpawai and Tri-pawai in Bangkok Revisited

India has a long history of relations with Southeast Asia. As a result of 2000 years of cultural exchange, South Asian influences are evident in most parts of the region. In this paper, I am particularly interested in examining the different perceptions of Indian culture in a Thai context, a place that has experienced Indic

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The Posthumous Life of Agnes Smedley, a Cosmopolitan “Spy”: China’s Cultural Memory and Amnesia

Known as a principal member of the Sorge Spy Ring who introduced Ozaki Hotsumi, a Japanese journalist, to Richard Sorge, Agnes Smedley, an American journalist and writer, was typically regarded as a “traitor” to the American nation in the early Cold War period. After her untimely death in 1950, Smedley’s ashes were buried in China

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Cross-Cultural Adaptation of International Students from China: Confidence in English Speaking Ability in ESL and EAP Classes

    In recent decades, the number of international students studying at universities  in United States has grown tremendously, which has increased by five percent in the previous year, reaching a total of 723, 227.  Also in the 2010-2011 academic year, the Institute of International Education announced that 157,558 of international students list China as

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Quality of Contact between Community Members and Bangkok Metropolitan Police

  This research was conducted in August 2012, using a survey questionnaire from a data sample of 15,000 Bangkok civilians, Thailand.  It aims to compare the level of quality of contact between community members and the police, which can be considered an important factor that could support the community policing concept.  The results was based

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Reading Chinese Painting: Antonello Trombadori’s China and the Limits of the Contemporary

In this paper, we discuss the Chinese Notebook, an account of a trip to China written in 1955 by Antonello Trombadori, a young partisan of the Italian Resistance and an accomplished expert in the fields of art, cinema, and literature. We wish to use his Chinese Notebook as a starting point for a wider discussion