Cultural Studies

Keeping Myth Memory Alive: The Usual and the Unusual in Sudha Murty’s Unusual Tales Series

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253 views

Susan Lobo
Associate Professor, Department of English, St. Andrew’s College of Arts, Science, and Commerce

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.27
[Article History: Received: 12 June 2023. Revised: 10 Sept 2023. Accepted: 11 Sept 2023. Published: 12 Sept 2023]
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Abstract  
If myth is vital to a community, its memory must be kept alive. But how, is the question? Is it always prudent to remain faithful to the ‘original’ version of the received myth, or is it desirable to tamper with, or destabilize, the source myth? In India, mainstream versions of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have long been disrupted by folk, feminist, and queer adaptations. Reversions of these oral, transhistorical master narratives of Hinduism have made a resurgence in a post-independence India that is precariously perched between tradition and modernity, and hence more acutely desirous that its children veer closer to their roots, or so the flourishing market for myth retellings for children suggests. Amongst this incandescent body of literature is Sudha Murty’s series of five books that revisits popular stories about the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon — The Serpent’s Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata (2016), The Man from the Egg: Unusual Tales about the Trinity (2017), The Upside Down King: Unusual Tales about Rama and Krishna (2018), The Daughter from a Wishing Tree: Unusual Tales about Women in Mythology (2019), and The Sage with Two Horns: Unusual Tales from Mythology (2021). This paper explores how these tales of antiquity, refracted and reconstructed through the author’s own personal memory, intersect with the more public and collective myth memory of the community. In reviewing Murty’s retrieval of myths by reimagining and re-situating the ‘evidentiary traces’ of myth in the here and now for the children of today, it interrogates how, if at all, the retold myths counter the metanarratives of gender, religion, culture and perhaps, history too. Finally, it argues that the genre of myth retelling must go beyond simply reviving myth memory to destabilizing myth by ‘fiddling ‘with the sacred, especially when adapted for children.

Keywords: destabilization, evidentiary traces, myth memory, myth retelling
Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality
Citation: Lobo, Susan, 2023. Keeping Myth Memory Alive: The Usual and the Unusual in Sudha Murty’s Unusual Tales Series. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.27

The Historical Revolution of Vatican II and the Vision of a Post-Western Christianity in India

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183 views

Enrico Beltramini
Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, California, USA. 0000-0001-9704-3960

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.26
[Article History: Received: 28 August 2023. Revised: 10 Sept 2023. Accepted: 11 Sept 2023. Published: 12 Sept 2023]
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Abstract

The vision of a post-western Christianity in India is traditionally linked to a distinct theological interpretation of Vatican II. According to such an interpretation, Vatican II was a theological revolution that favoured the openness of the Church to the world. In this article, I explore that vision through a historical, rather than a theological, interpretation of Vatican II. In Europe, Vatican II was a historical revolution that promoted the exit of Catholicism from Christendom and the establishment of a new Christian order with no links with Christendom. In India, this post-Christendom order has taken the form of a post-western order.

Keywords: Vatican II; revolution; reception; India; theology; Church; Roman Catholicism
Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Citation: Beltramini, Enrico. 2023. The Historical Revolution of Vatican II and the Vision of a Post-Western Christianity in India. Rupkatha Journal, 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.26 

 

A Critical Analysis of Honorification in Human Relations

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230 views

Tanima Bagchi 1 & Rajesh Kumar 2
1IIM Indore, Indore. 
2IIT Madras, Chennai.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.24
[Article History: Received: 3 July 2023. Revised: 2 September 2023. Accepted: 2 September 2023. Published: 4 September 2023]
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Abstract

This paper discusses the concept of honorification with a focus on the essential correlation between human relations and society. While the structural aspect of honorification, in the form of honorifics, has been discussed extensively the functional aspect of honorification as a research question requires equal consideration. It has often been claimed that obligation is one of the primary motivations behind honorification owing to its ubiquitous influence on social interactions due to differences in status, social distance, and power. However, a closer look will reveal how such social factors are a reflection of not the obligation but the underlying acknowledgement of this obligation leading to the social recognition of honorification and, thus, shifting the perspective from necessity to choice. In other words, this paper explores honorification as a synthesis of society, culture, and human nature.

 Keywords: Honorification, Deference, Prohibition, Volition, Respect.

Citation: Bagchi, Tanima, Rajesh Kumar. 2023. A Critical Analysis of Honorification in Human Relations. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.24 

The journeys of acculturation of Western culture in Vietnamese travel writing in the first half of the 20th century

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310 views

Nguyen Huu Son1 & Nguyen Huu Le 2
1Literary Research Journal, Granduate Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam
2Researcher, Hanoi, Vietnam
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.17
[Article History: Received: 29 June 2023. Revised: 25 August 2023. Accepted: 27 August 2023. Published: 28 August 2023]
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Abstract

Western culture has had a profound influence on Vietnamese culture and literature during the colonial period, especially in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. During this historical period, records appeared about the journey of Vietnamese people to France with different purposes. Based on this context, the article studies the attitude of Vietnamese intellectuals towards French culture to see the acculturation of Vietnamese to Western culture. Based on the cultural approach to studying travel writing, the article explores the French cultural awareness of some Vietnamese intellectuals such as Pham Quynh, Dao Trinh Nhat and Nhat Linh. Each story of their journey as an explanation for the purpose of the journey is the expression of aspirations: reforming Vietnamese culture, awareness of colonialism and feminism, and renewal of novels. These are current issues of contemporary Vietnamese culture and literature. From that, it is possible to recognize the characteristics of the travel writing about the journey to France representing the travel stories of the colonized people to the Western imperial countries and the process of escaping from slavery norms of Western culture. With an interdisciplinary approach to studying travel history, the article also provides a view of the process of modernizing Vietnamese literature in the first half of the 20th century.

Keywords: travel writing, French culture, cultural criticism, acculturation, cultural sensitivity.
Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Citation: Son, Nguyen Huu & Nguyen Huu Le. 2023. The journeys of acculturation of Western culture in Vietnamese travel writing in the first half of the 20th century. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.17

The Text of Minangkabau Collective Riddles: Format, Figurative Language, and Social Function for the Collective Owners

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212 views

Hasanuddin WS 1, Emidar 2, Zulfadhli 3
1,2,3Indonesian Department, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.15
[Article History: Received: 21 June 2023. Revised: 18 August 2023. Accepted: 25 August 2023. Published: 26 August 2023]
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Abstract

This research article aims to describe the format, figurative language, and social function of the traditional oral texts of Minangkabau collective riddles in West Sumatra, Indonesia. This research is based on the theory of folklore where riddles are categorized as a significant part of oral tradition that grows and develops orally and traditionally within the Minangkabau collective. The description of the research findings will explain the following points. First, how the format of riddles, consisting of descriptions or questions (descriptive) and answers (referent), is used by the Minangkabau collective. Secondly, it explains how the Minangkabau collective oral style uses figurative language to compose the format of descriptions or questions (descriptive) riddles that they ask to be answered by their listeners. Thirdly, it describes the Minangkabau collective attitude of the owners of the oral tradition, and it explains the importance of the riddles in their social life. This finding is in line with the theory about the social function of oral tradition for the collective owner.

Keywords: Riddles, format, figure of speech, social function, Minangkabau collective, West Sumatra.
Citation: WS, Hasanuddin, Emidar, Zulfadhli. 2023. The Text of Minangkabau Collective Riddles: Format, Figurative Language, and Social Function for the Collective Owners. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.15 

Childbirth and Pollution: Exploring the politics of Prasava Raksha through food practices in Kerala

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207 views

Alicia Jacob
Department of English and Cultural Studies at Christ University, Bangalore.
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.12
[Article History: Received: 11 July 2023. Revised: 24 August 2023. Accepted: 25 August 2023. Published: 26 August 2023]
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Abstract

Women’s body has been the site of patriarchal control and the formation of gendered ideologies, often subjecting it to multiple cultural interventions, especially while experiencing pregnancy and childbirth. Childbirth is considered a state of ritual pollution for a woman that starts from the day of birth and lasts up to several weeks or months, depending on regional and religious contexts. Prasava Raksha is a traditional practice in Kerala where massages, herbal baths, and a specific diet are prescribed for the health and well-being of the mother and child. Prasava Raksha can be considered the culturally appropriated version of the practice of pollution, practised by women belonging to Hindu, Christian and Muslim religious sects in Kerala. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study is to investigate the cultural context of how women’s body has been subjected to patriarchal control, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth, with food at the centre of analysis. This article aims to explore the practice of Prasava Raksha, its process and dietary prescriptions, to identify and analyse the cultural politics behind this practice that normalises the patriarchal exploitation of reproductive women. The study uses in-depth semi-structured interviews of 12 women from Kerala who have experienced childbirth and practised Prasava Raksha during the postnatal period, in addition to the interviews of a Prasava Raksha helper and an OB-GYN.

Keywords: Prasava Raksha, Childbirth, Pollution Postnatal care, Food practices.
[Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality]
Citation: Jacob, Alicia. 2023. Childbirth and Pollution: Exploring the politics of Prasava Raksha through food practices in Kerala. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.12 

Colour as Symbols in the Select Works of Yann Martel

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273 views

M. Arul Darwin 1 & Arul Anand 2
1,2Department of English, Annamalai University, Chidambaram. Tamil Nadu, India.
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.09
[Article History: Received: 11 June 2023. Revised: 08 August 2023. Accepted: 10 August 2023. Published: 20 August 2023.]
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Abstract

Colours can draw an identity to all living things. Natural colours can either calm down or disturb a person’s inner Self. At the times of crisis, it tends to give the individual soul wit and hope. Colours also have alchemical significance and can impact every man’s mind in certain ways. Colour representations have been used by many symbolists throughout literary history from the past to the present. Symbolists point out the importance of symbols in the poems of symbolist poetry. Moreover, the use of colour symbolism in literature contributes to the treasure of literary forms. In Canadian literature, Yann Martel holds a prominent position for his adaption of symbols and uses them to portray the inner quest of his characters. Frequently, his symbolism embodies a deep search for a spiritual quest with a religious component. Colour is one of the most important aspects in deciphering the psyche of his heroes. He has constructed various symbolic interpretations that exhibit the spiritual longing of individuals. Many colours like red, black, white, green, orange, etc have been used as symbolic representations to decode the mind set and religious beliefs. Among them, black and white colours play a vital role in an in-depth portrayal of the leading characters. The religious quest of the characters has been satisfied through the identification of colour representations and ancient relics. They were satisfied at the end. Hence, his works depict that colours have symbolic dramatic elements that naturally novelize the central theme of the search for Self. It also emphasizes the development of the Self with the supremacy of faith in the Almighty God. This paper deciphers the black and white colour symbols in the novels, “Self”, “Life of Pi”, “Beatrice and Virgil”, and “The High Mountains of Portugal” of Yann Martel.

Keywords: Colours, Symbols, Black and White, Yann Martel.
[Sustainable Development Goals: Life on Land]
Citation: Darwin, M. Arul & Arul Anand. 2023. Colour as Symbols in the Select Works of Yann Martel. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.09 

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Phonological idiosyncrasies of the Southern Sorsogon dialect in Bulan, Philippines

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299 views

Dominic Bryan S. San Jose 1 & John Gerald A. Pilar 2
1,2University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, Philippines
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.05
[Article History: Received: 15 June 2023. Revised: 04 August 2023. Accepted: 09 August 2023. Published: 20 August 2023.]
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Abstract

This research sought to examine the Southern Sorsogon (Sso) dialect’s distinctive phonetic features in Bulan, Philippines. In the urban and rural communities of Bulan in the province of Sorsogon, six native speakers were specifically selected based on the selection criteria. The qualitative text analysis approach used in this study was based on the transcripts of in-person interviews and other contacts between the researchers and native speakers. The Sso dialect’s segmental sounds and phonological characteristics were examined to unravel its phonetic characteristics. Read more>>

Keywords: Bikol, Bikolano, segmental sound, phonological idiosyncrasy, Southern Sorsogon dialect
[Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education]
Citation: Jose, Dominic Bryan S. San, John Gerald A. Pilar. 2023. Phonological idiosyncrasies of the Southern Sorsogon dialect in Bulan, Philippines. Rupkatha Journal 15:3. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n3.05 

Religious Heritage: Reconciliation between Spirituality and Cultural Concerns

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555 views

Óscar Fernández-Álvarez1, Miguel González-González2, Sara Ouali-Fernández3
1Department of Social Anthropology, University of León (Spain). ORCID: 0000-0002-5254-6908. Email: oscar.fernandez@unileon.es
2Department of Social Anthropology, University of León (Spain). ORCID: 0000-0003-2577-5753. Email: migog@unileon.es
3Department of Social Anthropology, University of León (Spain). ORCID: 0000-0002-4184-0298. Email: sara_o_f@hotmail.com

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.29
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Abstract

Religious heritage has a dual cultural and religious meaning and importance in society. It has a cultural value because it symbolises the history and art of a community, and a religious value because it represents a spiritual hub and home for a community of believers. This article analyses the challenges posed by this association between religious heritage —as both an economic and tourism resource— and cultural heritage. Methodologically, an observation, reflection and analysis of the challenges that are faced are proposed. The results reveal various initiatives for development, protection and enhancement. The discussion revolves around the importance of community involvement and the benefits this brings to various sectors, including economic activity, from the perspective of religious tourism as an aspect of tourism per se, in which a faith and its believers are elements that merit heritage conservation.

Keywords: Anthropology, Heritage, Religion, Religious tourism

‘Healing the World with Comedy’: Anxiety and Sublimation in Bo Burnham’s Inside

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536 views

Ann Christina Pereira1 & Dr Sarika Tyagi2
1Research scholar, Department of English, Vellore Institute of Technology-Vellore. ORCID: 0000-0002-2555-4910. Email: ann.pereira9213@gmail.com;
2Professor, Department of English, Vellore Institute of Technology-Vellore. ORCID: 0000-0001-5144-9981. Email: tyagisarika27@gmail.com

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.12 
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Abstract

Bo Burnham is a critically acclaimed American stand-up comedian and filmmaker. The usual themes in his works are the hypocrisy of artists, the commercialisation of art, and the role of social media in erasing the boundary between the public and the private. However, during the pandemic, he chose to focus on the theme of anxiety, a minor theme in his earlier works. Anxiety has been considered an integral part of modernity as discussed by Anthony Giddens and Zygmunt Bauman. In psychoanalysis, anxiety has been explained in a number of different ways. In current psychological discourse, anxiety is described as an unpleasant state of mind that can cause significant bodily and mental stress. The anxiety that Burnham experienced prior to the pandemic appears to have amplified during the pandemic. Two main types of anxiety are observable in the shows of Burnham—performance anxiety and existential anxiety. This paper seeks to understand Burnham’s show Inside (2021) using Anna Segal’s contribution to the concept of ‘sublimation’. We argue that in doing the show Inside, Burnham discovers a new way to acknowledge and channel his ‘depressive’ symptoms towards contemporary times, and he achieves sublimation in the process.

Keywords: Comedy, sublimation, anxiety, existential anxiety, modernity

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