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Women Trespassing Borders: Imaginaries of Cosmopolitanism from Below in Mia Alvar’s In the Country

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432 views

[wp-svg-icons icon=”user” wrap=”i”] Carlos M. Piocos III [wp-svg-icons icon=”envelop” wrap=”i”]  

Literature Department, De la Salle University, Manila, Philippines.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January-March, 2022, Pages 1–11. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n1.12

Abstract received:  15 March 2021 | Article received: 23 May 2021 | Revised : 29 July 2021 | Accepted: 14 August 2021 | First Published: 05 February 2022

(This article is published under the Themed Issue Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Literary and Cultural Studies)
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Women Trespassing Borders: Imaginaries of Cosmopolitanism from Below in Mia Alvar’s In the Country

Abstract

Mobility has been historically tied to conceptions of cosmopolitanism, bringing forward imaginaries of belonging-in-the-world and going beyond the narrow limits of parochial allegiances into embracing virtues of openness as global citizens shaped by the experience crossing borders and encounter with the Other. Despite dominant ideas about cosmopolitans as elite itinerants of middle-class intellectuals, artists, tourists, expatriates and capitalists, global migration with its entailing forms of mobilities from below—economic migrants, transmigrants, refugees, exiles—has redefined the term to include forms of minor and vernacular cosmopolitanisms that emerge among the migrant underclass. However, just like these forms of mobilities, these types of cosmopolitanism are also bound and shaped by class, gender and ethnicity. This paper explores versions of cosmopolitanism from below in the stories of Mia Alvar in her book, In the Country, that center on female domestic workers from the Philippines. Through the transnational itineraries of these border-crossing women protagonists in contemporary Filipino fiction, the article examines the intersections and contradictions of class, gender and race in cosmopolitan imaginaries of mobilities in Southeast Asia.

Keywords: mobilities studies, cosmopolitanism from below, migrant female domestic workers, Philippine contemporary fiction, Southeast Asian migration.

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Autopoetics, Market Competence, and the Transnational Author

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[wp-svg-icons icon=”user” wrap=”i”] Maria Gabriela P. Martin [wp-svg-icons icon=”envelop” wrap=”i”]  

Department of English, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January-March, 2022, Pages 1–8. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n1.11

Abstract received:  31 March 2021 | Article received: 22 Oct 2021 | Accepted: 22 Oct 2021 | First Published: 05 February 2022

(This article is published under the Themed Issue Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Literary and Cultural Studies)
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Autopoetics, Market Competence, and the Transnational Author

Abstract

Although materialist analyses have critiqued the institutionalization of postcolonial studies and its emergence in global capitalism, only few have addressed the role of creative writing in standardizing migrant novelistic production to what Mark McGurl has designated as ‘program fiction’ whose trademark is the practice of “involuted self-reference”. In filling this gap, this paper looks into Gina Apostol’s writings and their reception by international audiences as exemplary of the cultural capital of program fiction. While Apostol’s autofictions/ficto-criticism points to the influence of creative writing in her novels — she studied under John Barth in the MFA program in Johns Hopkins University, this context is overlooked when metropolitan readers construe her work as postcolonial literature. I argue that Apostol’s textualist renderings of Philippine history is an act of ventriloquism whose metropolitan success is a symptom of the auratic authority of postcolonial studies in the First world literary marketplace.

Keywords: Autopoetics, Market Competence, Transnational Authorauratic, Apostol, Philippine history.

Revisiting theatre of the minoritarian in neoliberalism: The Embodied Memories in Denise Uyehara’s and Dan Kwong’s Auto-performances

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308 views

[wp-svg-icons icon=”user” wrap=”i”] Io Chun KONG [wp-svg-icons icon=”envelop” wrap=”i”]  

General Education Department, City University of Macau, Macau.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January-March, 2022, Pages 1–12. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n1.10

Abstract received:  27 Feb 2021 | Article received: 30 May 2021 | Revised: 12 Aug 2021 | Accepted: 15 Aug 2021 | First Published: 05 February 2022

(This article is published under the Themed Issue Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Literary and Cultural Studies)
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Revisiting theatre of the minoritarian in neoliberalism: The Embodied Memories in Denise Uyehara’s and Dan Kwong’s Auto-performances

Abstract

In a neoliberal multicultural landscape, minoritarian artists tend to, deploying various forms of self-media or virtual platforms, create their artistic spaces for their identitarian performances. While self-media has been more and more entrepreneurially dominant, the aura of theatrical performance of the self seems to be now obsolete. Moreover, in view of neoliberalism as an increasing hegemony that has insidiously marginalized theaters of minoritarian performances (such as the New WORLD theater) in the past decade in the U.S., “minoritarian subjects” (to borrow José Esteban Muñoz’s term) are experiencing a predicament in which they are becoming more and more visually contingent owing to the neoliberal representational violence. With an urge of reviving such distant aura, this paper revisits the solo performances of Denise Uyehara and Dan Kwong staged in the Highway Performance Space, a generative site of what Meiling Cheng calls the “heterolocus”. By exploring auto-performance as a minoritarian genre, the paper examines what Diana Taylor calls the “embodied memories” in the works of Uyehara and Kwong, and further argues that these performances should not be simply understood as an individual aesthetic and political expression, but also be rendered as a powerful epistemological repertoire to perform cultural politics for the communal Asian American theater.

Keywords: Neoliberalism, Asian American Theatre, Autoperformance, Embodied Memory, Heterolocus.

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Which tongue? The Imported Colonial Standard or Motherland Vernacular? Exploring “Death” as the Birth of Postcolonial Malaysia in Muthammal Palanisamy’s Funeral Chant

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[wp-svg-icons icon=”user” wrap=”i”] Kavitha Ganesan [wp-svg-icons icon=”envelop” wrap=”i”]  

Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January-March, 2022, Pages 1–18. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n1.09

Abstract received:  18 March 2021 | Article received: 1 June 2021 | Revised : 6 Sept 2021 | Accepted: 8 Sept 2021 | First Published: 05 February 2022

(This article is published under the Themed Issue Contemporary East and Southeast Asian Literary and Cultural Studies)
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Which tongue? The Imported Colonial Standard or Motherland Vernacular? Exploring “Death” as the Birth of Postcolonial Malaysia in Muthammal Palanisamy’s Funeral Chant

Abstract

This article examines “death” in a funeral chant set in the plantation estates of Malaysia, and written in English and Tamil, as a metaphor for the birth of the nation. It explores how the death of communal linguistic elements, both in orality and symbolic references, lead to the deconstruction of motherland identity markers which are then replaced by the reconstruction of diasporic identities that are observable through the use of standardized English. For this purpose, the Malaysian Indian life-writer, Muthammal Palanisamy’s English version of an oppari (Tamil for funeral chant), which was published in Malaysia (2002) will be read in relation to the Tamil version published in India (2007) through transliterated and translated texts of the chant. In so doing, the paper highlights the inherent gap between the two versions that can be usefully deployed to address whether English is an enabling tool through which ethnic Indians can express their identities in a postcolonial nation like Malaysia or is it perpetually contaminated by colonial history and values. On the other hand, the paper also draws attention to the question of whether the displacement of the vernacular language, i.e., Tamil, witnesses the inevitable cultural death of a diasporic community or does it display a form of inclusivity within the polyglot linguistic environment of the adopted land, Malaysia.

Keywords: Malaysian Literature in English; migrant/diasporic Indian; national identity; funeral chant; plantation estates

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Impact of Digital Technologies on the Development of Modern Film Production and Television

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997 views

Zoya Alforova1, Serhii Marchenko2, Halyna Kot3, Alla Medvedieva3, Oksana Moussienko4

1Department of Audiovisual Art, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine

2Department of Film Directing and Screenwriting, Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, Kyiv, Ukraine

3Department of Television Journalism and Actor?s Mastership, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv, Ukraine

4Department of Cinema Studies, Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, Kyiv, Ukraine.

Email: marchenko5382-3@lund-univer.eu

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.72

Abstract

The popularity of streaming services has been steadily growing over the past 5 years, and the number of subscribers is increasing. This study was conducted to find out how the popularisation of streaming services affects filmmaking. The history of cinema is inextricably linked with the development of technology. It should be noted that each new page in the history of the film industry began with the invention of new innovations. During the digital age, a rapid leap forward in the television and film industry was also inevitable. Digital cinema is a format that has virtually left film and analogue cinema technology behind. Each revolution in the film industry has been a new step towards providing audiences with a new experience and an even more vivid film experience. Streaming services are one of the innovations that have emerged thanks to the development of digital technologies. They allow viewers to receive content for a fixed price. Streaming guarantees quality and availability with minimal technical support. For this study, theoretical materials on the impact of digital technologies on changes in cinema were investigated. The study analyses data on changes in the audience of the most popular streaming services over the past 10 years. The results of the study showed that the increase in demand for streaming and online cinemas affects the audience’s requirements for the genres and format of cinema. To satisfy audiences, filmmakers are constantly modernising the industry. It can be concluded that the tastes of the audience are changing and the workers of the film industry should be guided by this. In the future, global and Ukrainian streaming services will be able to create original content that will meet the requirements of viewers.

Keywords: film industry, digital era, streaming services, online cinemas, video content

 

Modern Dance as an American Alternative to Classical Ballet

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306 views

Tatiana Portnova

Department of Art History, Russian State University named after A.N. Kosygin, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: prof.portnova@nuos.pro

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.71

Abstract

The choreographic art of the United States developed in a new direction and was looking for new forms corresponding to the trends of the modern era in many ways. By the beginning of the 20th century, the classical ballet of the USA rooted in Russian choreographic culture had experienced the lack of the means of expression that could reflect a new range of themes, images, philosophical and artistic concepts that had developed by that time and required a new dance style, genres, aesthetics. Modern dance emerged along with the development of the national political and artistic and creative self-consciousness of Americans in general, during the development of national musical, choreographic, and poetic traditions by cultural figures, who searched for their path in art. The study analyses the features of American modern dance. The artistic and aesthetic principles of modern dance are identified and the historical and cultural prerequisites for the development of the national choreographic school of the United States are revealed. The study uses theoretical methods such as visual and textual analysis of choreographic performances and music for performances, comparison of means of plastic expression, movements and figures of classical ballet and modern dance, principles of stage development of artistic images of performances. The empirical study is based on the generalisation of the practical experience of staging performances by leading American dancers of the 20th century. As a result, it is noted that the features of modern dance are completely different to those of the United States classical ballet, testifying to the desire of Americans to reflect the problems of modernity and convey the unique national character of the United States culture by using elements of African or Indian dances, as well as movements that are not characteristic of classical ballet but reflect the spirit of modernity. The materials of the study are of theoretical and practical value for specialists who work with the problems of culture and art of the 20th century, including modern choreography.

Keywords: US art, avant-garde, choreography, performance, culture.

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Medieval Kazakh History in Arab and Persian Sources

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319 views

Adil Markhaba1*, Islam Zhemeney2, Aman K. Rakhmetullin1, Kalamkas B. Bolatova1 & Aigul S. Adilbayeva1

1Department of History and Social Sciences and Humanities, Kazakh Humanitarian Law Innovative University, Semey, Republic of Kazakhstan. Email: markhaba6563@kpi.com.de

2“Turan-Iran” Research Center, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.70

Abstract

The relevance of this topic lies in the analysis of the study of medieval Kazakh history. After gaining independence, the processes of the revival of national identity, reinstatement of primitive spiritual and moral values and human mentality, which were sharply suppressed during the period of the Soviet totalitarian system, became widespread. Therewith, the widely discussed national-historical structure of the population, the knowledge of ethnic roots, the restoration of traditions and customs, which served as a connecting link, as well as the specificity and originality of the approach are of particular importance. Currently, the problem of objective reading, coverage, and popularisation of the ancient and medieval Kazakh history and culture is acute. By rejecting one-sided interpretations of historical events, established clichés require impartial, academic analysis based on evidence drawn from a wide range of sources. The purpose of this study is to identify the problems of the history of Kazakhstan in the 13th-14th centuries, the general laws of world historical development and the features of the historical process, folk traditions by using a scientific and systematic approach. Based on the systematisation and classification of data from the geographical and Arab historical records of the 13th-14th centuries, the analysis of written monuments is performed, their interdependence is established, and the degree of completeness and reliability of the data in the works of the narrative is determined in an integral system. Due to the scientific expeditions and research trips to Mongolia, China, and Germany, Kazakh orientalists analysed and performed the first systematic processing of archival materials and historical evidence of the early history of resettlement based on the ancient Turkic manuscript, ancient Indian, and Chinese sources that formed a picture of the proto and ancient history. For example, the features of stone figures give an idea of the military hierarchy, military operations, the settlement of ethnic groups (ethnogeography), the worldview of the Turks, etc.

Keywords: history of Kazakhstan, written monuments, source study, analysis, Arab and Persian historical works.

Historical Hermeneutics of Musical Styles

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253 views

Olena M. Markova1, Daria V. Androsova1, Olha V. Muravska1, Liliia V. Nieicheva1 & Iryna M. Vlasenko2

1Department of Theoretical and Applied Cultural Studies, Odessa National A.V. Nezhdanova Academy of Music, Odesa, Ukraine. Email: o.markova@singapore-uni.com

2Department of Musicology, Instrumental and Choreographic Training, Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.69

Abstract

The relevance of the study of the historical hermeneutics of musical styles is determined by the need to find a philosophical basis for changing the cultural paradigm and the desire to return classical canons to musical art in particular. The aim of the work is to analyse the characteristic features of the interpretation of musical styles in accordance with the principles of historical hermeneutics on the example of jazz music. The research was conducted in two stages on the basis of interdisciplinary, systematic and hermeneutical approaches using general scientific methods of cognition: analysis, synthesis, systematization, comparison and ascent from the abstract to the concrete. In the process of scientific research, the views of researchers on the interpretation and understanding of hermeneutics in the context of musical art were considered; a general characteristic of the hermeneutics of musical styles in accordance with historical and philosophical prerequisites was given; the main elements of the theoretical model of musical philosophy of interpretation, which include critical interpretation, the purpose of interpretation, compatibility with description and limitation by requirements were described; the author’s concept of interpretation of musical styles, formed at three levels, were proposed; the characteristics of the hermeneutics of jazz style, in particular the presence of musical improvisational discourse, historical duality, transcendentality of content and form, advertising integration are determined; the article summarizes the specifics of jazz in accordance with two components: the European harmonic system and the fret principles of blues intonation, which made it possible to identify and generalize the theory of interpretation of jazz in the historical and philosophical paradigm. The practical value of scientific work consists in providing a comprehensive hermeneutical base of jazz style in order to further improve the practical application of musical style by teachers, students, musicians and specialists in the field of musical art.

Keywords: philosophical interpretation, semantics, jazz, musical composition, improvisation.

Digital Dose of Didactics: Reinforcing Patriarchy through Moral Stories on YouTube

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Gopika Sankar U.

Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, University of Hyderabad. Email: ullatgopika@gmail.com

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.68

Abstract

Should girls get a formal education? Should women earn? And who should handle the money they earn, if at all? Can a woman’s personality be tied to learning and earning? These questions may be easily overlooked in the 21st century, when women have forayed into almost all possible careers. However, these and more questions related to women’s education, employment and empowerment find clear answers in the so-called moral stories in Hindi and other Indian languages, one finds on YouTube these days. The paper analyzes a selection of such stories centered on women and argues how these ‘moral stories’ ultimately emerge as schemes to keep the patriarchal structure alive by creating an easily accessible digital repository, and end up patronizing women in the pretext of empowering them. The paper focuses particularly on the idea of ‘moral’ these stories contain and argues that the moral messages they convey are actually detrimental to the empowerment of women as their deep structures work to cement the foundations of patriarchy.

Keywords: Moral, Digital, YouTube, Stories, Patriarchy.

The Voice and the Gaze as ‘objet petit a’

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430 views

Utsav Banerjee

University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. Email: banerjee.utsav@gmail.com.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0248-6345

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.67

Abstract

Repression of the Real is a function of the coming-into-being of the Symbolic Order. That which is repressed resurfaces in the Symbolic, thereby threatening its order. What resurfaces is the non-repressible remainder, an excess that can neither be conceptualized nor can be eliminated. This remainder of the Real is what Lacan refers to as objet petit a or simply objet a. Objet is French for object, petit is French for small, and a is the first letter in the French autre, meaning other. In casual English translation, therefore, the objet a is essentially the small other. For Lacan, the objet a is a signifier of the Real that is lost in the process of symbolic constitution of the subject which resurfaces in the Symbolic Order. Its name is a misnomer in that it is not an object at all. It is rather a non-object because what is originarily lost is nothing—the original loss or the lost object is only a retroactive construction. And it is this loss that becomes the cause of desire, precisely because of the fact as a loss/lack it provides the necessary immaterial basis for desire—we desire what we have lost or currently lack. In other words, objet a is the object-cause of desire. It is equivalent of the partial object in Freud. Freud speaks of three partial objects—namely, breasts, faeces, and phallus; in Lacan, we find two more—namely, the voice and the gaze. This paper examines the voice and the gaze as objet a in Lacan.

Keywords: objet a, repression, the gaze, Lacanian Real, partial object.

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