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Employing an intersectional approach—drawing on cultural and new kinship studies, (medical) anthropology, gender and media studies—this article analyzes how the 2013 MTV series Generation Cryo as cultural text deals with medicalized masculinities and (in)fertilities. It asks in what ways masculinities and also fathers, fathering, and fatherhoods are (re)presented and negotiated in a story which has sperm donation by an anonymous donor and the donor siblings and/in their respective families at its center. In the show, essentially an (auto)biographical narrative, all families emphasize social parenthood over genetic inheritance, yet there are also deep-seated insecurities (re)triggered by the donor who is literally and metaphorically a present absence transforming into a potential family member, thus shaking family tectonics and challenging familial/familiar gender and family roles. Generation Cryo is a story about donor conceived children, but also about clinically infertile men and their social roles as fathers, their struggles to narrate and embody individual forms of masculinities in the face of cultural normative templates of hegemonic masculinities— complex practices constantly oscillating between genetic essentialism and social parenthood.
The Greenlandic oral story-telling tradition, Oqaluttuaq, meaning “history,” “legend,” and “narrative,” is recognized as an important entry point into Arctic collective memory. The graphic artist Nuka K. Godtfredsen and his literary and scientific collaborators have used the term as the title of graphic narratives published from 2009 to 2018, and focused on four moments or ‘snippets’ from Greenland’s history (from the periods of Saqqaq, late Dorset, Norse settlement, and European colonization). Adopting a fragmentary and episodic approach to historical narrativization, the texts frame the modern European presence in Greenland as one of multiple migrations to and settlements in the Artic, rather than its central axis. We argue that, in consequence, the Oqaluttuaq narratives not only “provincialize” the tradition of hyperborean colonial memories, but also provide a postcolonial mnemonic construction of Greenland as a place of multiple histories, plural peoples, and heterogenous temporalities. As such, the books also narrativize loss and disappearance—of people, cultures, and environments—as a distinctive melancholic strand in Greenlandic history. Informed by approaches in the field of cultural memory and in the study memorial objects, Marks’ haptic visuality and Keenan and Weizman’s forensic aesthetics, we analyze the graphic narratives of Oqaluttuaq in regard to their aesthetic dimensions, as well as investigate the role of material objects and artifacts, which work as narrative “props” for multiple stories of encounter and survival in the Arctic.
The Greenlandic oral story-telling tradition, Oqaluttuaq, meaning “history,” “legend,” and “narrative,” is recognized as an important entry point into Arctic collective memory. The graphic artist Nuka K. Godtfredsen and his literary and scientific collaborators have used the term as the title of graphic narratives published from 2009 to 2018, and focused on four moments or ‘snippets’ from Greenland’s history (from the periods of Saqqaq, late Dorset, Norse settlement, and European colonization). Adopting a fragmentary and episodic approach to historical narrativization, the texts frame the modern European presence in Greenland as one of multiple migrations to and settlements in the Artic, rather than its central axis. We argue that, in consequence, the Oqaluttuaq narratives not only “provincialize” the tradition of hyperborean colonial memories, but also provide a postcolonial mnemonic construction of Greenland as a place of multiple histories, plural peoples, and heterogenous temporalities. As such, the books also narrativize loss and disappearance—of people, cultures, and environments-as a distinctive melancholic strand in Greenlandic history. Informed by approaches in the field of cultural memory and in the study memorial objects, Marks’ haptic visuality and Keenan and Weizman’s forensic aesthetics, we analyze the graphic narratives of Oqaluttuaq in regard to their aesthetic dimensions, as well as investigate the role of material objects and artifacts, which work as narrative “props” for multiple stories of encounter and survival in the Arctic.
Language and transnationalism : language discourse in transnational Salsa communities of practice
(2013)
Language ideologies in contemporary Western societies are characterised by a strong influence of the idea that one language ‘pertains’ to one culture. Yet, cultural developments of globalisation, such as migration, the construction of transnational networks or global mass media, question national frameworks of culture and language.
In this thesis, after reviewing the field of language ideology and discussing historical examples of the development of national language discourse, language ideologies in a transnational context are examined. Using ethnographic research methods and a discursive approach to interview data, concepts and ideas revolving around language of transnational Communities of Practice constituted through Salsa dancing are analysed. Due to its connections to the Latin American cultural space, the practice of Salsa dancing in non-Latin contexts intrinsically constructs transnational ties. Different Salsa Communities of Practice are studied in Sydney, Australia, and Frankfurt, Germany. Interestingly, different local communities show very different ideologies concerning the role of language, multilingualism, concepts of authenticity or influences of capitalist discourse. The cross-national approach allows studying the influence of different national discourses on the formation of local ideologies in transnational contexts.
Thus, next to scrutinising the traditional concept of a ‘language’ and its relevance in a transnational age, the theoretical aim of this study is to analyse the interaction of discourses from different realms – local, regional, national, transnational – in the formation of contemporary discourses on language. These construct new symbolic meanings of language that co-exist next to the national concept of the relationship of language and culture, so that a multiplication of language boundaries can be considered to be a characteristic trait of contemporary language discourse.
Der Mensch ist ein emotionales Tier: Gefühle beeinflussen jedes menschliche Verhalten – auch jenes von Wissenschaftler/innen. Meist wird diese Emotionalität im Dienst wissenschaftlicher Objektivität vermieden oder unterdrückt. Dabei hat sie entscheidenden Anteil an Erkenntnisprozessen sowohl in der Generierung von Daten als auch in deren Interpretation und in der Präsentation von Wissensbeständen. Dies gilt ganz besonders für die Primatologie, gerade dort, wo mit unseren nächsten Artverwandten, den anderen Affen, im Feld geforscht wird. Primatologische Erkenntnisse wiederum affizieren ein großes Publikum und können deswegen leicht popularisiert werden. - Diese Open-Access-Publikation untersucht anhand primatologischer Forschungsmemoiren die Form und Funktion von Emotionen, Affekten und Gefühlen in der Feldforschung, die Affektpoetik und Emotionsregime der Primatologie sowie die Rolle, welche Fiktionen für die Reflexion des Verhältnisses von Mensch, Affe und Affekt spielen. Sie stellt damit die Frage nach der Rolle von Emotionalität in der Primatologie als Frage nach den epistemischen, poetologischen und politischen Grundlagen einer gegenwärtigen Leitwissenschaft der Anthropologie.
Variation in enclitic possessive constructions in Southern Italian dialects: a syntactic analysis
(2019)
This thesis investigates enclitic possessive constructions (EPCs) that are a widespread and frequently used construction among Southern Italian dialects (SIDs). In general, EPCs display the structure N-EP where the N is a (singular) kinship noun and the EP the enclitic possessive directly attached to the kinship noun. However, there is a huge variation among SIDs as well as within the system of a specific dialect. The aim of the present work is twofold. The empirical part contributes new data to this topic as well as a detailed and organized overview of (micro-) variational observations from data of different sources including for example the linguistic maps of the AIS (Atlante Italo-Svizzero). The main aspects of variation are (a) the presence or absence of an obligatory article (D – N-EP vs. N-EP), (b) the possibility of plural kinship noun-EPCs and (c) the compatibility of a specific person-EP with a specific kinship noun within a dialect. Based on the empirical findings, the syntactic part proposes a syntactic analysis for EPCs focusing on the following research questions: 1) In some dialects, singular kinship noun-EPCs display an obligatory article with the 3SG.EP. What is the reason for this article-based person split (1st and 2nd vs. 3rd)? And further, how are both structures, with and without an article, represented in the syntax, i.e. in DP and PossP? 2) In some dialects, plural kinship nouns are allowed to occur in EPCs, and in others, they are disallowed. With respect to this dichotomy, what is the role of NumP? 3) Kinship nouns are relational and express inalienability. How can this property be captured in the syntax? I argue that the article-based person split is due to the deictic properties of the possessor-persons, meaning that 1SG.EPs and 2SG.EPs need to be bound by the speaker’s coordinates in the left periphery of the clause, whereas 3SG.EPs do not. As a consequence, 1SG and 2SG EPCs move to the highest position, i.e. to D°, and 3SG EPCs can stay lower in the structure, i.e. in Poss°. Based on this dichotomy, I argue that both D° and Poss° can host EPCs. In order to capture the (im)possibility of plural kinship nouns-EPCs, I argue that NumP, as a parametrised position, can block or allow further movement of the kinship noun to Poss° (and to D°). With respect to the relational nature of kinship nouns I propose that they are base-generated within the complement position of a relator phrase (RP), and EPs in Poss°. In order to derive EPCs, the kinship nouns must move out of their position. The kinship noun lands in NumP, the position where further movement is probably blocked. If further movement is allowed, the kinship noun merges to the left of the EP, resulting in a complete EPC in Poss°. The last leg of the movement to D° depends on the presence of absence of an obligatory article. The phenomenon of EPCs displays a huge variation among SIDs and needs to be investigated from different perspectives and different linguistic areas. The present work contributes to the puzzle of EPCs new data and a syntactic analysis.
Memoirs by women (from the Global North) who have employed a gestational host (from the Global South) to become mothers are situated in a force field of intersecting discourses about gender, race and class. The article sheds light on the characteristic dynamics of this special sub-genre of ‘mommy lit’ (Hewett), labelled ‘IP memoirs,’ with a special emphasis on memoirs featuring transnational cross-racial gestational surrogacy arrangements in India. These texts do not only present narratives of painful infertility experiences, autopathographic self-blame, and scriptotherapeutic quests towards happiness, i.e. (a) child(ren), but also speak back to knotty issues such as potential exploitation, commodification, colonisation and disenfranchisement, as well as genetic essentialism in the context of systemic inequities.
Beziehung aufbauen kann. Es geht ja nicht darum, hier einzufallen, ein Ding abzugreifen, Geld auf den Tisch zu knallen – und ab nach Hause damit. (Peters 206)
Genau in der Mitte des Romans Mitsukos Restaurant lässt der Autor Christoph Peters seinen Hauptprotagonisten Achim Wiese den oben zitierten Satz sagen. Dieser will herausfinden, ob er eine Beziehung zu einem „Ding“ aufbauen kann. Bereits früher im Roman zeigt sich, dass Achim eine Vorliebe für ostasiatische Keramiken hat, und insgesamt spielen japanische Teeschalen, Chawan genannt, durchgängig eine bedeutende Rolle im Verlauf der Romanhandlung. Auch andere Figuren stehen in einem besonderen Verhältnis zu diesen Schalen. In dieser Arbeit sollen nun die verschiedenen Beziehungen der Figuren zu den „Dingen“ untersucht werden, insbesondere die des Protagonisten Achim. Zugrunde gelegt werden dabei die Studien über die Dingkultur von Jean Baudrillard, Karl-Heinz Kohl und Hans Peter Hahn. Bereits in Das System der Dinge. Über unser Verhältnis zu den alltäglichen Dingen aus dem Jahre 1968 unterscheidet Baudrillard zwischen der Funktionalität eines Gegenstandes und dessen Personalisierung durch den Menschen. Hans Peter Hahns theoretischer Text Materielle Kultur von 2005 unterteilt die Subjekt-Objekt-Beziehung in die drei Phasen Wahrnehmung, Umgang mit den Dingen und Bedeutungen der Dinge. Karl-Heinz Kohl bietet in Die Macht der Dinge. Geschichte und Theorie sakraler Objekte von 2003 eine Systematik der Gattungen von Gegenständen und ordnet sie hierarchisch. Kohl erkennt in den sakralen Objekten eine Beseelung der Dinge. Zu Beginn dieser Arbeit werden die wesentlichen Aspekte der Dingkultur nach diesen Studien zusammengefasst. Im Hauptteil wird Christoph Peters’ Roman Mitsukos Restaurant zunächst narratologisch analysiert unter Bezugnahme auf die Einführung in die Erzähltheorie von Matias Martinez und Michael Scheffel. Danach wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie die Dingkultur im Roman verwendet wird, insbesondere wie sich die Beziehung der Figuren zu den „Dingen“ gestaltet. Dafür werden drei exemplarische Beispiele herangezogen. Im Fokus werden einmal Achims wechselnde Herangehensweisen sein, sich den Teeschalen anzunähern. Ebenso wird die Funktion des Geschenkaustausches zwischen Achim und Mitsuko untersucht, hierbei wird besonderes Augenmerk auf den ritualisierten „Umgang“ mit den Teeschalen gerichtet. Im Anschluss daran wird anhand der Parallelgeschichte gezeigt, welche Funktion der handwerklich aufwendige Herstellungsprozess bei der Bewertung der Chawan durch die Figuren im Roman hat. In einem zweiten Schritt wird überprüft, warum die Dingkultur im Roman in dieser Weise eingesetzt wird. Insbesondere interessieren dabei folgende Fragen: Was reizt Achim an Mitsuko? Trägt sein Interesse an den Teeschalen fetischistische Züge? Womit verknüpft Achim seine Bedeutungszuweisungen an die Schalen? Die Schlussbetrachtung wird versuchen den Roman Mitsukos Restaurant gattungs- und epochengeschichtlich einzuordnen.
This paper addresses a set of issues related to language documentation that are not often explicitly dealt with in academic publications, yet are highly important for the development and success of this new discipline. These issues include embedding language documentation in the socio-political context not only at the community level but also at the national level, the ethical and technical challenges of digital language archives, and the importance of regional and international cooperation among documentation activities. These issues play a major role in the initiative to set up a network of regional language archives in three South American countries, which this paper reports on. Local archives for data on endangered languages have recently been set up in Iquitos (Peru), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and in various locations in Brazil. An important feature of these is that they provide fast and secure access to linguistic and cultural data for local researchers and the language communities. They also make data safer by allowing for regular update procedures within the network.
This special issue explores how finance deploys time, structures the future, and interacts with actors and institutions that sometimes function according to very different temporal regimes. Finance capitalism’s logic of recurrence, repetitive cycles, and successive ruptures has long been with us, but the essays in this special issue are particularly interested in how recent decades of intensified financialization have restructured temporal experience. They interrogate the production and dissemination of agency in an age of acceleration, risk, and uncertainty, asking how the temporality inscribed in financial transactions emerges from and simultaneously shapes individual and social practice. Topics covered range from the logic of finance and foundational concepts of financial theory to the intersection between objective structures and social practice, the role of literature, and finally questions of social insecurity, political action, and the possibility of resistance within a context of competing temporalities. In this introduction, the editors delineate some fundamental concepts and questions for our financial times.