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Although intended for the Christian temple, ecclesiastical woodcarving represents compositions influenced by the Folklore and the ancient Eastern mythology. It contains images of sirens, unicorns, centaurs, sphinxes, etc., but the lamias (dragons) are the most interesting among them. They appear on the royal gates, by the Crucifix, on the columns and woodcarving panels, etc. These teratological motifs offer very different mythological-folklore interpretations: the lamias as apotropaic sign, as chtonic creature, representing the great Mother-Earth, as one participant of the dual nature of the world, etc. Only in the late iconosthasis (the end of the 19th century and during the 20 century) the lamia appears according to the orthodox Christian ideas as a symbol of evil or Satan, but that means the end of the great epoch of the ecclesiastical woodcarving and its symbolic importance.
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The topic approached in this study involves identifying the particular notes of Father Daniil Sandu Tudor’s akathist-hymns, mystic poet (neohymnologist) of the Romanian Orthodox Church - by applying a hermeneutic from the perspective of iconic anthropology structure. The fact that the akathist-hymns were accepted by the Romanian Orthodox Church in her liturgical corpus and are thus enjoying the status of sacredness, specific to the religious texts, requires the identification of appropriate ways of reception of this type of creation. Knowledge, in the neo hymnologist poet’s point of view, does not have much in common with the exercise of reason because the ultimate goal is deification. But even if you take the world transcendental teleological support, it can be achieved only by our way of thinking and behaving in the real world. The relation between immanence and transcendence clearly derives both from the dual nature of Jesus Christ and God’s Trinitarian status. The sacrificial and redemptive Cross - Christian symbol and sacral value - necessarily requires the supreme sacrifice model, which is the one of the Savior’s crucifixion, model that intermediates the relation between heaven and earth, between immanence and transcendence.
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My assertion is that God’s biblical image may not reflect entirely His existence in itself as well as His revealed image. Even if God in Himself is both transcendent and immanent at the same time, and He is revealing accordingly in the history of humankind, still the image of God constructed in the writings of the Old Testament is merely the perspective made upon God by His followers to whom the He has revealed. That could be the reason why for centuries God’s biblical image seems to emphasize more His immanence, starting with Pentateuch, where God cohabites with Adam on Earth, then He reveals Himself to Abraham and Moses and so on. Somewhere, after the Babylonian exile, the image suffers slightly differences tilting towards God’s transcendence. In a path already created and grounded by Israel’s ancestors, even this new color of transcendence bears the nuances of immanence. How can this be possible? Let’s take a look on the revelation received by Abraham from God and see how this can fit the profile. Instead of the transcendence of God regarded by others in the differentness of Yahweh appointed by Abraham in his walking out of Mesopotamia, I will prove otherwise, that Abraham is on the contrary proving God’s immanency in this very differentness of His in relation with other gods by providence and omnipresence, indwelling His creation.
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I have started this research as a response to a pejorative question that religious rituals are merely theatrical, and the personnel involved nothing else but actors; beyond this there is nothing any religion suggests, e.g. healing, divine touch, blessings et.al. This paper is about rituals and their meanings and roles played as in social drama and theatre play. Considering the relationship between ritual and theatre to be reciprocal I will use their functions to evaluate the process of religious ceremonies and the role they play for adherents/participants, as if they would be attending a play. Religious Studies and Drama joint study offers the opportunity to combine two complementary humanities subjects, as both drama and religion are mainstays of cultural practice.
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Starting from the recent public debate over global warming we discuss the scientific consensus and public perception on climate issues. We then turn to the ongoing debate on diets and nutrition, comparing scientific perspectives, public views and religious standpoints.
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In this paper I will review the impact of the designation of Jorge Bergoglio as the Catholic Pope on the field of religious heterodoxies in Argentina. From a post-colonial approach, i will consider his designation within the historical relations between the State and the Catholic Church in South America and its capacity to organize one of the most hegemonic and constitutional socio symbolic frames in which religious practices and beliefs struggle for legitimation and negotiates their position on Argentina’s religious field. In this context the concept of religious pluralism, proposed by the social sciences, operates as a device that regulates and administrates religious diversity rather than protecting it.
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This article reviews the impact of cultural factors on mental health of an Indian women. Marked gender discrimination in India has led to second class status of women in society. Their mobility, work, self-esteem and self-image, in fact their worth and identity, seem to depend upon the male members of a patriarchal society. Women’s lack of empowerment and both financial and emotional dependence have restricted their self-expression and choices in life. This, along with family, social and work pressures, has a definite impact on women’s mental health. This paper discusses some recent advances in the area of movements that has gained tremendous impetus in the humanities and social sciences is the rediscovery of the role of women in history and their contributions to human culture. These diverse collections demonstrate the far-ranging impact women have had on all aspects of culture. From innovative women artists and pioneering scientists and technologists to the woman who campaigned for universal suffrage and social equality, their stories provide a window on to women’s multifaceted contributions to our shared heritage.
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This publication deals with the current legal and social situation of women in Afghanistan. The author analyzes the process of formation of the legal position of Afghan women from the moment of the country’s liberation from under the Taliban occupation in 2001. She concentrates on indicating relevant legal regulations and guarantees, as well as – primarily – analyzes the degree of respecting them. Consequently, she discusses selected forms of violence against women which is persistently present on the territory of Afghanistan. The author elaborates on specific cultural phenomena and acts against fundamental women’s rights, such as baad, baadal, the so-called “honor” killings, and punishing women for running away. These points lead to the conclusion that the enacted laws are merely an empty shell and women’s situation is far from stable.
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Defended PhD theses in Bulgaria in the field of linguistics, literature, history, folklore, ethnography and art studies
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The father is a dialectical figure. Taking C. Schmitt’s “state of exception” as a point of departure and drawing from G. Agamben’s and W. Hamacher’s analyses, I would like to present in my article the sense of this figure in the context of Hegelian speculation. Although “father’s” tendency appears to be a tendency towards the fullness of identity and pleroma, yet, it hides in itself negativity which cannot be eradicated and which condemns it to unresolvable ambiguity; whereas this ambiguity must lead to the sublation of “metaphysically” understood “fatherhood” for the sake of love.
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