Emma E. A. Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195323351
- eISBN:
- 9780199785575
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Mind Possessed examines spirit concepts and mediumistic practices from a cognitive scientific perspective. Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from ethnographic data collected ...
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The Mind Possessed examines spirit concepts and mediumistic practices from a cognitive scientific perspective. Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from ethnographic data collected during eighteen months of fieldwork in Belém, northern Brazil, this book combines fine‐grained description and analysis of mediumistic activities in an Afro‐Brazilian cult house with a scientific account of the emergence and the spread of the tradition's core concepts. The book develops a novel theoretical approach to questions that are of central importance to the scientific study of transmission of culture, particularly concepts of spirits, spirit healing, and spirit possession. Making a radical departure from established anthropological, medicalist, and sociological analyses of spirit phenomena, the book looks instead to instructive insights from the cognitive sciences and offers a set of testable hypotheses concerning the spread and appeal of spirit concepts and possession activities. Predictions and claims are grounded in the data collected and sourced in specific ethnographic contexts. The data presented open new lines of enquiry for the cognitive science of religion (a rapidly growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship) and challenge the existing but outdated theoretical frameworks within which spirit possession practices have traditionally been understood.Less
The Mind Possessed examines spirit concepts and mediumistic practices from a cognitive scientific perspective. Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from ethnographic data collected during eighteen months of fieldwork in Belém, northern Brazil, this book combines fine‐grained description and analysis of mediumistic activities in an Afro‐Brazilian cult house with a scientific account of the emergence and the spread of the tradition's core concepts. The book develops a novel theoretical approach to questions that are of central importance to the scientific study of transmission of culture, particularly concepts of spirits, spirit healing, and spirit possession. Making a radical departure from established anthropological, medicalist, and sociological analyses of spirit phenomena, the book looks instead to instructive insights from the cognitive sciences and offers a set of testable hypotheses concerning the spread and appeal of spirit concepts and possession activities. Predictions and claims are grounded in the data collected and sourced in specific ethnographic contexts. The data presented open new lines of enquiry for the cognitive science of religion (a rapidly growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship) and challenge the existing but outdated theoretical frameworks within which spirit possession practices have traditionally been understood.
Ted Anderson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195304114
- eISBN:
- 9780199790012
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304114.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ornithology
After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin ...
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After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin name is Passer domesticus, it is certainly not domesticated. In fact, it is widely regarded as a pest species and is consequently not protected in most of its extensive range. This combination of ubiquity and minimal legal protection has contributed to its wide use in studies by avian biologists throughout the world. This book reviews and summarizes the results of these global studies on House Sparrows, and provides a springboard for future studies on the species. House Sparrows have been used to study natural selection in introduced species, circadian rhythms, and the neuroendocrine control of the avian annual cycle. One current question of considerable interest concerns the catastrophic House Sparrow population decline in several urban centers in Europe. Is the House Sparrow a contemporary canary in the mine? Other topics of broad interest include the reproductive and flock-foraging strategies of sparrows, and sexual selection and the function of the male badge in the species. The book also explores the role of the House Sparrow in disease transmission to humans and their domesticated animals.Less
After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin name is Passer domesticus, it is certainly not domesticated. In fact, it is widely regarded as a pest species and is consequently not protected in most of its extensive range. This combination of ubiquity and minimal legal protection has contributed to its wide use in studies by avian biologists throughout the world. This book reviews and summarizes the results of these global studies on House Sparrows, and provides a springboard for future studies on the species. House Sparrows have been used to study natural selection in introduced species, circadian rhythms, and the neuroendocrine control of the avian annual cycle. One current question of considerable interest concerns the catastrophic House Sparrow population decline in several urban centers in Europe. Is the House Sparrow a contemporary canary in the mine? Other topics of broad interest include the reproductive and flock-foraging strategies of sparrows, and sexual selection and the function of the male badge in the species. The book also explores the role of the House Sparrow in disease transmission to humans and their domesticated animals.
Nanshan Zhong and Guangqiao Zeng
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198568193
- eISBN:
- 9780191718175
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568193.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Disease Ecology / Epidemiology
SARS originated from the Guangdong province of China where it emerged in the autumn of 2002. This chapter presents data that show that there may have been interspecies transmission between wild ...
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SARS originated from the Guangdong province of China where it emerged in the autumn of 2002. This chapter presents data that show that there may have been interspecies transmission between wild animals (e.g., Himalayan Palm Civets) and human beings. It describes the ensuing public health measures that were implemented, the treatment of cases, and the development of an inactivated SARS vaccine.Less
SARS originated from the Guangdong province of China where it emerged in the autumn of 2002. This chapter presents data that show that there may have been interspecies transmission between wild animals (e.g., Himalayan Palm Civets) and human beings. It describes the ensuing public health measures that were implemented, the treatment of cases, and the development of an inactivated SARS vaccine.
Huib Schippers
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379754
- eISBN:
- 9780199864386
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379754.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
Facing the Music investigates the practices and ideas that have grown from some five decades of cultural diversity in music education, developments in ethnomusicology, and the rise of ...
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Facing the Music investigates the practices and ideas that have grown from some five decades of cultural diversity in music education, developments in ethnomusicology, and the rise of ‘world music.’ It makes a case for the crucial role of learning music in shaping rich and diverse musical environments for the twenty‐first century, both in practical terms and at a conceptual level: “what we hear is the product of what we believe about music.” Advocating a contemporary, positive and realistic approach to cultural diversity in music education and transmission, the book takes into account and celebrates the natural dynamics of music, regarding every musical act as an expression of its current contexts in terms of cultures, communities, and underlying constructs, and establishing that “most music travels remarkably well.” In seven chapters that each approach the issues from a different angle, the book gradually unfolds the complexities of learning and teaching music ‘out of original context’ in an accessible manner, and presents a coherent model to approach these, as well as lucid suggestions for translating the resulting ideas in practice. While mapping the various factors that determine all acts of music transmission, it also comes to surprising insights into the nature and preconceptions underlying much formal music education settings across the world, including those focusing on western classical music. Based on an insider's view of both the delights and challenges of music in multicultural societies, Facing the music provides a rich resource for reflection and practice for all those involved in teaching and learning music, from policy maker to classroom teacher.Less
Facing the Music investigates the practices and ideas that have grown from some five decades of cultural diversity in music education, developments in ethnomusicology, and the rise of ‘world music.’ It makes a case for the crucial role of learning music in shaping rich and diverse musical environments for the twenty‐first century, both in practical terms and at a conceptual level: “what we hear is the product of what we believe about music.” Advocating a contemporary, positive and realistic approach to cultural diversity in music education and transmission, the book takes into account and celebrates the natural dynamics of music, regarding every musical act as an expression of its current contexts in terms of cultures, communities, and underlying constructs, and establishing that “most music travels remarkably well.” In seven chapters that each approach the issues from a different angle, the book gradually unfolds the complexities of learning and teaching music ‘out of original context’ in an accessible manner, and presents a coherent model to approach these, as well as lucid suggestions for translating the resulting ideas in practice. While mapping the various factors that determine all acts of music transmission, it also comes to surprising insights into the nature and preconceptions underlying much formal music education settings across the world, including those focusing on western classical music. Based on an insider's view of both the delights and challenges of music in multicultural societies, Facing the music provides a rich resource for reflection and practice for all those involved in teaching and learning music, from policy maker to classroom teacher.
Leo Treitler
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199214761
- eISBN:
- 9780191713897
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214761.003.0015
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
In view of its variability, the written transmission of the early trope tradition has been characterized as ‘local production for local use’. This chapter presents an attempt to interpret differences ...
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In view of its variability, the written transmission of the early trope tradition has been characterized as ‘local production for local use’. This chapter presents an attempt to interpret differences in a particular case as motivated, intended, reflective of different ideas of the composers or notators about the emphases of the poetic text, and about the exploitation of the expressive and formal resources of the melodic tradition to bring out those ideas. In other words, it attempts to see whether we can identify individuality in medieval song. Such an interpretation posits musicians who read their poetic texts and took upon themselves the task of manifesting their readings the way they intoned them. This supposition runs counter to the opposite idea that has been abroad in the field of medieval music studies.Less
In view of its variability, the written transmission of the early trope tradition has been characterized as ‘local production for local use’. This chapter presents an attempt to interpret differences in a particular case as motivated, intended, reflective of different ideas of the composers or notators about the emphases of the poetic text, and about the exploitation of the expressive and formal resources of the melodic tradition to bring out those ideas. In other words, it attempts to see whether we can identify individuality in medieval song. Such an interpretation posits musicians who read their poetic texts and took upon themselves the task of manifesting their readings the way they intoned them. This supposition runs counter to the opposite idea that has been abroad in the field of medieval music studies.
Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195150674
- eISBN:
- 9780199784615
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150678.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The Zen Canon offers learned but accessible studies of some of the most important classical texts in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Each essay in the volume provides historical, ...
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The Zen Canon offers learned but accessible studies of some of the most important classical texts in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Each essay in the volume provides historical, literary, and philosophical commentary on a particular Zen text or genre of texts. Among the most prominent types of texts featured are Chan or Zen “recorded sayings” (yulu) texts, “transmission of the lamp” anthology texts (chuandenglu), koan collections, and “rules of purity” or monastic regulation texts. These canonical writings helped shape the overall conception of Zen Buddhism and the kinds of practices that have come to give Zen its identity. One theme of Zen Canon, therefore, is that the classical anti-textual posture of Zen Buddhism is not one that can be taken literally. While making fun of spiritual writing of all kinds, Zen Buddhists managed to produce one of the largest and most influential bodies of canonical texts in the world. Among the most famous Zen texts discussed in The Zen Canon are the Mazu yulu, the Lidai fabao ji, the Transmission of the Lamp Ching-te era, the Record of Hongzhi, the Wu-men kuan, and the Chanyuan qinggue.Less
The Zen Canon offers learned but accessible studies of some of the most important classical texts in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Each essay in the volume provides historical, literary, and philosophical commentary on a particular Zen text or genre of texts. Among the most prominent types of texts featured are Chan or Zen “recorded sayings” (yulu) texts, “transmission of the lamp” anthology texts (chuandenglu), koan collections, and “rules of purity” or monastic regulation texts. These canonical writings helped shape the overall conception of Zen Buddhism and the kinds of practices that have come to give Zen its identity. One theme of Zen Canon, therefore, is that the classical anti-textual posture of Zen Buddhism is not one that can be taken literally. While making fun of spiritual writing of all kinds, Zen Buddhists managed to produce one of the largest and most influential bodies of canonical texts in the world. Among the most famous Zen texts discussed in The Zen Canon are the Mazu yulu, the Lidai fabao ji, the Transmission of the Lamp Ching-te era, the Record of Hongzhi, the Wu-men kuan, and the Chanyuan qinggue.
José L. Zalabardo
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199656073
- eISBN:
- 9780191742132
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199656073.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology, Philosophy of Science
Reliabilist accounts of knowledge are widely seen as having the resources for blocking sceptical arguments, since these arguments appear to rely on assumptions about the nature of knowledge that are ...
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Reliabilist accounts of knowledge are widely seen as having the resources for blocking sceptical arguments, since these arguments appear to rely on assumptions about the nature of knowledge that are rendered illegitimate by reliabilist accounts. The goal of this book is to assess the main arguments against the possibility of knowledge, and its conclusions challenge this consensus. The book articulates and defends a theory of knowledge that belongs firmly in the truth-tracking tradition, and argues that although the theory has the resources for blocking the main standard lines of sceptical reasoning, there is a sceptical argument against which the theory offers no defence, as it doesn’t rely on any assumptions that the theory would render illegitimate. The book ends with the suggestion that the problem might have a metaphysical solution—that although the sceptical argument may make no illegitimate epistemological assumptions, it does rest on a questionable account of the nature of cognition.Less
Reliabilist accounts of knowledge are widely seen as having the resources for blocking sceptical arguments, since these arguments appear to rely on assumptions about the nature of knowledge that are rendered illegitimate by reliabilist accounts. The goal of this book is to assess the main arguments against the possibility of knowledge, and its conclusions challenge this consensus. The book articulates and defends a theory of knowledge that belongs firmly in the truth-tracking tradition, and argues that although the theory has the resources for blocking the main standard lines of sceptical reasoning, there is a sceptical argument against which the theory offers no defence, as it doesn’t rely on any assumptions that the theory would render illegitimate. The book ends with the suggestion that the problem might have a metaphysical solution—that although the sceptical argument may make no illegitimate epistemological assumptions, it does rest on a questionable account of the nature of cognition.
Roger E. Raab and Owen L. de Lange
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198567271
- eISBN:
- 9780191717970
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567271.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
The book opens with a chapter on the classical theory of multipoles in electromagnetism, in which static and dynamic multipole expansions of various physical quantities are derived, including of the ...
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The book opens with a chapter on the classical theory of multipoles in electromagnetism, in which static and dynamic multipole expansions of various physical quantities are derived, including of the Maxwell fields D and H. Chapter 2 presents a semi-classical account of multipole theory, in which the Barron-Gray gauge is used to derive multipole polarizabilities describing the induction of molecular moments by a harmonic plane wave. Aspects of symmetry are treated in Chapter 3 — space-time behaviour of tensors and physical properties of molecules and crystals. In Chapter 4, D(E,B) and H(E,B) are obtained for linear anisotropic media, yielding expressions for the material constants which are required to satisfy origin independence, the Post constraint, and certain symmetries but fail the first two. Despite these difficulties, the standard theory is used in Chapter 5 to derive a wave propagation equation; this is applied to explain various physical effects in transmission, two of which are also described in a scattering theory. Chapter 6 deals with the reflection of electromagnetic waves from an anisotropic medium. The reflected intensities violate origin independence, showing again the unphysical nature of existing multipole theory. In Chapter 7, the fields are transformed while leaving Maxwell's equations unchanged, from which new material constants are derived in Chapter 8 that meet the three requirements in Chapter 4. Chapter 9 applies the transformed expressions to transmission and reflection phenomena, confirming the results of Chapter 5, while yielding reflected intensities that satisfy space and time invariances.Less
The book opens with a chapter on the classical theory of multipoles in electromagnetism, in which static and dynamic multipole expansions of various physical quantities are derived, including of the Maxwell fields D and H. Chapter 2 presents a semi-classical account of multipole theory, in which the Barron-Gray gauge is used to derive multipole polarizabilities describing the induction of molecular moments by a harmonic plane wave. Aspects of symmetry are treated in Chapter 3 — space-time behaviour of tensors and physical properties of molecules and crystals. In Chapter 4, D(E,B) and H(E,B) are obtained for linear anisotropic media, yielding expressions for the material constants which are required to satisfy origin independence, the Post constraint, and certain symmetries but fail the first two. Despite these difficulties, the standard theory is used in Chapter 5 to derive a wave propagation equation; this is applied to explain various physical effects in transmission, two of which are also described in a scattering theory. Chapter 6 deals with the reflection of electromagnetic waves from an anisotropic medium. The reflected intensities violate origin independence, showing again the unphysical nature of existing multipole theory. In Chapter 7, the fields are transformed while leaving Maxwell's equations unchanged, from which new material constants are derived in Chapter 8 that meet the three requirements in Chapter 4. Chapter 9 applies the transformed expressions to transmission and reflection phenomena, confirming the results of Chapter 5, while yielding reflected intensities that satisfy space and time invariances.
Kim Haines-Eitzen
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195171297
- eISBN:
- 9780199918140
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171297.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This book poses two sets of questions related to women and books in early Christianity: First, what roles did women play in the production, reproduction, and dissemination of early Christianity? And, ...
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This book poses two sets of questions related to women and books in early Christianity: First, what roles did women play in the production, reproduction, and dissemination of early Christianity? And, to be more specific, to what extent were women authors, scribe copyists, book-lenders, and patrons of early Christian literature? Second, how did the stories of women in early Christian literature come to be transformed in the process of copying? And can we detect the influence of debates about women in the earliest churches and debates about asceticism and the human body in the textual transmission of the New Testament and apocryphal texts? These questions serve to guide the book, which aims most broadly to highlight the gendered and layered history of early Christianity. The book argues that historians cannot avoid the inherently representational evidence for women writers and readers as well as the layered stories of female figures such as Eve, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Theca; rather, by embracing the multiplicity of representations, scholars and students can attend simultaneously to rhetorical and literature constructions and historical reality.Less
This book poses two sets of questions related to women and books in early Christianity: First, what roles did women play in the production, reproduction, and dissemination of early Christianity? And, to be more specific, to what extent were women authors, scribe copyists, book-lenders, and patrons of early Christian literature? Second, how did the stories of women in early Christian literature come to be transformed in the process of copying? And can we detect the influence of debates about women in the earliest churches and debates about asceticism and the human body in the textual transmission of the New Testament and apocryphal texts? These questions serve to guide the book, which aims most broadly to highlight the gendered and layered history of early Christianity. The book argues that historians cannot avoid the inherently representational evidence for women writers and readers as well as the layered stories of female figures such as Eve, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Theca; rather, by embracing the multiplicity of representations, scholars and students can attend simultaneously to rhetorical and literature constructions and historical reality.
Jiang Wu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195333572
- eISBN:
- 9780199868872
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333572.003.0015
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter explains the rise and fall of Chan Buddhism in the 17th century. The chapter shows that Chan Buddhism was revived through romantic imaginations of textual ideals and thus should be ...
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This chapter explains the rise and fall of Chan Buddhism in the 17th century. The chapter shows that Chan Buddhism was revived through romantic imaginations of textual ideals and thus should be described as a reinvention. The literati and Chan Buddhists formed various kinds of textual communities that were devoted to reading and interpreting ancient Chan texts. However, the revived Chan Buddhism based on textual ideals contradicted the ritualized monastic reality in many ways.Less
This chapter explains the rise and fall of Chan Buddhism in the 17th century. The chapter shows that Chan Buddhism was revived through romantic imaginations of textual ideals and thus should be described as a reinvention. The literati and Chan Buddhists formed various kinds of textual communities that were devoted to reading and interpreting ancient Chan texts. However, the revived Chan Buddhism based on textual ideals contradicted the ritualized monastic reality in many ways.
Emma Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195323351
- eISBN:
- 9780199785575
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Chapter 6 considers the form and spread of spirit concepts, drawing heavily on ethnographic data and emerging theories within epidemiological studies of culture. This chapter suggests why spirit ...
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Chapter 6 considers the form and spread of spirit concepts, drawing heavily on ethnographic data and emerging theories within epidemiological studies of culture. This chapter suggests why spirit concepts are an ubiquitous feature of human culture, arguing (on the basis of cutting‐edge research in the cognitive sciences) that such concepts have a distinct cognitive advantage in cultural transmission.Less
Chapter 6 considers the form and spread of spirit concepts, drawing heavily on ethnographic data and emerging theories within epidemiological studies of culture. This chapter suggests why spirit concepts are an ubiquitous feature of human culture, arguing (on the basis of cutting‐edge research in the cognitive sciences) that such concepts have a distinct cognitive advantage in cultural transmission.
David Wengrow
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159041
- eISBN:
- 9781400848867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159041.003.0003
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
This chapter examines composite animals as counterfactual images by focusing on a school of evolutionary psychology called the “epidemiology of culture.” Experimental studies show that the cognitive ...
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This chapter examines composite animals as counterfactual images by focusing on a school of evolutionary psychology called the “epidemiology of culture.” Experimental studies show that the cognitive processing of animal forms is highly sensitized to part-whole relations, such that a total presence may be inferred from quite limited visual cues. Pictures of animals—even when jumbled, distorted, or incomplete—may therefore activate neural pathways attuned to the recognition and differentiation of living kinds. Such observations make it possible to build bridges between the cognition of images and theories of cultural transmission. The chapter introduces a number of comparative observations on the status of composites in the visual arts of hunter-gatherers.Less
This chapter examines composite animals as counterfactual images by focusing on a school of evolutionary psychology called the “epidemiology of culture.” Experimental studies show that the cognitive processing of animal forms is highly sensitized to part-whole relations, such that a total presence may be inferred from quite limited visual cues. Pictures of animals—even when jumbled, distorted, or incomplete—may therefore activate neural pathways attuned to the recognition and differentiation of living kinds. Such observations make it possible to build bridges between the cognition of images and theories of cultural transmission. The chapter introduces a number of comparative observations on the status of composites in the visual arts of hunter-gatherers.
David Wengrow
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159041
- eISBN:
- 9781400848867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159041.003.0005
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
This chapter considers the cultural ecology of composite animals. Paleolithic and Neolithic societies sometimes created durable images of composite beings, and the few surviving candidates have often ...
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This chapter considers the cultural ecology of composite animals. Paleolithic and Neolithic societies sometimes created durable images of composite beings, and the few surviving candidates have often been accorded great prominence in modern interpretations. Yet they remain strikingly isolated. If the popularity of minimally counterintuitive images is to be explained by their core cultural content and its appeal to universal cognitive biases, the question that arises is: Why did composite figures fail so spectacularly to “catch on” across the many millennia of innovation in visual culture that precede the onset of urban life? Much hinges here upon our conceptualization of the “counterintuitive” and its role in cultural transmission. To determine what kind of “cultural ecology” the composite animal belongs to, the chapter examines composites in early dynastic Egypt before discussing the relationship between the spread of urban civilization and the widespread transmission of images depicting composite beings.Less
This chapter considers the cultural ecology of composite animals. Paleolithic and Neolithic societies sometimes created durable images of composite beings, and the few surviving candidates have often been accorded great prominence in modern interpretations. Yet they remain strikingly isolated. If the popularity of minimally counterintuitive images is to be explained by their core cultural content and its appeal to universal cognitive biases, the question that arises is: Why did composite figures fail so spectacularly to “catch on” across the many millennia of innovation in visual culture that precede the onset of urban life? Much hinges here upon our conceptualization of the “counterintuitive” and its role in cultural transmission. To determine what kind of “cultural ecology” the composite animal belongs to, the chapter examines composites in early dynastic Egypt before discussing the relationship between the spread of urban civilization and the widespread transmission of images depicting composite beings.
David Wengrow
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159041
- eISBN:
- 9781400848867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159041.003.0007
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
This chapter proposes some distinct patterns of transmission that are attested across multiple chronological periods and regional settings, shedding further light on the institutional contexts of ...
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This chapter proposes some distinct patterns of transmission that are attested across multiple chronological periods and regional settings, shedding further light on the institutional contexts of image transfer in the Bronze and Iron Ages. The distribution of composite figures in the visual record raises a number of intriguing problems for the study of cultural transmission. Their impressive transmission across cultural boundaries is consistent with the expectations of an “epidemiological” approach to the spread of culture, which would accord them a special kind of cognitive catchiness. This chapter considers the institutional role of externally derived images within centralized (or centralizing) societies and suggests that the macro-distribution of composites follows two distinct but regular modes of transmission and reception: the “transformative” mode and the “integrative” mode. It also introduces a third mode of transmission, termed “protective” mode.Less
This chapter proposes some distinct patterns of transmission that are attested across multiple chronological periods and regional settings, shedding further light on the institutional contexts of image transfer in the Bronze and Iron Ages. The distribution of composite figures in the visual record raises a number of intriguing problems for the study of cultural transmission. Their impressive transmission across cultural boundaries is consistent with the expectations of an “epidemiological” approach to the spread of culture, which would accord them a special kind of cognitive catchiness. This chapter considers the institutional role of externally derived images within centralized (or centralizing) societies and suggests that the macro-distribution of composites follows two distinct but regular modes of transmission and reception: the “transformative” mode and the “integrative” mode. It also introduces a third mode of transmission, termed “protective” mode.
Daniel R. Melamed
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195169331
- eISBN:
- 9780199865376
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195169331.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Johann Sebastian Bach's two surviving passions—St. John and St. Matthew—are an essential part of the modern repertory, performed regularly both by professional ensembles and amateur groups. These ...
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Johann Sebastian Bach's two surviving passions—St. John and St. Matthew—are an essential part of the modern repertory, performed regularly both by professional ensembles and amateur groups. These large, complex pieces are well-loved; but because of our distance from the original context in which they were performed, questions and problems emerge. Bach wrote the passions for a particular liturgical event at a specific time and place; we hear them hundreds of years later, often a world away and usually in concert performances. They were performed with vocal and instrumental forces deployed according to early 18th century conceptions; we usually hear them now as the pinnacle of the choral/orchestral repertory, adapted to modern forces and conventions. In Bach's time, passion settings were revised, altered, and tampered with both by their composers and by other musicians who used them. Today, we tend to regard them as having fixed texts, to be treated with respect. Their music was sometimes recycled from other compositions, or reused itself for other purposes. We have trouble imagining the familiar material of Bach's passion settings in any other guise. We can learn about these issues by exploring the sources that transmit Bach's passion settings today, performance practice (including the question of the size of Bach's ensemble), delving into the passions as dramatic music, examining the problem of multiple versions of a work and the reconstruction of lost pieces, exploring the other passions in Bach's performing repertory, and sifting through the puzzle of authorship.Less
Johann Sebastian Bach's two surviving passions—St. John and St. Matthew—are an essential part of the modern repertory, performed regularly both by professional ensembles and amateur groups. These large, complex pieces are well-loved; but because of our distance from the original context in which they were performed, questions and problems emerge. Bach wrote the passions for a particular liturgical event at a specific time and place; we hear them hundreds of years later, often a world away and usually in concert performances. They were performed with vocal and instrumental forces deployed according to early 18th century conceptions; we usually hear them now as the pinnacle of the choral/orchestral repertory, adapted to modern forces and conventions. In Bach's time, passion settings were revised, altered, and tampered with both by their composers and by other musicians who used them. Today, we tend to regard them as having fixed texts, to be treated with respect. Their music was sometimes recycled from other compositions, or reused itself for other purposes. We have trouble imagining the familiar material of Bach's passion settings in any other guise. We can learn about these issues by exploring the sources that transmit Bach's passion settings today, performance practice (including the question of the size of Bach's ensemble), delving into the passions as dramatic music, examining the problem of multiple versions of a work and the reconstruction of lost pieces, exploring the other passions in Bach's performing repertory, and sifting through the puzzle of authorship.
Alok Kumar and Sushanta K. Chatterjee
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198082279
- eISBN:
- 9780199082063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198082279.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter traces the evolution of inter-state transmission in India. It presents a legal and policy overview and the vision in the Electricity Act, 2003 about the development of this important ...
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This chapter traces the evolution of inter-state transmission in India. It presents a legal and policy overview and the vision in the Electricity Act, 2003 about the development of this important segment. It highlights the importance of transmission planning and explains the provision in the law and policy in this regard. The chapter describes provisions of competitive bidding in transmission and highlights the salient features of the bidding guidelines, while presenting comparison at relevant places between the bidding guidelines for procurement of power and procurement of transmission services. The important aspect of access to inter-state transmission has also been covered in this chapter. The chapter also discusses the concept and issues of dedicated transmission line and concludes by presenting future challenges and the way forward for the development of inter-state transmission of electricity in India.Less
This chapter traces the evolution of inter-state transmission in India. It presents a legal and policy overview and the vision in the Electricity Act, 2003 about the development of this important segment. It highlights the importance of transmission planning and explains the provision in the law and policy in this regard. The chapter describes provisions of competitive bidding in transmission and highlights the salient features of the bidding guidelines, while presenting comparison at relevant places between the bidding guidelines for procurement of power and procurement of transmission services. The important aspect of access to inter-state transmission has also been covered in this chapter. The chapter also discusses the concept and issues of dedicated transmission line and concludes by presenting future challenges and the way forward for the development of inter-state transmission of electricity in India.
John C. H. Spence
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199552757
- eISBN:
- 9780191708664
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199552757.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
This book covers both practical and theoretical aspects of atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy. The discovery of the carbon nanotube, the three-dimensional imaging of the ribosome, and ...
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This book covers both practical and theoretical aspects of atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy. The discovery of the carbon nanotube, the three-dimensional imaging of the ribosome, and the imaging of a single foreign atom inside a thin crystal by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy have all demonstrated the immense power of this technique. The recent development of aberration-correction devices has brought the spatial resolution of the method below one Angstrom. The emphasis throughout is on a clear presentation of fundamental concepts, and practical advice. The chapters review simple electron optics, phase contrast theory, coherence theory, and imaging theory for thin crystals. The multiple scattering theory is given in full, and the relationship between the various formulations (Bloch-wave, multislice, scattering matrix, Howie–Whelan equations, phase grating etc) is explained. Applications in biology and materials science are covered, with discussions of radiation damage, sample preparation, image processing and super-resolution, electron holography, and aberration correction. The theory of high-angle annular dark field Z-contrast imaging by scanning transmission electron microscopy is given in full. Additional chapters are devoted to electron sources and detectors, fault diagnosis, experimental methods and associated techniques such as channelling effects in X-ray microanalysis, microdiffraction, cathodoluminescence, environmental microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy.Less
This book covers both practical and theoretical aspects of atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy. The discovery of the carbon nanotube, the three-dimensional imaging of the ribosome, and the imaging of a single foreign atom inside a thin crystal by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy have all demonstrated the immense power of this technique. The recent development of aberration-correction devices has brought the spatial resolution of the method below one Angstrom. The emphasis throughout is on a clear presentation of fundamental concepts, and practical advice. The chapters review simple electron optics, phase contrast theory, coherence theory, and imaging theory for thin crystals. The multiple scattering theory is given in full, and the relationship between the various formulations (Bloch-wave, multislice, scattering matrix, Howie–Whelan equations, phase grating etc) is explained. Applications in biology and materials science are covered, with discussions of radiation damage, sample preparation, image processing and super-resolution, electron holography, and aberration correction. The theory of high-angle annular dark field Z-contrast imaging by scanning transmission electron microscopy is given in full. Additional chapters are devoted to electron sources and detectors, fault diagnosis, experimental methods and associated techniques such as channelling effects in X-ray microanalysis, microdiffraction, cathodoluminescence, environmental microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy.
Andrew N. Rubin
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691154152
- eISBN:
- 9781400842179
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154152.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Combining literary, cultural, and political history, and based on extensive archival research, including previously unseen FBI and CIA documents, this book argues that cultural politics—specifically ...
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Combining literary, cultural, and political history, and based on extensive archival research, including previously unseen FBI and CIA documents, this book argues that cultural politics—specifically America's often covert patronage of the arts—played a highly important role in the transfer of imperial authority from Britain to the United States during a critical period after World War II. The book argues that this transfer reshaped the postwar literary space and shows how, during this time, new and efficient modes of cultural transmission, replication, and travel—such as radio and rapidly and globally circulated journals—completely transformed the position occupied by the postwar writer and the role of world literature. The book demonstrates that the nearly instantaneous translation of texts by George Orwell, Thomas Mann, W. H. Auden, Richard Wright, Mary McCarthy, and Albert Camus, among others, into interrelated journals that were sponsored by organizations such as the CIA's Congress for Cultural Freedom and circulated around the world effectively reshaped writers, critics, and intellectuals into easily recognizable, transnational figures. Their work formed a new canon of world literature that was celebrated in the United States and supposedly represented the best of contemporary thought, while less politically attractive authors were ignored or even demonized. This championing and demonizing of writers occurred in the name of anti-Communism—the new, transatlantic “civilizing mission” through which postwar cultural and literary authority emerged.Less
Combining literary, cultural, and political history, and based on extensive archival research, including previously unseen FBI and CIA documents, this book argues that cultural politics—specifically America's often covert patronage of the arts—played a highly important role in the transfer of imperial authority from Britain to the United States during a critical period after World War II. The book argues that this transfer reshaped the postwar literary space and shows how, during this time, new and efficient modes of cultural transmission, replication, and travel—such as radio and rapidly and globally circulated journals—completely transformed the position occupied by the postwar writer and the role of world literature. The book demonstrates that the nearly instantaneous translation of texts by George Orwell, Thomas Mann, W. H. Auden, Richard Wright, Mary McCarthy, and Albert Camus, among others, into interrelated journals that were sponsored by organizations such as the CIA's Congress for Cultural Freedom and circulated around the world effectively reshaped writers, critics, and intellectuals into easily recognizable, transnational figures. Their work formed a new canon of world literature that was celebrated in the United States and supposedly represented the best of contemporary thought, while less politically attractive authors were ignored or even demonized. This championing and demonizing of writers occurred in the name of anti-Communism—the new, transatlantic “civilizing mission” through which postwar cultural and literary authority emerged.
Michael Roper
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266663
- eISBN:
- 9780191905384
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266663.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
‘Little Ruby’ was the daughter of the head gardener at St Dunstan’s, the voluntary organisation set up in 1915 to support blinded servicemen, whose role as a guide was widely represented in pictures ...
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‘Little Ruby’ was the daughter of the head gardener at St Dunstan’s, the voluntary organisation set up in 1915 to support blinded servicemen, whose role as a guide was widely represented in pictures and sculptures during the war and who became an iconic symbol of the charity. This chapter draws on the story of Ruby to explore the role played by children—and young girls in particular—in the care of disabled soldiers after the war. Based on interviews with descendants born in the 1920s and 1930s, and now in their eighties and nineties, it explores the domestic history of caregiving through the eyes of daughters. Their experience of growing up was often at odds with the historical narratives surrounding young women between the wars, who are assumed to have enjoyed more freedom and leisure than their mothers. Many daughters of disabled servicemen experienced strong pressures to remain living at home and help their mothers through domestic and paid work. Their ambitions for education, career and service during the Second World War were often constrained. Looking back now, in an age where the domestic obligations of young women are fewer and their career aspirations are taken more seriously, the women expressed contrary feelings. On the one hand, they continued to regard familial duty as a valued aspect of their identities as daughters. On the other hand, they talked about the emotional pressures of care and their regrets at opportunities lost. Focusing on the life course from girlhood to old age, the chapter reveals the impact of the First World War across the 20th century and through the lives of those born after the conflict’s end.Less
‘Little Ruby’ was the daughter of the head gardener at St Dunstan’s, the voluntary organisation set up in 1915 to support blinded servicemen, whose role as a guide was widely represented in pictures and sculptures during the war and who became an iconic symbol of the charity. This chapter draws on the story of Ruby to explore the role played by children—and young girls in particular—in the care of disabled soldiers after the war. Based on interviews with descendants born in the 1920s and 1930s, and now in their eighties and nineties, it explores the domestic history of caregiving through the eyes of daughters. Their experience of growing up was often at odds with the historical narratives surrounding young women between the wars, who are assumed to have enjoyed more freedom and leisure than their mothers. Many daughters of disabled servicemen experienced strong pressures to remain living at home and help their mothers through domestic and paid work. Their ambitions for education, career and service during the Second World War were often constrained. Looking back now, in an age where the domestic obligations of young women are fewer and their career aspirations are taken more seriously, the women expressed contrary feelings. On the one hand, they continued to regard familial duty as a valued aspect of their identities as daughters. On the other hand, they talked about the emotional pressures of care and their regrets at opportunities lost. Focusing on the life course from girlhood to old age, the chapter reveals the impact of the First World War across the 20th century and through the lives of those born after the conflict’s end.
Rebecca Maloy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195315172
- eISBN:
- 9780199776252
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315172.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
The offertory has played a crucial role in recent vigorous debates about the origins of Gregorian chant. Its elaborate solo verses are among the most splendid of chant melodies, yet the verses ceased ...
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The offertory has played a crucial role in recent vigorous debates about the origins of Gregorian chant. Its elaborate solo verses are among the most splendid of chant melodies, yet the verses ceased to be performed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, making them among the least known and studied chants of the repertory. This study draws on the music, lyrics, and liturgical history of the offertory to shed new light on its origins and chronology. The book addresses issues that are at the heart of chant scholarship, such as the relationship between the Gregorian and Old Roman melodies, the nature of oral transmission, the presence of non‐Roman pieces in the Gregorian repertory, and the influence of theoretical thought on the transmission of the melodies. In contrast to the view that the Roman chant versions closely reflect the eighth‐century state of the melodies, this book argues that the prolonged period of oral transmission from the eighth to the eleventh centuries instead enforced a formulaic trend. Demonstrating that certain musical and textual traits of the offertory are distributed in distinct patterns by liturgical season, this study outlines new chronological layers within the repertory and explores the presence and implications of foreign imports into the Roman and Gregorian repertories. Available for the first time as a complete critical edition, ninety‐four Gregorian and Old Roman offertories are presented here in side‐by‐side transcriptions. A companion website provides music examples and essays that elucidate these transcriptions and the variants between manuscripts.Less
The offertory has played a crucial role in recent vigorous debates about the origins of Gregorian chant. Its elaborate solo verses are among the most splendid of chant melodies, yet the verses ceased to be performed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, making them among the least known and studied chants of the repertory. This study draws on the music, lyrics, and liturgical history of the offertory to shed new light on its origins and chronology. The book addresses issues that are at the heart of chant scholarship, such as the relationship between the Gregorian and Old Roman melodies, the nature of oral transmission, the presence of non‐Roman pieces in the Gregorian repertory, and the influence of theoretical thought on the transmission of the melodies. In contrast to the view that the Roman chant versions closely reflect the eighth‐century state of the melodies, this book argues that the prolonged period of oral transmission from the eighth to the eleventh centuries instead enforced a formulaic trend. Demonstrating that certain musical and textual traits of the offertory are distributed in distinct patterns by liturgical season, this study outlines new chronological layers within the repertory and explores the presence and implications of foreign imports into the Roman and Gregorian repertories. Available for the first time as a complete critical edition, ninety‐four Gregorian and Old Roman offertories are presented here in side‐by‐side transcriptions. A companion website provides music examples and essays that elucidate these transcriptions and the variants between manuscripts.
