When the Local Is Transnational: Time-Space, Conflict and Community (Re)construction Within Polish-Jewish Émigrés' Diaspora

This paper looks at the interrelationship of “local” and “global” in experiences of people who left Poland following antisemitic purges and politics of racial hatred carried under the guise of government-sponsored “anti-Zionist” campaign of March 1968. Following student protests, legitimacy crisis of the ruling Polish United Workers’ Party, factional struggles in the Party, and facing the worsening of a situation of the Jewish minority (at least since the 1967 “six day war”), up to 20 thousand Jews or Poles of Jewish descent left Poland stigmatized in an atmosphere of “symbolic pogrom” (Stola 2000: 149)1. Forced to discard their Polish citizenship, break community and family ties and displace their daily routines and life plans, these émigrés or refugees faced not only typical migrant realities of struggling for their social, economic, political and cultural status in new countries (and many of them would later change their place again), but also questions of how to survive as a community, how to maintain social bonds and a sense of dignity in a changed situation. Based on author’s empirical research2, the article is both a complex yet limited monographic endeavor and an attempt to show what types of stakes are significant when one is compelled to think in terms of identity. The author analyzes how identity and community reconstruction endeavors are structured by logics of historical events, political-cultural definitions of loyalty and belonging, as well as contemporary diasporic conditions. While situated in spatial/structural and temporal contexts, these practices are seen as spontaneous learning processes responding to tensions between individual and community and between communities. By using critical concepts of cultural sociology, the author tries to evaluate both possibilities and inevitable oppressive effects of the particular time-space and notions of community

Models and evaluation of human-machine systems

"September 1993.""Prepared for: International Atomic Energy Association [sic], Wagramerstrasse 5, P. 0. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria."Part of appendix A and bibliography missingIncludes bibliographical referencesThe field of human-machine systems and human-machine interfaces is very multidisciplinary. We have to navigate between the knowledge waves brought by several areas of the human learning: cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, philosophy, linguistics, ergonomy, control systems engineering, neurophysiology, sociology, computer sciences, among others. At the present moment, all these disciplines seek to be close each other to generate synergy. It is necessary to homogenize the different nomenclatures and to make that each one can benefit from the results and advances found in the other. Accidents like TMI, Chernobyl, Challenger, Bhopal, and others demonstrated that the human beings shall deal with complex systems that are created by the technological evolution more carefully. The great American writer Allan Bloom died recently wrote in his book 'The Closing of the American Mind' (1987) about the universities curriculum that are commonly separated in tight departments. This was a necessity of the industrial revolution that put emphasis in practical courses in order to graduate specialists in many fields. However, due the great complexity of our technological world, we feel the necessity to integrate again those disciplines that one day were separated to make possible their fast development. This Report is a modest trial to do this integration in a holistic way, trying to capture the best tendencies in those areas of the human learning mentioned in the first lines above. I expect that it can be useful to those professionals who, like me, would desire to build better human-machine systems in order to avoid those accidents also mentioned above

When the past came back to haunt the French: Otherness, stereotypes, and structures of sympathy in Caché and Un Prophète

RESUMÉDenne artikel undersøger hvordan Un Prophète (2009, Jacques Audiard) og Caché (2005, Michael Haneke) anvender sympatistrukturer til at udfordre bestemte stereotypiske fremstillinger af ’fremmede’ i Frankrig – i både historisk samt nutidig kontekst. Filmene anlægger vidt forskellige strategier hertil: Caché læses som en allegori over Frankrigs behandling af algeriere (særligt i kølvandet på Paris-massakren i 1961), og anvender et misforhold mellem alignment- og allegiance-strukturer til at udstille Frankrigs position ift. indvandrere som paranoid og hyklerisk. Un Prophète demonstrerer den relativitet, der knytter sig til national identitet, ved at aligne seeren med ”den fremmede”, som i narrativet viser sig at fortjene sympati.ABSTRACTThis article investigates how Un Prophète (2009, Jacques Audiard) and Caché (2005, Michael Haneke) make use of sympathy structures to challenge stereotypes of ‘others’ in France – in both historical and contemporary contexts. The films employ vastly different strategies: Caché reads like an allegory of the French treatment of Algerians and uses a disparity between alignment and allegiance structures to expose the French attitude towards immigrants as paranoid and hypocritical. Un Prophète demonstrates the relativity connected to the concept of national identity by aligning the viewer with “the other”, who shows himself in the narrative to be worthy of sympathy

Popular music exhibitions in Portugal: practices of representation from 2007 to 2013

This thesis focuses on the representation of Popular Music in museums by mapping, analyzing, and characterizing its practices in Portugal at the beginning of the 21st century. Now that museums' ability to shape public discourse is acknowledged, the examination of popular music's discourses in museums is of the utmost importance for Ethnomusicology and Popular Music Studies as well as for Museum Studies. The concept of 'heritage' is at the heart of this processes. The study was designed with the aim of moving the exhibiting of popular music in museums forward through a qualitative inquiry of case studies. Data collection involved surveying pop-rock music exhibitions as a qualitative sampling of popular music exhibitions in Portugal from 2007 to 2013. Two of these exhibitions were selected as case studies: No Tempo do Gira-Discos: Um Percurso pela Produção Fonográfica Portuguesa at the Museu da Música in Lisbon in 2007 (also Faculdade de Letras, 2009), and A Magia do Vinil, a Música que Mudou a Sociedade at the Oficina da Cultura in Almada in 2008 (and several other venues, from 2009 to 2013). Two specific domains were observed: popular music exhibitions as instances of museum practice and museum professionals. The first domain encompasses analyzing the types of objects selected for exhibition; the interactive museum practices fostered by the exhibitions; the concepts and narratives used to address popular music discursively, as well as the interpretative practices they allow. The second domain, focuses museum professionals and curators of popular music exhibitions as members of a group, namely their goals, motivations and perspectives. The theoretical frameworks adopted were drawn from the fields of ethnomusicology, popular music studies, and museum studies. The written materials of the exhibitions were subjected of methods of discourse analysis methods. Semi-structured interviews with curators and museum professional were also conducted and analysed. From the museum studies perspective, the study research suggests that the practice adopted by popular music museums largely matches that of conventional museums. From the ethnomusicological and popular music studies stand point, the two case studies reveal two distinct conceptual worlds: the first exhibition, curated by an academic and an independent researcher, points to a mental configuration where popular music is explained through a framework of genres supported by different musical practices. Moreover, it is industry actors such as decision makers and gatekeepers that govern popular music, which implies that the visitors' romantic conception of the musician is to some extent dismantled; the second exhibition, curated by a record collector and specialist, is based on a more conventional process of the everyday historical speech that encodes a mismatch between “good” and “bad music”. Data generated by a survey shows that only one curator, in fact that of my first case study, has an academic background. The backgrounds of all the others are in some way similar to the curator of the second case study. Therefore, I conclude that the second case study best conveys the current practice of exhibiting Popular Music in Portugal

Film Music as Polyphony: Explorations of meaning-making in film music through artistic research

This thesis seeks to describe and reflect on music composition to an experimental and non-narrative film directed by Lasse Årikstad. It presents diverse approaches to establish a dialogue between image and sound, drawing inspiration from the use of industrial avant-garde music in the movie Eraserhead by David Lynch to invoke a mood or atmosphere. The film score serves as a starting point for an extensive examination of electroacoustic music and sound within the context of an original film production. The research design employed in this thesis; artistic research, involved using art practice to discover various ways in which this design facilitated the exploration of music production for an experimental and non-narrative film. Furthermore, the method used provided insight into the multifaceted role(s) of music in film. Through experience, the thesis illustrated some tacit or embodied knowledge, through its direct, hands-on presentation of film music composition. It presented a variety and multitude of film music functions, spanning from sensuous to intellectual, neurological to philosophical. Additionally, it put forth a case on the ethical and aesthetic considerations of using indigenous music in film. Denne masteroppgaven tar sikte på å beskrive og reflektere over musikkomposisjon til en eksperimentell og ikke-narrativ film regissert av Lasse Årikstad. Oppgaven presenterer ulike tilnærminger for å skape en dialog mellom bilde og lyd, og henter inspirasjon fra bruken av industriell avantgardemusikk i filmen Eraserhead av David Lynch for å fremkalle en stemning eller atmosfære. Musikken fungerer som et utgangspunkt for en omfattende utforskning av elektroakustisk musikk og lyd i forhold til en original filmproduksjon. Forskningsmetoden benyttet i denne oppgaven; kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid, innebar bruk av kunstpraksis for å oppdage forskjellige måter denne metoden tilrettelegger for utforskning av musikkproduksjon til en eksperimentell og ikke-narrativ film. Videre ga metoden innsikt i de(n) mangesidige rollen(e) musikken har innen film. Gjennom erfaring illustrerte oppgaven noe taus eller integrert kunnskap gjennom sin direkte, «hands-on» presentasjon av musikkomposisjon til film. Den presenterte flere mangfoldige funksjoner i filmmusikken, som spenner fra det sanselige til det intellektuelle, fra det nevrologiske til det filosofiske. I tillegg la den frem et case om de etiske og estetiske vurderingene ved bruk av urfolksmusikk i film

Modeling, Simulation, and Realization of Cognitive Technical Systems

This thesis presents a novel approach for the modeling, simulation, and realization of Cognitive Technical Systems. In contrast to other approaches, in this thesis, the structure and dynamic of the real world is initially formalized my means of an intermediate level instead of implementing a technical model directly. Furthermore, human cognition is investigated in an integrated manner and based on experiments with a mobile robot, as an example for a complex technical system. The formal description of human interaction and cognition is realized by Situation-Operator-Modeling (SOM), which can be implemented technically by patterns of high-level Petri Nets. With the state space of a SOM-based Petri Net, Human-Machine-Interaction can be analyzed, e.g., in order to detect human errors automatically. Furthermore, several cognitive functions, like planning, execution, perception, and learning, can be simulated. The different cognitive functions and related representations, which are all based on the same methodical background, are combined within an integrated cognitive architecture. Only the interplay among several functions and a novel kind of knowledge structuring, which contributes significantly to reduce the complexity of the real world, enable the realization of human-like behavior for technical systems. The system's capability to establish and to refine goal-directed behavior from interaction with the environment, also if no system-specific initial knowledge is available, is demonstrated by experiments with a mobile robot interacting within a dynamic office environment. An additional value of this thesis for further research is especially given by the proposed generic approach for modeling, simulation, and analysis of Human-Machine-Interaction. Moreover, the formal description and implementation of the cognitive functions, the developed knowledge structuring, and the cognitive architecture may be applied to arbitrary kind of technical systems.'Modellbildung, Simulation und Realisierung von Kognitiven Technischen Systemen' In dieser Arbeit wird ein neuartiger Ansatz zur Modellbildung, Simulation und Realisierung von Kognitiven Technischen Systemen präsentiert. Gegenüber bestehenden Ansätzen setzt sich diese Arbeit insbesondere dadurch ab, dass die Struktur und Dynamik der realen Welt zuerst über eine methodische Zwischenebene formal beschrieben und erst danach technisch implementiert wird. Zudem wird menschliche Kognition ganzheitlich untersucht und direkt mit Hilfe von Experimenten mit einem mobilen Roboter, als Beispiel für ein komplexes technisches System, erprobt und entwickelt. Die formale Beschreibung von menschlicher Interaktion und Kognition erfolgt über Situations-Operator-Modellbildung (SOM), welche über spezielle Muster höherer Petrinetze technisch implementiert werden kann. Durch den Zustandsraum eines SOM-basierten Petrinetzes ist es möglich, Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion zu analysieren, um beispielsweise menschliche Fehler automatisiert zu erfassen. Zudem können verschiedene kognitive Funktionen, wie Planen, Handeln, Wahrnehmung und Lernen simuliert werden. Die verschiedenen kognitiven Funktionen und entsprechenden Repräsentationen, welche auf der gleichen methodischen Grundlage basieren, werden in einer kognitiven Architektur zusammengeführt. Erst das Zusammenspiel verschiedener Funktionen und ein neuartiger Ansatz zur Wissensstrukturierung, wodurch insbesondere die Komplexität der realen Welt reduziert wird, ermöglicht die Realisierung menschenähnlichen Verhaltens für technische Systeme. Durch Experimente mit einem mobilen Roboter, der in einer dynamischen Büroumgebung interagiert, kann gezeigt werden, dass das vorgestellte System ohne anwendungsspezifisches Vorwissen in der Lage ist, zielführendes Verhalten aus der Interaktion mit der Umgebung zu erhalten und zu verbessern. Ein Mehrwert aus dieser Arbeit für weiterführende Forschungsarbeiten ergibt sich insbesondere durch den vorgestellten generischen Ansatz zur Modellbildung, Simulation und Analyse von Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion. Zudem können die formale Beschreibung und die Implementierung der kognitiven Funktionen, der entwickelten Wissensstrukturierung und der darauf aufbauenden kognitiven Architektur auf beliebige technische Systeme übertragen werden

The materiality of the kitchen house: building, food and history on Mere Lava, northern Vanuatu

Houses and food in Vanuatu are prominent artefacts that materialise people's links to the land and social relationships. Nowadays on Mere Lava, a striking emphasis is put on the building or re-building of kitchen houses, n-ean̄ kuk, as architectural elements central to households. Drawing upon recent theories of material efficacy that consider objects as potent media through which people think, this thesis examines the underpinnings of the major cultural role these buildings play. It suggests that their prominence is grounded precisely in the ways their material features relate to people's conceptualisation of the world, such as the notion of histri, 'history'. Key material features of n-ean̄ kuk as well as the values they embody are explored through the lens of the technical processes of house-building and food processing, as well as through the different usages and roles of these artefacts in daily and ceremonial life. The mechanisms that bind artefacts to Mere Lava key social concepts and values are highlighted, in order to show how these artefacts become parts of an efficacious social aesthetic that ensure the continuity and transformation of the social order

Shakespeare meets rock: The tempest and its transmutation into Aqua, by the brazilian band Angra

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários, Florianópolis, 2016.Esta dissertação investiga a adaptação da peça A Tempestade, de William Shakespeare, para o álbum Aqua, lançado em 2010 pela banda brasileira de heavy metal Angra. A trajetória histórica da peça nos últimos séculos sofreu impactos políticos e teóricos com a ascensão do pós-colonialismo. Em 1950, Octave Mannoni desencadeou, em Psychologie de la colonization, crescente atenção à peça Shakespeareana em cenários onde ideologias anticoloniais estavam por emergir, como a África e o Caribe. De forma análoga, George Lamming apropriou Shakespeare a perspectivas pós-coloniais com sua coleção de ensaios intitulada The Pleasures of Exile (1960), com sua (re)interpretação dos personagens Próspero e Caliban. O álbum Aqua, através do uso de mecanismos de adaptação específicos, tais como elementos melódicos, letras e material paratextual, aborda diferentes temas, personagens e situações da peça, ao mesmo tempo em que adentra questões pós-coloniais. A adaptação musical desenvolve, na canção "A Monster in Her Eyes", uma releitura da relação entre Próspero e Caliban, que ressoa com a teoria crítica pós-colonial, subvertendo a representação de Caliban como um monstro e resguardando sua soberania nativa. Relações dialógicas entre a peça e o álbum são traçadas com o suporte de A Theory of Adaptation, de Linda Hutcheon, no intuito de analisar os meios de expressão por trás do fenômeno de adaptação musical, que apropria obras adaptadas para diferentes públicos e contextos espaciotemporais.Abstract : The present thesis investigates the adaptation of William Shakespeare?s The Tempest into the music album entitled Aqua, released by the Brazilian heavy metal band Angra in 2010. The historical trajectory of the The Tempest throughout the last centuries underwent political and theoretical impacts with the rise of postcolonialism. In 1950, Octave Mannoni unleashed, with Psychologie de la colonization, the sparkle for an increasing attention to the play in places where anticolonial ideologies would soon emerge, noticeably Africa and the Caribbean. Similarly, George Lamming approached Shakespeare in the light of postcolonial perspectives with his collection of essays entitled The Pleasures of Exile (1960), a (re)interpretation of The Tempest that focuses on its characters Prospero and Caliban. Angra?s music album Aqua, through the usage of its specific adaptation apparatuses such as melodic elements, lyrics, and paratextual material, addresses different themes, characters, and situations from The Tempest while bringing a postcolonial perspective to the fore. Moreover, the musical adaptation provides, with the song ?A Monster in Her Eyes?, a reinterpretation of the relationship between Prospero and Caliban which resonates with postcolonial critical theory, subverting the depiction of Caliban as a monster and giving voice to his claim as a native sovereign. This theoretical interplay is analyzed under the light of Linda Hutcheon?s A Theory of Adaptation as a means to observe the means of expression behind the musical adaptation phenomenon, channeling the adapted works to alternative publics, settings, and temporal contexts