Food Expenses in the Rhythm of Daily Life. An Analysis of Household Accounts

The subject of detailed analysis presented in the article is the daily shopping and food expenses incurred by a single family resident in a large Polish city in the period of the People’s Republic of Poland. The source material for the analysis is the ledger of daily food expenses originating from a set of household accounts in the household of a female clerk in Łódź, which in its entirety covers the period from August 1952 to August 2004. The analysis presented herein, however, is based on a detailed analysis of records pertaining to only three selected months of the autumn of 1960, that is expenses dated from 1st September to 30th November 1960. The main aim of the analysis is not to exhaustively document the specificity of the period of the People’s Republic of Poland, but only to present the source material and its interpretative capability, as well as to show a small section from the picture of daily life revealed by one family’s three-month expenses. The author demonstrates that a detailed description of the daily shopping may constitute a very clear illustration of the specificity of private life in the given time and cultural space, as well as a reflection of not only the socio-economic, but also the political conditions in which the shopping is done

Laminated PAINT

Though we may not perceive it, we are surrounded by material-in-flux. Inert materials degrade and the events that comprise our natural and social environments causally thread into a duration that unifies us in our incomprehension. Sounds reveal ever-present vibrations of the landscape: expressions of the flexuous ground on which we stand

Carnival of the Mundane: Red Oktober at England’s National Tramway Museum

This paper is a consideration of two complementary curiosities: the first is Red Oktober, an annual event held at the National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire which imagines urban Eastern bloc communism in the heart of rural middle England. The second curiosity is Mikhail Bakhtin’s paradoxical reflection that the medieval carnival is both irredeemably lost to modern (and post-modern) sensibilities, while he asserts, at the same time, that its ‘true festive character is indestructible’ (Bakhtin, 1984, p.9). Assessments of the carnivalesque remain divided on its efficacy whether as a space of political liberation or a space of reactionary catharsis. My argument here returns to Bakhtin’s understanding of the carnival as critically neither, but an open space whose ‘true festive character’ is an immersive second-life which he defines as ‘hostile to all that was immortalized and completed’

Iraq 5 years on: media myths and mundanity

There has been a surge of media coverage (to coin a phrase) about the Iraq War on its anniversary and it has been generally a bit dull and uninsightful. The media has pulled out the stops, partly I suspect because many journalists feel guilty about their role in the lead-up to the invasion. But little of the coverage has been surprising. The ten minute drama-doc films on the BBC every night have been very well-done, I particularly enjoyed Kenneth ‘Henry V’ Branagh as Colonel Tim Collins. The best bit of reporting I have seen was by The Guardian’s Ghaith Abdul-Ahad whose very personal five minute films for ITV News at Ten combined poignant interviews, insightful observation, stunning still photography and great filming. You can see them online here. But, in general, what can the news programmes say apart from ‘this is what we did then’ and ‘this is how it is now’

Writing is more than 'exciting': equipping primary children to become reflective writers

This article describes work undertaken as part of a partnership programme initiated to encourage collaborative research between teachers and university tutors. In the Teaching Reading and Writing Links project (TRAWL) primary school teachers, working as research partners, explored ways of developing children as reflective writers. The research group wanted to know whether, through examining how texts are crafted by expert writers during literacy sessions, children might be encouraged to pay more attention to compositional rather than secretarial aspects of narrative writing during writing workshops. The overall writing achievement of 338 children was monitored over one school year and narrative writing from 60 case study children was evaluated at the beginning and end of the research period. In this article the impact on achievement is illustrated, some examples of writing are analysed and evidence of development in children's metacognition and confidence as writers is discussed

Individuation in the Main Characters of J.K. Rowling's HARRY POTTER Series

This paper examines the individuation of Potter and Voldemort in Harry Potter series. To be a holistic individual, a person needs to be individuated by managing their three main archetypes. The three main archetypes are persona, shadow, and anima or animus. Potter and Voldemort have to manage their archetypes their journey as human beings. Each of them has to know his persona including his appearance, behavior and role; confront his shadow; and balance his anima. In the end, Potter manages himself to be a individuated person who can lead a good life, while Voldemort fails to be an individuated person and, as a result, he died

Radicalisation and beheadings: Philosophy of Transgression in terrorist violence

The scope of this article is to explore a body of literature that deals with the concepts of transgression, evil and festival to construct an alternative theoretical framework for violence. For the purpose of this work, the radicalisation of western-born young Muslims and so-called Islamic State's executions will be taken into consideration. The works of Bataille, Foucault, De Sade and Caillois will be the primary focus of this article. This article suggests using non-traditional criminological sources to create an alternative narrative, aimed at adding a different dimension to the conversations around radicalisation and beheadings

Book Review: \u3ci\u3ePentecostals, Proselytization, and Anti-Christian Violence in Contemporary India\u3c/i\u3e

Book review of Pentecostals, Proselytization, and Anti-Christian Violence in Contemporary India. By Chad Bauman. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015, xiii + 208 pages