The Rhythm of our Lives. Aesthetic Perspectives East & West

The leading approach to everyday aesthetics for the past few decades has departed from analytic philosophical grounds, generating some tensions or dichotomies regarding its foundational cornerstones: the ordinary vs. extraordinary character of everyday aesthetic experience, contextual familiarity vs. strangeness, object vs. processual orientation, etc. Although John Dewey has been widely acclaimed as a sort of foundational figure for this burgueoning sub-discipline of aesthetics, maybe not enough emphasis has been laid on his very different pragmatist approach. In this regard, his reliance on Hegelian cum Darwinian premises might allow for a connection with other branches of continental as well as Asian philosophies, from which also some research on everyday aesthetics has been made. It is from this wider ontological framework that the notion of rhythm could be vindicated as a pivotal aspect of the aesthetic dimension of our everyday lives. Dewey deals extensively with it in Art as Experience, conceiving it as a sort of pattern of accomplished experiences, accounting also for his naturalistic approach and art and life continuity thesis. On the other hand, neo-pragmatist exponent Richard Shusterman, among others, has posited links of connection between Pragmatist aesthetics and East-Asian philosophies. Particularly, Dewey’s resonances with Asian philosophies have been studied, with a preeminence on the notions of harmony and rhythm. This paper will depart from the analysis of the notion of rhythm in Dewey’s philosophy, trying to hint at some possible developments of its implications. Particularly, it will expand on some East Asian paralelisms to his philosophy, trying to link them with the notion of rhythm as an epitomizing ground for the conjunction of the extraordinary (art) and the ordinary (life).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The Poetic Dimension of Everyday Aesthetic Appreciation. Perspectives from East-Asian Cultures

As Yuriko Saito, one of the main exponents of everyday aesthetics holds, East-Asian cultures have long established a deep link between artistic practices and everyday life, transforming apparently mundane practices such as having a cup o ftea with cakes into a highly ritualized form of art (cha-no-yu) and allowing us to enjoy the fleeting moment. The tea ceremony example is grounded, as this paper aims at showing, on a whole East-Asian worldview (as exemplfieied in Confucianism, Daoism and Zen Buddhism philosophies) whereby aesthetic appreciation is deeply pervaded by a poetic feeling, mainly consisting in the interactive harmony or attunement established with the particular circumstances of one’s own life due precisely to its fleeting and evanescent nature. To accomplish this, savouring and perceiving the uniqueness ingrained in every single human experience, the adequate attitude is the poetic one, due to its holistic and non-discriminative nature. Having as its focus everyday life, or simply put, life as such in its specificity, traditional artistic practices in East-Asia as the arts of the brush, garden design or utilitarian crafts such as pottery, become means of revealing what, due to its closeness, lies hidden in ordinary experience. Utilitarian arts are, in this sense, a priviledged way of conveying this end due precisely to its practical link with ordinary existence, preventing the eventual arousal of a purely formal and detached apprehension. The only coherent way to develop this awareness of the extraordinary in the ordinary, to use Leddy’s expression, is through the main feature of all poetic qualities: indirect allusion and subdued reference so that what is close at hand may shine in a different light. Particularly, in association with Japanese Zen Buddhism, where the rootedness of aesthetics in the ordinary is stronger, it has frequently adopted the form of restraint, contention, reserve, or, as Saito puts it, “insufficiency”. This paper aims at showing with the help of a few examples how this difuse poetic attitude, so prevalent in Traditional East-Asian contexts, is required not only in standardized art practices, but also in a wider aesthetic level of awareness of our ordinary experiences. In order to justify these claims, it will refer first to the ideal of harmony or poetic resonance in Chinese aesthetics and then it will refer to some concrete Japanese aesthetic categories inspired by Zen Buddhism, such as mono-no-aware, sabi, wabi, or yugen

Jornada sobre Riscos Penals de la Banca en Línia

Ressenya de la jornada organitzada el desembre del 2005 sobre els nous riscos a què la banca en línia i el comerç electrònic estan sotmesos a causa de l'augment d'atacs de tipus pesca electrònica o phishing i altres defraudacions semblants.</p

Work-Life Balance Practices and the Gender Gap in Job Satisfaction in the UK: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data

This paper examines the role of work-life balance practices (WLB) in explaining the “paradox of the contented female worker”. After establishing that females report higher levels of job satisfaction than men in the UK, we test whether firm characteristics such as WLB and gender segregation boost the satisfaction of women proportionately more than that of men, thereby explaining why the former are reportedly happier. The results prove that WLB practices increase the likelihood of reporting higher satisfaction but similarly for both demographic groups thereby reducing the gender gap in job satisfaction only slightly. Still, the results indicate that WLB practices at the forefront of worker welfare policy improve the wellbeing of the workforce. Experiments with firm-fixed effects allowed by the matched dimension of the data reveal that firm effects are relevant but they only explain a half of the gender gap in job satisfaction, suggesting that the other half may be due to individual heterogeneity.job satisfaction, work-life balance practices, gender segregation, matched employer-employee data

La composició contemporània gallega als Estats Units : Octavio Vázquez

El compositor espanyol Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostel·la, 1972) ha desenvolupat gran part de la seva activitat musical als Estats Units a partir d'un fort arrelament a la seva Galícia natal, una relació que marca la seva obra i la seva estètica, lligada a la tradició postromàntica. L'objectiu d'aquest text és analitzar la trajectòria que ha seguit el músic que presentem i atansar-se als trets compositius de la seva personalitat.Der spanische Komponist Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostela, 1972) hat einen Großteil seiner Musiktätigkeit in den Vereinigten Staaten verwirklicht, ohne dabei seine engen Beziehungen mit seiner Heimat Galizien aufzugeben, eine Beziehung, die sein Werk und seine in der postromanistischen Tradition verwurzelte Ästhetik bestimmt. Die Analyse seines Werdegangs und die Annäherung an seine kompositorischen Wesenszüge sind das Ziel dieses Textes.Spanish composer Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostela, 1972) has spent most of his musical career in the US, though with strong roots in his native Galicia, a relationship that marks his work and aesthetic which are embedded in post-Romantic tradition. Analysing his career and compositional features are the subject of this text.El compositor español Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostela, 1972) ha desarrollado gran parte de su actividad musical en Estados Unidos a partir de una fuerte raigambre en su Galicia natal, una relación que marca su obra y su estética, enclavada en la tradición postromántica. Analizar su trayectoria y acercarse a sus rasgos compositivos son el objeto de este texto.Le compositeur espagnol Octavio Vázquez (Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, 1972) a développé grande part de son activité musicale aux Etats-Unis, à partir d'un enracinement profond dans sa Galice natale - relation qui marque son oeuvre et son esthétique, enclavée dans la tradition postromantique. L'objectif de ce texte est d'analyser sa trajectoire et de proposer une approche des caractéristiques de sa composition

La composición contemporánea gallega en Estados Unidos. Octavio Vázquez

El compositor espanyol Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostel·la, 1972) ha desenvolupat gran part de la seva activitat musical als Estats Units a partir d’un fort arrelament a la seva Galícia natal, una relació que marca la seva obra i la seva estètica, lligada a la tradició postromàntica. L’objectiu d’aquest text és analitzar la trajectòria que ha seguit el músic que presentem i atansar-se als trets compositius de la seva personalitat.Spanish composer Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostela, 1972) has spent most of his musical career in the US, though with strong roots in his native Galicia, a relationship that marks his work and aesthetic which are embedded in post-Romantic tradition. Analysing his career and compositional features are the subject of this text.El compositor español Octavio Vázquez (Santiago de Compostela, 1972) ha desarrollado gran parte de su actividad musical en Estados Unidos a partir de una fuerte raigambre en su Galicia natal, una relación que marca su obra y su estética, enclavada en la tradición postromántica. Analizar su trayectoria y acercarse a sus rasgos compositivos son el objeto de este texto

Aspectos configuradores de la música guinjoaniana

María Rosa Fernández escribe este artículo, que constituye una valoración de la obra compositiva de Joan Guinjoan desarrollada a lo largo de cincuenta años, como homenaje al 75 aniversario del músico creador. El texto contiene un extenso perfil biográfico y un estudio sobre su capacidad de comunicación con el público y con los intérpretes. La autora dedica un apartado a los procedimientos compositivos, así como diversas reflexiones en torno a la trayectoria de Guinjoan; finaliza el estudio señalando extensamente los aspectos fundamentales de los rasgos compositivos de la poética guinjoaniana: humanización instrumental, símbolo, metáfora y movimiento. Como colofón, ofrece una bien documentada bibliografía.En hommage au 75e anniversaire du musicien créateur Joan Guinjoan, Rosa María Fernández évalue dans cet article l'oeuvre du compositeur tout au long d'un demi-siècle. Cet article comprend un profil biographique étoffé et une étude sur sa capacité de communication avec le public et les interprètes. L'auteur consacre un paragraphe aux procédés de composition et propose diverses réflexions au sujet de la trajectoire de J. Guinjoan. L'étude s'achève sur un large développement des aspects fondamentaux des traits de composition de la poétique de Guinjoan : humanisation instrumentale, symbole, métaphore et mouvement. Couronnement de l'article : une bibliographie très bien documentée.The article written by Rosa María Fernández, is a review of the composition works of Joan Guinjoan which was compiled over a period of fifty years as a homage upon the 75th birthday of the musician-creator. The text contains an extensive biographical profile and a study on his capacity to communicate with the public and performers. The author dedicates a section to the composition processes, as well as several different thoughts on Guinjoan's career. The study ends by extensively pointing out the fundamental aspects of the composition characteristics of Guinjoanian poetics: instrumental humanization, symbolism, metaphor and movement. As a climax, it offers a well-documented bibliography.Der Artikel von Rosa María Fernández stellt eine Bewertung des Komponistenwerks von Joan Guinjoan während der Fünfzigerjahre dar und ist eine Festschrift zum 75. Geburtstag dieses Musikers. Der Text enthält eine ausführliches biographisches Profil und eine Studie über seine Kommunikationsfähigkeit mit dem Publikum und den Spielern. Die Autorin schreibt einen Absatz über die kompositorischen Verfahren und verschiedene Überlegungen über die Karriere von Guinjoan; sie beendet ihre Studie indem sie ausführlich auf die fundamentalen Aspekte der kompositorischen Züge des Guinjoanischen Poeten hin: die instrumentelle Vermenschlichung, Symbol, Metapher und Bewegung. Als Schlussvermerk bietet sie eine dokumentierte Bibliographie