Haci Akman (ed.) 2014. Negotiating Identity in Scandinavia. Women, Migration and the Diaspora

Diasporas exemplify the polysemy and hybridity of âimagined communitiesâ while retaining in the majority of cases three core aspects which are more or less emphasized according to the circumstances. These are their dispersion in space, their orientation to a conceptual ”homeland”, and the maintenance of boundaries between them and ”others”. These elements mark the connectedness between members of the same diaspora and the elaboration of entangled transnational networks. Migration in general and transnational migration in particular has a lasting impact on the relations between territory and identity, whether it is national, ethnic, cultural, religious or political. Usually, it is a mix of all these elements. Several scholars have during the last three decades or so noted that the semantic dimension of the term diaspora has been stretched in various directions and includes today various types of migrant communities and displaced populations, in order to address different intellectual, cultural and political programs (Brubaker 2005: 1). Whatever form a diaspora takes, diasporic experiences are always gendered (Clifford 1994: 319). So are diasporic identities. Diasporic identities have been described in terms of ”roots and routes” (Clifford 1997), ”sameness-in-dispersal” (Ang 2001), or ”uprootings/ regroundings” (Ahmed et al. 2003). These identities serve as both sources and resources in processes of redefining oneself in times of endurance and opposition in specific historical, cultural, social and political contexts. The book edited by Haci Akman is a welcome addition to the growing literature on women, migration and the establishment of diaspora in different parts of the world. My purpose here is not to go into the details of each of the studies presented, but rather give the gist of the book as a whole and reflect on some of the insights they unfold

Når veggene taler

The present article is about the materiality of visual culture and the long-term impact of ephemeral art. Using a ‘flâneur approach’ the article examines the ways slogans voicing political contestation and demands for social changes were visualized into street art, graffiti and calligraffiti during the so-called Arab Spring in Egypt. The article posits that the Arab Spring did not merely disrupt the established political and social life in the country. It also prompted and gave room to varieties of artistic creations. Street art, graffiti and calligraffiti are among the most conspicuous forms of art of this brief period. Artists took upon themselves to chronicle events as they happened and to document political fluctuations and ambiances. They drew upon their people’s cultural memory to convey their political standpoint and expressed dissension and resistance by combining images and writings on the walls of the urban space

Moumita Sen. 2016. Clay-modelling in West-Bengal: Between art, religion and politics

Den 20. mai 2016 forsvarte stipendiat Moumita Sen med glans sin avhandling Clay-modelling in West-Bengal: Between art, religion and politics for graden Philosophiae doctor ved Universitetet i Oslo, Institutt for kulturstudier og orientalske språk, Det humanistiske fakultet

Autres temps, autres regards. Représentations de l’altérité au musée d’Histoire culturelle de l’université d’Oslo

Other Times, Different Gazes. Representations of Otherness at the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo In 1897 the Norwegian Parliament passed a resolution approving to house three university museums under the same roof. These museums were the Museum of Norwegian Antiquities, the Museum of Numismatics and the Ethnographic Museum. The project was undertaken by the architect Henrik Bull (1864-1953) who built for this occasion one of Oslo’s rare Jugenstil buildings. The museum was inaugurated in 1904. The history of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo is tied to the history of Norway, to the assertion of its independence and to the elaboration of a national identity. This article limits the discussion to the ethnographic section of the museum. The author follows the main lines of its development from its beginnings to the present and offer some reflections on the dialectics between the various social, political and cultural contexts and scientific research. Further, she explores the ways changes in ideology were articulated in the constitution, preservation and display of the museum’s collections, and how these changes are reflected in the representation of otherness.En 1897, le parlement norvégien décide de regrouper en un même lieu trois musées universitaires : le musée d’archéologie, le cabinet de Numismatique et le musée d’Ethnographie. L’architecte Henrik Bull réalise le projet et fait construire l’un des rares bâtiments Art nouveau de la capitale. Le musée ouvre ses portes en 1904. L’histoire du musée d’Histoire culturelle de l’université d’Oslo est profondément liée à celle de la Norvège, à l’affirmation de son indépendance et à l’élaboration d’une identité nationale. Cette étude se limite à la section ethnographique du musée et retrace les lignes de son développement depuis sa création à nos jours. L’auteur aborde la question des rapports entre les différents contextes sociaux, politiques et culturels et les courants de la recherche scientifique. Il examine comment les changements idéologiques sont articulés dans la constitution, la préservation et la mise en exposition des collections et comment ils se reflètent dans les modes de représentation de l’altérité.Naguib Saphinaz-Amal. Autres temps, autres regards. Représentations de l’altérité au musée d’Histoire culturelle de l’université d’Oslo. In: Histoire de l'art, N°60, 2007. Histoire de l’Art et anthropologie. pp. 149-160

Forgotten Things: Pen-Boxes and their Stories.

Roland Barthes maintained that writing is not merely a technological process but also a physical, sensory experience. It involves the pleasure of sitting in front of a blank page made of good quality paper, of choosing a pen from a pen-case, holding it, dipping the nib in ink and following the movement of the hand as it shapes the letters, the words and the sentences. Much has changed since Barthes wrote the preface of La civilisation de l’écriture, and most writers whether academics or not type their texts sitting in front of a screen. Still, PCs, Macs, tablets and Ipads do not seem to fill an inexpressible absence and most of us keep at hand a clutter of pens, pencils and other writing paraphernalia. Some objects pertaining to writing activities keep a certain sensory attraction; they trigger memories and remind us of other ways of doing things in a not so far away past. Old pen-boxes are among these outdated objects. It is a pleasure for me to offer this brief essay about material accessories to writing, their thingness and their polyphonic short stories to my long-standing friend and colleague, Gunvor Mejdell

Survivals of Pharaonic Religious Practices in Contemporary Coptic Christianity.

The concept of “survivals” has provoked heated discussions among scholars of various disciplines within the humanities and the social sciences. In the case of Egypt the polemics have been most vehement between those who trace contemporary popular beliefs and practices back to Pharaonic times and others who reject the idea altogether. The perspectives of “analogy,” “continuity and change,” and “living traditions” have opened the way to alternative approaches to the subject. Urbanization and globalization have profoundly changed Egyptian culture and prompted the abandonment of most religious practices belonging to the Egyptian lore. However, some aspects of Pharaonic religious practices can still be observed in Coptic Christianity. These practices are tied to the Coptic calendar, funerary rituals, visits to the dead, and mulids

Martyr and Apostate: Victor Son of Romanos and Diocletian: A Case of Intertextualty in Coptic Religious Memory

No abstract availabl

The Festivals of Opet and Abul Haggag: Survival of an Ancient Tradition?

No abstract availabl