196 research outputs found
Recounting the sacred: orality and textuality in a contemporary performance of the Sanskrit classic, the BhÄgavatapurÄáča
The BhÄgavatapuáčÄna is one of the master-texts of the Sanskritic archive and is the foundational source of narratives relating to the deity KáčáčŁáča. Since it reached its current form about a millennium ago, public âperformancesâ of the text have been sponsored as a means of accumulating religious and social capital. These week-long events are a significant aspect of contemporary religious practice in the Hindu cultural world, but have received little or no scholarly attention. What is the role of the Sanskrit text in the oral performance of the BhÄgavatapuáčÄna? How does the Sanskrit text function vis-Ă -vis the oral vernacular commentary with accompanies it? In this paper it is argued that a spectrum of social and cultural practicesâritual, oral, textual and performativeâall contribute towards the validation and empowerment of the discourse
What enables canonical literature to function as âtrueâ? The case of the Hindu Puranas
"Why do the devout believe in the canonical literature of their tradition? What
enables great normative texts to function as âtrue discourseâ? The idea of âtrue
discourseâ is premised on the understanding that truth is ultimately contingent and is
socially constructed. We are in the realm of localized âtruths,â rather than that of
some Absolute Truth which functions as a universally accepted, recognized, and
applicable yardstick. Local âtruthâ is the currency of a given epistemic community,
that is, a community with a shared set of understandings and beliefs as to what
constitutes true knowledge. Each community also has defined procedures and
processes by which true knowledge is produced, legitimated, and disseminated...
Perfumed by golden lotuses: literary place and textual authority in the Brahma- and BhÄgavatapurÄáčas
The creators of the Hindu scriptures known as the Brahma- and BhÄgavatapurÄáčas
lavished a great amount of descriptive detail on mythical and 'mythologised'
places where important discourses were enunciated: the NaimiáčŁa forest, Mt Meru,
KurukáčŁetra, and Änanda on the banks of the Ganges. At first glance this might
appear to be idle expression of literary virtuosity, but I suggest that this careful
creation of literary place has an impact, intentional or not, on the reception of
the text. Drawing on the idea of the construction of authoritative discourse and
reader-response criticism, I suggest that the perfect, transcendent literary spaces
created by the narratives' authors exert a specific effect on their reception by the
puranic interpretive community. The discourse enunciated in such space appears
to be perfect and transcendental. The power of literary place imbues and valorises
the discourse and assists it to function as authoritative
Heavenly Carrots and Earthly Sticks: How Phalasruti Paratexts Empower Puranic Discourse
Using Genette's theoretical framework of the 'paratext', this article analyses various phalaĆruti texts found in the Skandapura. These enumerate the 'rewards of hearing', that is, supposed benefits accruing to the audience as the result of listening to
"Skilful methods can achieve what power cannot": flexible delivery of Sanskrit at the Australian National University as a model for small-enrolment languages
Sanskrit is better known for its antiquity and profundity than for its ability to attract undergraduates, so Sanskrit classes in Western universities have always been small. Yet as universities find themselves squeezed for funding, few can afford to offer courses that routinely attract low numbers, and many have already closed their doors to would-be Sanskrit students. At the Australian National University, however, enrolments are increasing because of our use of educational technologies to provide flexible delivery of Sanskrit teaching. With texts, audio resources and video-recorded lectures available online, and face-to-face tutorials presented through video-conferencing, Australian students can now benefit from high quality, accredited undergraduate courses in Sanskrit regardless of where they live. Two years after introducing flexible delivery, Sanskrit en-rolments have doubled, students are thriving, and accountants are being held at bay. The future also looks bright, with a promise of substantial growth in enrolments nationally and even internationally. Surprisingly, the greatest obstacles to the introduction of flexible delivery have not been technological, but administrative. Through examining the experiences of lecturer and students, this paper discusses the pros and cons of flexible delivery of a small enrolment language for the university sector
Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior Increases Resistance to Extinction: Clinical Demonstration, Animal Modeling, and Clinical Test of One Solution
Basic research with pigeons on behavioral momentum suggests that differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) can increase the resistance of target behavior to change. This finding suggests that clinical applications of DRA may inadvertently increase the persistence of target behavior even as it decreases its frequency. We conducted three coordinated experiments to test whether DRA has persistence-strengthening effects on clinically significant target behavior and then tested the effectiveness of a possible solution to this problem in both a nonhuman and clinical study. Experiment 1 compared resistance to extinction following baseline rates of reinforcement versus higher DRA rates of reinforcement in a clinical study. Resistance to extinction was substantially greater following DRA. Experiment 2 tested a rat model of a possible solution to this problem. Training an alternative response in a context without reinforcement of the target response circumvented the persistence-strengthening effects of DRA. Experiment 3 translated the rat model into a novel clinical application of DRA. Training an alternative response with DRA in a separate context resulted in lower resistance to extinction than employing DRA in the context correlated with reinforcement of target behavior. The value of coordinated bidirectional translational research is discusse
Characterization of the sub-mesoscale energy cascade in the Alboran Sea thermocline from spectral analysis of high-resolution MCS data
Part of the kinetic energy that maintains ocean circulation cascades down to small scales until it is dissipated through mixing. While most steps of this downward energy cascade are well understood, an observational gap exists at horizontal scales of 103-101âm that prevents characterizing a key step in the chain: the transition from anisotropic internal wave motions to isotropic turbulence. Here we show that this observational gap can be covered using high-resolution multichannel seismic (HR-MCS) data. Spectral analysis of acoustic reflectors imaged in the Alboran Sea thermocline shows that this transition is likely caused by shear instabilities. In particular, we show that the averaged horizontal wavenumber spectra of the reflectors vertical displacements display three subranges that reproduce theoretical spectral slopes of internal waves [λxâ>â100âm], Kelvin-Helmholtz-type shear instabilities [100âmâ>âλxâ>â33âm], and turbulence [λxâ<â33âm], indicating that the whole chain of events is occurring continuously and simultaneously in the surveyed area
Magnetic correlation functions in the slow and fast solar wind in the Eulerian reference frame
Simultaneous multiple point measurements of the magnetic field from seven spacecraft are employed to estimate the Eulerian correlation function and decorrelation time scales in the near Earth solar wind for two different solar wind speed ranges. We find that the Eulerian decorrelation time scale differs significantly in the slow solar wind (600 km/s) wind, where slab-type turbulence dominates. In slow solar wind, the decorrelation time is 215 ± 43 min, and in fast solar wind, the decorrelation time scale is 114 ± 23 min, which indicates thatdecorrelation times vary with the nature of the turbulence. The values reported here are comparable to estimates of decorrelation times based on a number of different models, but do not clearly support or refute any specific solar wind turbulence model. These results may be useful in magnetohydrodynamic modeling of the solar wind and can contribute to our understanding of solar and galactic cosmic ray diffusion in the heliosphere.Fil: Weygand, James M.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Matthaeus, W. H.. University of Delaware; Estados UnidosFil: Kivelson M. G.. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Dasso, Sergio Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de InvestigaciĂłnes CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de AstronomĂa y FĂsica del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de AstronomĂa y FĂsica del Espacio; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de FĂsica; Argentin
The constitution of risk communication in advanced liberal societies
This article aims to bring to the fore some of the underlying rationales that inform common conceptions of the constitution of risk communication in academic and policy communities. âNormativeâ, âinstrumentalâ and âsubstantiveâ imperatives typically employed in the utilisation of risk communication are first outlined. In light of these considerations a theoretical scheme is subsequently devised leading to the articulation of four fundamental âidealisedâ models of risk communication termed the ârisk messageâ model, the ârisk dialogueâ model, the ârisk fieldâ model and the ârisk governmentâ model respectively. It is contended that the diverse conceptual foundations underlying the orientation of each model suggest a further need for a more contextualised view of risk communication that takes account not only of the strengths and limitations of different formulations and functions of risk communication, but also the underlying knowledge/power dynamics that underlie its constitution. In particular it is hoped that the reflexive theoretical understanding presented here will help to bring some much needed conceptual clarity to academic and policy discourses about the use and utility of risk communication in advanced liberal societies
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