Whitewashing the nation: racist jokes and the construction of the African ‘other’ in Greek popular cinema

This article explores representations of race in three Greek popular films of the 1970s and 1980s. The portrayal of African characters in these films is antagonistically positioned in relation to the dominant, ‘whitewashed’ Greek national narrative which relies on the nineteenth century idea that Greece is the progenitor of European civilization. Often masquerading itself as ‘just a joke’, the discourse of these films narrates the African Other as lacking in terms of culture, intelligence and beauty – the three central categories upon which the idea of the ‘white supremacy’, according to Cornell West, is historically constructed in modernity. Tightly woven with this idea (largely introduced in Greece by the leading European powers), these films enunciate explicitly colonial viewpoints in a country that was neither a colonial power nor at the geopolitical center of the European project. The article argues that the racialized representations of these films are an effect of appropriating the Eurocentric idea of historicism, where the ‘progress’ and ‘backwardness’ of groups and nations are measured according to how effectively they perform the values of modernity.     

From peaceful marches to violent clashes: a micro-situational analysis

Recent studies point to the relevance of situational factors in the emergence of violence. This paper applies these insights to a systematic analysis of how and why peaceful protest marches transform into violent clashes. It focuses on the micro-situational patterns and emotional dynamics during protests. The exploratory study compares 20 peaceful and violent protests of the Global Justice Movement in the United States and Germany. It employs a triangulation of visual data with document data. The study relies on in-depth qualitative analysis, based on the principles of process tracing. Findings suggest that in those protests where violence emerges, a prior micro-situational pattern is systematically visible. The discussion of exemplary cases shows that two emotional phases precede the outbreak of violence. These phases emerge in a specific temporal danger zone of 1–3 h after the start of a protest. Further, specific triggering moments seem to prompt the outbreak of violence, like the breaking-up of police–protester lines, actors being outnumbered, or falling down. The emotional dynamic between protesters and officers during a protest likewise influences the intensity of violence and how violent situations end. Consequently, the paper suggests that actors need to go through a confrontational micro-situation in a demonstration in order to be able to use violence.     

‘It’s better if someone can see me for who I am’: stories of (in)visibility for students with a visual impairment within South African Universities

Issues of visibility, invisibility and the non-disabled gaze are very relevant to the lives of many disabled persons. With this article we tentatively show that, despite the physical ‘over’-visibility of disabled bodies, many intricate parts of their personhood remain obscured and invisible. Interviews with 23 students with a visual impairment revealed that they sometimes experienced stares and averted gazes from their sighted counterparts. In response, they often hid their entire impairment, or parts thereof, in an effort to conform and gain acceptance and to earn membership to a non-disabled peer group. Acceptance was often found in companionship with fellow disabled peers. Since these stories told of continuing exclusion for disabled students on tertiary grounds, further participatory research is recommended.     

Accessibility of European museums to visitors with visual impairments

People who have visual impairments exceed 250 million persons worldwide and represent an important cohort of museum visitors. However, they experience many constraints to participation in daily life. Few studies analyse the accessibility of museums to visitors with visual impairments, and many are confined to a single museum and to a small set of strategies for improving accessibility. This article aims to identify a broad set of strategies to increase the accessibility of museums to visitors with visual impairments and analyse the accessibility of museums in four European cities. Conclusions and implications for policy-makers and museum managers, designed to promote the creation of inclusive museums, are presented.     

浅谈新闻摄影中的抓拍

读图时代,抓拍正日益成为新闻摄影的主创原则,也成为广大摄影工作者为增加图片视觉冲击力的主要拍摄技法,对新闻摄影工作者与新闻报道事业有重要的价值。     

从余秋雨《千年一叹》的文化视角解读中华文明

《千年一叹》中 ,余秋雨选择特定的视角 ,对千禧之旅的十多个文明古国进行考察 ,表达出一个具有前瞻眼光的文化人对历史文明的申视及关怀。本文通过三个方面 :平等的对视、开放的心态、真诚的反省 ,从余秋雨《千年一叹》的文化视角来解读中华文明的优势。     

论夏商时期的和谐文化

夏商时期的和谐文化主要体现在制度控制层面、精神控制层面以及艺术审美三个层面。在制度控制层面,通过协调外交关系中的交往行为,以实现部落社会的和谐。通过政治的、经济的、法律的控制措施,通过推行荒政制度,关注弱势群体,通过控制人们物质消费的过度行为,以实现人际和谐以及人与自然的和谐。在精神控制层面,人们通过宗教信仰、道德修养以及礼乐为用等方式加强社会成员对社会规范的遵从,强化个体身心修养和谐意识,以实现社会的和谐稳定。在艺术审美层面,表现为听觉与味觉审美上的和谐,表现为视觉审美中的阴阳和谐、青铜图案与建筑审美的和谐。     

‘Seeing through their Eyes’: Towards Understanding Risk and Protection Perspectives of Young Bedouin Children in the Unrecognised Villages of the Naqab

This article is based on a participatory, context-informed study that examined perception of ‘risk’ and ‘protection’ among 30 Bedouin children aged four to five. It was conducted in the Bedouin unrecognised villages — Southern Israel and utilised photography, drawings and verbal explanations. The analysis yielded seven themes representing children’s perceptions of risk and protection. It indicated that children facing extreme adversity were aware of numerous risk conditions, including a lack of infrastructure and the fear of losing their homes, thus adversely affecting their well-being. Children’s insights, and suggested modes of protection, as the study findings reveal, are crucial for promoting children’s welfare.     

宋代文论视野中的"趣"

"趣",作为我国古代文论的重要审美范畴,在宋代文学批评与理论视野中,首次得到大量运用与集中阐说,表现为在诗评中开始广泛出现;在诗论中得到阐说和提升;在词评中也得以引入.这标示出了"趣"作为古代文论审美范畴的成型.